Johnny Breeze & Me - 19. No, Not Yet, and Still We Move On

I remember the feeling of joy when the judge granted Jason parental rights to Cade.

I remember meeting Lindsay’s mother and feeling we had a new member of our extended family.

I remember walking out of the courthouse.

I remember hearing the word “faggot,” followed by three quick pops.

I remember a searing pain race through my chest.

I remember looking into Jason’s eyes.

I think I remember people holding on to me and pressing into the pain I was feeling.

I remember some of the wild ride to the hospital and looking around. Margaret was there. Strange, my dad was there with my grandmother. I was confused. I tried to get up and hug them, but I felt my grandmother’s soft hands gently pushing me back down on the stretcher as she softly said, “No, not yet.”

I remember feeling safe with Papa and Nana there with me. But they were gone as I remember them taking me into a room full of people hovering over me; some talked as though they were very excited. Others seemed to be very concerned. I then saw Papa and Nana standing off to the side and smiling warm smiles. I tried to get up to go to them again, and the next thing I knew, Papa was holding me down while he softly said, “Not yet, Johnny.”

It was strange. In a way, time seemed to stand still. Yet, in another way, time seemed to race by.

The next thing I remember was being in a different room. Some of the same people were hovering over me. Papa and Nana were standing off to the side again and just smiling down at me. I so wanted to be with them, but they didn’t want me to be with them for some reason. I remember Nana saying they were there to help me. Why did I need their help?

A couple of times, I would sit up so I could see them, but their hands would gently lay me back down. They would always tell me, “No, not yet.” I noticed that each time I sat up, the people hovering over me became very excited. When I would lie back down, they would calm down and get back to whatever it was they were doing.

I felt like I was in that room for quite some time. I then noticed that several of the people who were hovering over me began to leave. I wanted to sit up again, but this time I couldn’t. I remember being moved to a bed and being rolled out of the big room. I felt a lot of tubes coming out of my body and was surrounded by machines. One machine seemed to be pushing air in and out of me.

That searing pain in my chest seemed to be replaced by an unusual tightness. The pain was duller, and I seemed to be surrounded by darkness when I felt a gentle kiss on my lips. Jason! He was with me! I heard him whisper to me, “I love you, Johnny. Please pull through for us. We need you.”

When he said the word “we,” I suddenly remembered Cade. I had to go and see him! I squeezed Jason’s hand and forced myself off the bed. Strangely, I was hovering above the bed and looking down. I saw my body and a scared Jason. A nurse came running in, followed by one of the men that was hovering over me in the other room. Another nurse took Jason out.

I noticed a beautiful, warm white light in the distance and was drawn to it. Maybe that’s where I can find Cade! I floated to the light and found myself drawn down a warm and wonderful path. Cade wasn’t there, but Papa and Nana were. This time they took my hands and stopped me.

Nana looked into my eyes with the familiar warmth I remembered so well from my childhood. “Johnny, you must understand that it’s not time for you to be here yet. You have a family that needs you desperately. There are so many things yet for you to accomplish.”

Papa then looked into my eyes, “I am so proud of the man you have become. It’s time for you to go back and be the man that Jason, Cade, and all the others need you to be. It won’t be easy, but your Nana and I will be there to help you recover from your wounds. You might see us, but you must not try to be with us. Can you do that?”

“Yes, Papa.” They began taking me back to the room, and the three of us were hovering above. “I love and need them, too.”

The man was holding something on either side of my chest and shouted, “Clear!” Suddenly I was back in bed. The tightness in my chest was still there, but I now felt Papa and Nana with me. I could feel their hands on me as a gentle warmth began to surround me. It was going to be alright.

 

 

JASON

I was sitting on the floor, praying and praying for Johnny to come back. I couldn’t stop crying. I don’t think I’ve ever been more scared than I was at that moment.

After a few minutes, Dr. Marco came out of the ICU and reached out a hand to help me to my feet. “Jason, I have some good news. We were able to revive Johnny, and he is doing better than he was before the incident. I honestly can’t tell you why, but his vitals are stronger, and the color seems to be coming back to his face.”

I couldn’t stop crying, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” I hugged the doctor, and I don’t think he was totally comfortable with that. I looked at him. “Can I see him? I just need to see for myself.”

“I guess you can stick your head in, but just for a minute. The nurses are still working on him.”

I walked with Dr. Marco back into the ICU, and the curtains were still parted to Johnny’s cubicle. I couldn’t believe what I saw. All the tubes and machines were still there, but Johnny didn’t look as helpless as he did the last time I saw him. The color seemed to be returning to his face, and I swear he even looked peaceful. “I love you, Johnny,” I spoke softly for some reason. I could swear I saw a slight smile appear on his face. I knew things would be alright. I sighed and let Dr. Marco take me out of the ICU.

I made my way down to the waiting room to see JJ and Zach. When I walked in, JJ looked up, and his eyes widened. “Oh my God, is everything okay?”

“It is now, but we had quite a scare. I went in to see Johnny. I told him I loved him, and he squeezed my hand. Then all Hell broke loose. He died. JJ, he flat-lined! They took me out in the hall, and I just fell to the floor and cried and prayed. I prayed harder than I ever have in my life. A few minutes later, Dr. Marco came out and told me Johnny had come back and was doing better. They let me look in at him so I could see for myself. When I saw him the second time, it was like I was looking at a different person. He didn’t look so helpless. He looked peaceful. And the best part—I told him I loved him, and I’m sure he smiled. He’s completely out of it, and he smiled!”

I started crying again as the boys both took me in their arms. I pulled away and wiped my eyes. There was a restroom in the waiting room, so I went in and washed my face with some cold water. I went back out in the room and told the boys I needed to see Cade and tell him his Papa is going to be okay.

“Why don’t you go down to the lobby and tell everyone that the guys are out of surgery and that I’ll be down shortly to fill them in and thank them for being here.” Thank God for those boys! They each gave me a light kiss and told me they loved me. But now it was time to see my boy—my son.

I made my way up to Cade’s room. Margaret was talking to him and telling him stories about his mother. Cade was listening intently and smiling. I lightly knocked on the door. Cade looked up and smiled, “Daddy! Gramma is telling me stories about my mom!”

“That’s wonderful, little man! How are you feeling?”

“My arm hurts a little, and I wish I didn’t have to have it hanging on that thing. My leg is sore, too.”

“Well, that’s because they had to take some bone out of your leg and put it in your arm so it would heal faster.”

“Oh, okay. I’m a mess, huh?”

“No, son.” I walked over to him and kissed him on the forehead. “You are just perfect!”

“Did you see Papa?”

“Yes, I did. Your papa was hurt pretty bad, but it looks like he’s going to be okay. The doctors are going to keep him asleep for a while so he can heal faster.”

“Can I see him?”

“Not yet. He’s in a place called the Intensive Care Unit, and they only let one grown up at a time see him—and then it’s only for a few minutes at a time.”

“Intensive? Is that like the intensive triple threat class I was in?”

I had to chuckle but was impressed that he was trying to make a connection. “Well, what made your class different from a regular class?”

“We had to work extra hard and do things that the other kids weren’t doing.”

“Well, Intensive Care is a lot like that. The doctors and nurses are working extra hard on Papa, and they have to do things other patients may not need.”

Cade just looked up at me, and I could see the wheels turning. “I might have to ask the doctor for some intensive care so I can get my arm out of this cast faster.”

I laughed as I heard a loud snore from the other bed in the room. I hadn’t even realized my boy was sharing a room. I looked down at Cade with a fake look of fear. “Is there a monster in the room with you?”

“No, Daddy! Don’t be silly. That man is Larry. They just brought him in here after his operation. He snores a lot.”

“Well, I’ll see if we can’t get you a private room with a television and your own remote control. Would you like that?”

“I guess. How long do I have to be here?”

“Dr. Hamilton said they were going to let you go when you can walk on your leg. So, it might be a week or so.”

“That’s going to be boring. Can you bring me my iPad so I can listen to some music?”

“Will do, kiddo. Why don’t you get some rest? I need to take Mar—Gramma and check her into a hotel so she can be close by.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that, Jason. We were staying at the Days Inn and—”

I went over to Margaret and took her hand. “You have a new family now, and no one in this family stays at the Days Inn! There’s a Sheraton a few blocks from here. I have to get a room for Johnny’s mother, so I think a two-bedroom suite would work out perfectly.”

“But—"

Cade interrupted her. “You might as well just say okay. Daddy doesn’t take no for an answer when he decides to do something!”

I looked down at Cade. “I’m not that bad!” Cade just looked up at me and grinned.

“Am I?”

Cade laughed and said, “Why do you think I’m such an agreeable son? I say yes, and you give me everything I ever needed and a whole lot more!”

I just smiled and shook my head. “Well, will you be okay if we run out and do a few things? We’ll be back later tonight to see you and tuck you in.”

“I’ll be okay. I don’t think I’m going to be going anywhere for a while.”

Margaret and I kissed Cade goodbye, and we made our way down to the hospital lobby. I explained that there would be quite a few people from the theatre and suggested she just stick close to JJ and Zach. We walked in, and I was shocked. There must have been forty or fifty people there. I saw Board members, students, actors, parents—so many people. I was overcome with emotion and began to tear up again. People started moving to me to offer their support, and JJ stepped in. “Folks, let’s give Jason some space so he can talk to all of us.”

I gathered my emotions and began to speak to our friends. “Johnny and I want to thank you all so much for your love and support. Today has been one of the happiest and most horrible days of my life, and knowing that there are so many of you showing how much you care is just—mind-boggling. The happiest part of the day is that Cade is now my legally adopted son.”

There was a smattering of applause from the crowd. “Speaking of Cade, he is in good spirits and will be here a while. His arm is in a cast, and he is doing remarkably well, considering all that he’s been through. Johnny was critically wounded and had a successful surgery. He is in the ICU, and the doctors have decided to keep him heavily sedated to help him with the healing process. I just saw him, and after some touch-and-go moments, he seems to have stabilized and appears to be doing as well as can be expected. Please keep them both in your prayers—especially Johnny. The next twenty-four hours are crucial, and I know he can feel your love and care.”

I moved into the crowd and noticed a tearful Connor wrapped in his mother’s arms, so I knelt down to him. “Hey Connor, Cade’s been asking about you. Would you and your Mom like to go up to see him?”

“Can we, Mom?” I told her I had seen families on the floor, so it was visiting hours. I was sure Cade would be thrilled to spend some time with Connor. I gave her the room number, and they headed toward the elevators.

I just realized my car was still parked downtown. I looked around for JJ and motioned for him to come over. “Hey, while I talk to people, could you and Zach go pick up my car and bring it to the hospital?”

“Sure, we could do that. By the way, Bob left about thirty minutes ago to pick up Johnny’s mother.” I gave him my keys and walked around the lobby, speaking to as many people as I could. The amount of love I was feeling was absolutely helping my spirits.

In about twenty minutes, Zach was pulling up to the front doors in my car, so I went and got Margaret. As soon as I stepped out of the hospital, I noticed a lot of press standing outside. I made a bee-line to the car and ignored them. I don’t think they knew who I was. That’s a good thing about being relatively new to the city, I guess.

The first stop we made was at the Sheraton. I got a suite for Margaret and Johnny’s mother. We then made our way to the Barton Creek Mall.

I took Margaret into Macy’s and to the women’s section. Fortunately, one of our theatre volunteers was working, and I was able to leave Margaret in her hands. I told her to help her find clothes for a week—everything—including undergarments. I left my Macy’s card with Michelle and headed to the Apple Store. I picked up a new cover for his iPad that allowed it to stand up so Cade could watch some movies and play some games.

When I returned to Macy’s, Margaret was nearly finished. Michelle told me Margaret resisted a bit at first. “I told her it was best to do what Mr. Richardson wanted because, in the long run, that’s exactly what he gets.” I can’t believe I have this reputation!

A tearful Margaret came up to me and hugged me. “Thank you, Jason. You know you didn’t have to do this! I have a suitcase in Franklin’s truck.”

“I’m sure the police have taken the truck for evidence. Who knows when you would get your belongings back?”

“I didn’t even think of that. You’re probably right. But thank you so much. I’m just more than a little overwhelmed!”

Just then, my phone rang. It was JJ. “Hi, JJ. Everything okay?”

“Yeah, Bob just got back with Johnny’s mother. I found Beverly, and she took her up to ICU to see Johnny. She also filled her in on his condition and all the events of the day. We also went to see Cade. He’s doing well. I asked Beverly if we could get him a private room, and she said they were already working on it, and there may be one available in a few hours.”

“Excellent. I got a suite in the Sheraton for Johnny’s mother and Margaret. If she would like to go to the hotel, she can go at any time.”

“Great, I’ll let her know, but I think she wants to see you. When will you be here?”

I told JJ we were leaving the mall, and I just wanted to zip into the loft and get some fresh clothes and pick up a couple of things for Cade. We’d be there right after. Of course, it was getting more and more difficult to drive around the later it got in the afternoon. We finally made it to the loft, and I suggested Margaret bring in a couple of bags so she could change into something more comfortable.

Margaret was quite impressed with the loft, and I showed her into the guest room/office where she could change. I went upstairs, and when I saw the bed—the bed Johnny and I share, a terrible loneliness overcame me. There were no tears; I don’t think I had any left.

I changed into a pair of khakis and a red polo shirt and made my way downstairs. Margaret soon appeared from the guest room in a lovely pantsuit. “You have such a lovely home, Jason. I’m so happy that Cade has such a wonderful place to grow up.”

“Thank you, Margaret. We love it here.”

“And thank you again for the clothes. I don’t know why you are being so kind to me after all that Frank has done to your family and all—”

I walked over to her and held her in my arms. “Frank did some horrible things—you didn’t. On top of that, he left you without a family. Well, we’re your family now. Cade already adores you and loves hearing stories about his mother. And I will never be able to thank you enough for all you’ve done today by just being there and helping me through this day. Now we need to get back to the hospital and see our boys.” I went into Cade’s room and grabbed his iPad, and we headed to the parking garage.

We made our way through downtown and back to the hospital in about fifteen minutes. I dropped Margaret off at the front door and went to park. There were a couple of news trucks outside, but things seemed to have calmed down a bit. When I got into the lobby, I called JJ. He and Zach were having a cup of coffee in the cafeteria with Johnny’s mother. Margaret and I walked down the hall and into the cafeteria. “Jason!”

“Hello Mom, how was your flight?”

“Oh my, talk about luxury! Thank you so much!”

“Did you get to see Johnny?”

“Yes. He’s still asleep, but the nurses were quite happy that he has been improving hourly. I talked to Dr. Marco, and he said he would probably ease him out of the heavy sedation sometime tomorrow if he keeps improving at this rate. I also saw Cade. That boy has grown quite a bit since I saw him last.”

I decided to run up to the ICU and check on Johnny and then on Cade. I told everyone I wouldn’t be long and asked them to stay put. When I went into the ICU, I checked in at the nurse’s desk, and they took me in to see Johnny. He still had all the machines, but he was still looking rested and peaceful. I bent down and gave him a light kiss on the lips and heard a soft moan.

“Hi, beautiful man. I hope you can hear me. You’re doing great and getting better every minute. Cade is doing great and is charming all the nurses, so I’m sure they’ll be waiting on him hand and foot.” I gently took his hand, and he immediately returned a light squeeze. No alarms sounded this time. “I love you, Johnny—more than I ever thought possible.”

He squeezed my hand again. “I’m going to see our son now. He loves you too and can’t wait to see you.” I kissed Johnny again, and this time I was positive I saw a slight smile form on his lips.

I took the elevator up to Cade’s room, and he was trying to eat with his left hand. It was a little harder than he had expected, but he was doing a good job. “Daddy! They don’t make very good food here, but I had to eat `cause I was so hungry!”

“Do you need any help, little man?”

“No, I got it, I just have to eat a little slower with my left hand, but I’ll get used to it.”

“How are you feeling?”

“My arm and leg are pretty sore, but Dr. M. said that was normal.”

“I brought you a little present.”

I opened the bag from the Apple store and showed him the new case for his iPad. I attached it to the tablet and propped it up on his bed table.

“Wow! That’s perfect!”

“You can watch movies and access your iTunes, so you shouldn’t be so bored. I put some money into your iTunes account so you can get what you want. We also set up a Netflix account for you, but don’t try to get any R-rated movies—those are blocked. So are the PG-13 movies, but if you see one you want to watch, we can talk about it.”

“Thank you, Daddy! Did you know Connor came to see me? He cried a little bit when he saw me. Do I look that scary?”

“No, son. It’s just a shock to see you in a hospital bed with your arm in a cast.”

“Good, I don’t want him to be scared of me!”

I bent down and kissed my boy on the forehead. “Do you need anything? I’m going to take your Nana and Gramma out to dinner with JJ and Zach, but we’ll be back before the end of visiting hours.”

“Can you bring me a piece of cheesecake? I need to eat something good!”

“I’ll check with the nurse on the way out. They may not want you to have anything sweet quite yet.”

“Okay. I’ll see you in a little bit then. I love you, Daddy! And thanks for bringing my iPad!”

I went downstairs to gather the troops. I decided to take everyone to dinner at the Sheraton and get the ladies checked in. On the way down, I stopped by the nurse’s station and asked if I could bring Cade a dessert, and they said there were no restrictions on his diet. The head nurse also told me that a private room had opened about an hour earlier, and they were prepping it for him. He would probably be in there by the time we returned from dinner.

We had a nice, quiet dinner. Margaret and Caroline seemed to hit it off well, and we got them settled into their suite. JJ, Zach, and I headed back to the hospital for one last visit. Cade was ecstatic to have a private room and even more ecstatic as he devoured his cheesecake.

As we were getting ready to leave for the evening, I told Cade that he could call me anytime during the night if he got scared or needed anything. I stopped in and gave Johnny another kiss goodnight and was pleased to see him resting well.

When we got down to the parking garage, JJ told Zach that he would stay with me for the night and that he didn’t want me to be alone. Zach thought that was a great idea and headed home in JJ’s car. JJ rode with me to the loft.

I went upstairs and headed into the shower. As the hot water poured over me, the roller coaster events of the day finally caught up with me. I just stood in the shower and sobbed. I can’t believe how close I came to losing Johnny. On top of that, seeing Cade in such pain ripped my heart out.

After a few minutes of crying, I heard the glass door open, and JJ stepped in. He wrapped his arms around me and held me. He then turned me around. “Jason, it’s going to be okay now. You’ve been so amazing and strong all day for everyone. Just let it out.” The floodgates opened, and I wept uncontrollably in JJ’s arms.

He then reached for the shampoo and began washing my hair. He then poured some liquid soap over my back and began a nice, deep, cleansing massage. JJ then turned me around and washed my chest and arms, working his way down my legs.

“You know, Jason—I love these times we have together. But if you’re uncomfortable—"

“No, JJ. You’re a part of this family.” I wrapped my arms around him and gently kissed him. Once we were both clean, we just held each other closely and let the hot water cascade over us and wash the day away.

I grabbed towels as we dried each other off. I picked JJ up in my arms and carried him to the bed. “I’m glad you’re here tonight, JJ.”

“Me too, Jason.”

We crawled under the covers, wrapped our arms around each other. JJ ran his fingers through my hair as we just looked into each other’s eyes. We were just about to fall asleep when my phone rang. I panicked a bit until I saw it was Zach. “Hi, Zach, what’s up?”

“Are you guys finished?”

I just laughed and thanked him for letting JJ spend the night with me.

“You get me tomorrow—or both of us.”

“We’ll see, okay?”

“Sure. I called to let you know that I’ll be by in the morning with some clothes for JJ. We can ride over to the hospital together then.”

I thanked Zach for being with me today and hung up the phone. I spooned myself around JJ and kissed the back of his neck. “Thank you, JJ. You’re amazing.” He pushed himself into me and sighed. We were both asleep in minutes.

I woke up about 6:30 in the morning and found my hard cock buried inside a sleeping JJ. He was gently bucking his hips in a slow and steady rhythm. When I looked down at him, he seemed to be sound asleep. Holy crap! We were sleep-fucking! I gently shook my cute blond boy and woke him. He looked up at me with sleepy eyes. “Dude, did you rape me in my sleep?”

“No, JJ. I woke up and found you humping my cock!”

We both had a laugh, and I started to pull out of him. “Oh no, don’t even think about not finishing what you—or I—started!”

I shrugged my shoulders and said, “Your wish is my command!” I continued fucking JJ from behind when his phone rang. I didn’t stop fucking him, and when he saw it was Zach, he answered breathlessly.

“Good morning—ungh—lover—ungh! Yeah, he’s fucking me—ungh—ungh—Ohhhhhhhhhh! No—ungh—he just hit my spot real good. You like listening to your boyfriend—ungh—getting fucked? Ungh—Yeah—stroke for me Zach—ungh—”

Okay, so this was hot in a weird way. I’m giving JJ a morning fuck, and he’s having phone sex with Zach at the same time! I must admit, though, listening to his dirty talk was turning me on way more than I had expected.

“Yeah, Zach—ungh—ungh—I feel his cock getting larger—he’s close—are you gonna—ungh—ungh—ungh—come with me, baby? Ungh—Ungh—Oh fuck—I’m gonna blow a load—Ungh—Ungh—Fuuuuuuuuuuck!

Bam! As JJ’s ass contracted with his morning orgasm, my cock released torrents of cum deep into his hot little dancer's ass. From the sounds of things, Zach came with us. Pretty kinky. Pretty hot!

“Okay, baby. I love you, too.” JJ hung up his phone and leaned in to kiss me—“That was kind of fun, Jason!”

“In an oddly, weirdly, hot way it was!”

“Zach said he was going to shower and be right over. We should probably shower and get dressed before he gets here, or we may never do what we need to do this morning.”

JJ slid himself off my cock and went into the bathroom. He went into the toilet closet as I climbed out of bed and started the shower. I quickly cleaned up and was finishing as I heard JJ shout, “I’m flushing!” I turned off the water before he scalded me. He came out and made his way into the shower as I was drying.

In a few minutes, I was down in the kitchen, making up some coffee and toasting up some bagels. The doorbell rang, and I let Zach in as a naked and still hard JJ walked down the stairs. Zach looked up and licked his lips, “Now that’s a welcome I could get used to!” JJ ran down the rest of the stairs and grabbed his clothes from his boyfriend—after kissing him, of course.

“Boys, coffee and bagels in the kitchen!” JJ got dressed in the living room while Zach came in a poured himself and JJ coffees. I pulled the bagels out of the toaster and slathered them with cream cheese. We all sat at the breakfast bar.

Zach was the first to speak, “I have to tell you—that was a pretty hot way to start the day!”

I think I actually started to blush! “I just get to add that to the growing list of things I’ve never done before until you two came along!”

“Well, tonight, you’re coming home with us. I think some quality time in the sauna might just be what the doctor ordered.”

“Well, let me run up and pack a bag in case I decide to take you up on that offer. I can’t promise anything, though, until I know more about what’s happening with Johnny.”

As soon as we finished our quick breakfast, I ran upstairs and did just that. Once my bag was packed, I headed back downstairs as JJ and Zach were cleaning the dishes. I grabbed the keys, and we headed on to the hospital after I stopped by Sheraton to pick up Caroline and Margaret. I had called them when I was leaving the parking garage, so they were both waiting out on the sidewalk in front of the main entrance.

“Good morning, Mom. Margaret. How was your night?”

Caroline answered, “I was having some trouble sleeping. I guess all the excitement of the day just made it hard for me to relax.”

Margaret smiled and said, “Same goes for me. It was a rather overwhelming day for all of us. So, I went out into the living room and found Caroline on the sofa watching infomercials. I tell you, they are better than Xanax! We were both conked out within an hour and finally made our way back to our beds.”

We arrived at the hospital and found our way into the lobby. Beverly was there talking to JJ and Zach. “Good morning folks, I was just waiting for you to arrive so I could fill all of you in on the condition of Cade and Johnny.” At least she was smiling, so I didn’t panic.

“Cade slept well through the night, except he was a little grumpy whenever the nurses had to come in and take his vitals. As far as Johnny goes, they’ve taken him off the ventilator, and he is breathing quite well on his own.”

I looked at her with concern. “Isn’t it a little too soon for that?”

“No, not really. We try not to have a patient on a ventilator for more than a day. If the patient is on the machine too long, they sometimes become dependent on it. Plus, there is always a risk of pneumonia, and that’s a road we definitely don’t want to go down.”

“Now that Johnny’s breathing is stable, Dr. Marco is going to reduce the sedation levels, and he’ll soon be a little more aware. By late afternoon, we hope to have him up and sitting in a chair—again, another way we hope to avoid complications like pneumonia. He’s a very lucky man. According to the police, the bullet that hit him was a larger caliber and went right through his chest and lung. Had it stopped in the lung, there would have been a greater risk of infection. At this point, there is no indication of infection, but we’re going to keep him on a pretty steady dose of antibiotics just to be safe. The fact that he is in such good physical shape has also been a factor in his rapid recovery. I do have to share with you that all the medical staff is pretty much in shock at the pace of his recovery. Honestly, we’ve never seen anything like it, and there seems to be no explanation.”

I looked at Beverly with a smile. “That’s wonderful news, Beverly! Thank you so much! Oh—and speaking of the police, have you heard anything new from them?”

“As a matter of fact, they are going to come by after visiting hours to speak with you and Margaret. They wanted me to tell you that as the case is very cut and dry, they won’t be taking too much of your time. They are going to take a statement from each of you and be done with it.”

I immediately began to think about having an attorney present. Then it hit me again that my attorney was in a funeral home somewhere in town. Tears came to my eyes again as JJ looked at me and asked what was wrong. “I was just thinking about Sam again. I need to call his office and see what kind of arrangements are being made.”

“I can’t believe he’s gone. He’s been such a huge part of our lives.”

Beverly and her cheerful voice snapped us out of our thoughts. “Well, I think Johnny can see two people this morning. Why don’t I take Mrs. Breeze and Jason up to ICU, and the rest of you can go in and see Cade? He should be finishing up his breakfast by now, and I’m sure he will be thrilled to have you all there with him.”

We all rode up in the elevator together. Caroline and I got off on the surgery floor, and the others rode up to Cade’s room. When I got to the ICU entrance, Caroline asked me to go first. I walked in and found his curtains parted. I stood at the door and couldn’t believe what I saw! Johnny’s eyes were open. He looked up at me, smiled, and whispered, “Hi, baby.”

Tears came to my eyes again as I smiled and walked over to the bed. “Hey, mister, don’t you ever scare me like that again!”

“I’m sorry. I love you.” I leaned down and ran my fingers along his face as I looked deep into the dark pools of his eyes. I bent down and kissed him, and he placed his right hand on the back of my head and held me there.

This time Johnny broke the most beautiful kiss I had ever experienced. “The doc said he was going to move me to a regular room this afternoon.”

“Isn’t all this happening too fast?”

“No, they want me up and walking as soon as possible. I’ll be in a chair this afternoon.”

“This is amazing. Yesterday I thought I had lost you.”

“I heard. They told me I went away for a while, but I came back. I couldn’t leave you and Cade behind.” Johnny took a big sigh and closed his eyes.

“I love you, Johnny. I’m going to go up and see Cade so your mom can come in and see you, okay?”

“I love you, Jason.” I leaned down and kissed my beautiful man and ran my fingers down his face.

“I’ll see you later, baby.”

I went out in the hall, and Caroline began to make her way in to see Johnny. I couldn’t hide the huge smile on my face as I walked out, and all she said was, “Thank God!”

I took the elevator up to Cade’s room, and he was playing host to our crazy, wonderful family. JJ, Zach, and Margaret were standing around the bed, and Connor was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding Cade’s hand. People were smiling and laughing, and Cade kept asking them to hold it down. He didn’t want them to get kicked out.

About twenty minutes into our visit with Cade, Beverly came in and asked to see Margaret and me. The police were downstairs and would like to get statements from us so they could wrap up the case. She took us downstairs to a conference room situated between the main lobby and the emergency area.

The police asked to see me first. I went into the conference room, and two officers were sitting at the table. After formal introductions, they expressed relief that Johnny and Cade were rapidly improving and asked that I tell them what I remember of the incident. They asked very few questions while I was talking.

When I finished telling them what I remembered, they asked if I was planning to pursue a civil suit on the Manning family. I explained that the family had nothing to do with this, that Frank was a closed-minded bigot who took the law into his own hands. On the other hand, his widow had been wonderful, and as far as I was concerned, she was now a part of our family.

They thanked me and told me I could send Margaret in. I decided to go to the cafeteria for some coffee. While heading in that direction, I noticed quite a commotion behind me.

A young boy was being rushed into the elevator by a team of doctors and nurses. I was stunned when I caught a glimpse of his face. It was Daniel Hayes! He was one of our high school counselors over the summer. I ran down to the ER lobby to find his parents so I could see what happened. I didn’t see them but did see three police officers talking to a woman in a business suit. Two of the officers then left, and the woman was left with the third.

I walked over to them and introduced myself as the managing artistic director of the Rosemont Theatre and asked about Daniel. The officer asked if I was a member of the family. When I told him I wasn’t, but he had worked for me over the summer as a counselor, the officer asked me if I could step aside with the woman.

She introduced herself as Mary Warner with Child Protective Services and asked if I had any dealings with Daniel’s father throughout the summer. I didn’t recall anyone other than his mother dropping him off or picking him up and didn’t recall if he had even mentioned his father.

Ms. Warner asked if I was aware of Daniel’s sexuality and if it seemed to be a problem with the other children in the camp. I explained to her and the officer that there are hundreds of children of all ages who make their way through the camps over the summer. While some of the older children may have already discovered their sexuality and might be comfortable with it, many more of them are confused and might even experiment.

As far as Daniel was concerned, I had always felt he might be gay, but he had no problem with the other children and was one of the more popular counselors in the program. Then it hit me, “Dear God, was he beaten because of his sexuality?”

The officer spoke next. “Unfortunately, we can’t give out too many of the details, but it’s almost certain that Daniel will be placed in the state Foster Care Program.”

“What about his mother?”

“I’m afraid she is no longer in the picture—and is father is being booked as we speak.”

“Oh, dear God. Is Daniel going to be alright?”

Mary looked up from her folder. “He seems to have been spared any life-threatening injuries, but he is unconscious at the moment, and they have to repair a couple of broken bones.”

“Well, my son and partner are both here for at least a week. Would it be alright if I visit Daniel so he won’t feel so alone?”

Ms. Warner looked up at me, “Thank you for the offer, sir. At this point, all visitors must be cleared through my office and me.”

She gave me her card and suggested I call her later in the afternoon. I thanked her and the officer for filling me in on what they could and told them they would be hearing from me.

I made my way back towards the conference room just as Margaret was walking out. It was apparent she had been crying. I put my arm around her as we walked down the hall.

“Oh, Jason. That was so difficult. I had to convince them that I didn’t know Frank was going to do something so horrible. It was almost as if they wanted to blame me. I finally convinced them I had no control over that man, that he actually had a lot of control over me.” She looked up at me and tilted her head. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost. Is something wrong with Cade or Johnny?

“Oh no, I just saw one of my high school camp counselors being rushed up to surgery. He looked pretty bad. I went out to the ER to see if there was anything I could do, but the officer and the CPS worker were fairly vague. It appears that the boy’s father beat him pretty badly over his sexuality, and something terrible may have happened to his mother.”

“Dear God, why are men so pig-headed and closed-minded?”

“I don’t know, Margaret. The world would be a much better place if people would accept others for who they are, that’s for sure.”

We headed back upstairs to Cade’s room and found Cade being the perfect host. Someone had gone down to the cafeteria and brought up ice cream for everyone.

“Hi, Daddy and Gramma! Do you want some ice cream?”

“I think that would be awesome!”

“Okay, you’ll have to go down and get some then. I don’t think Zach brought some up for you guys.”

Everyone got a good laugh out of it when Beverly came in. “Folks, I’m afraid morning visiting hours are just about up. We need you to wrap things up so Cade can get some rest.”

“Rest? I’m not tired!”

“You will be when we finish walking you up and down the hall a few times!”

“Oh no! I don’t think I’m ready for that yet.”

“Well, Mr. Terrence will be here in about ten minutes and will determine that.”

We all began to leave the room when I pulled Beverly aside. “Can we speak?”

“Is something wrong, Jason?”

“Well, not with my family, but when I was downstairs, I saw a young man being wheeled into the elevator. He appeared to have been beaten rather badly. His name is Daniel Hayes. He worked for me during the summer as a camp counselor, and it appears they are about to throw him into the Foster Care Program. Could you talk to Ms. Warner and see if JJ, Zach, and I can be put on the visitors' list for him? He has no one, and I’m sure he’s in for a pretty rough time.”

“Well, seeing as I’m the nurse advocate for her as well, that shouldn’t be a problem. Are you interested in more than visits?”

“What do you mean?”

“I have already spoken with Mary about Daniel’s case, and I guess I’m asking if you would be interested in caring for the boy after he is released. I’ve seen your family, Jason. It appears that it would be an ideal situation.”

“Oh Beverly, I don’t think I could take on much more than the healing of Johnny and Cade—and I couldn’t do it without Johnny being there as well.”

“Well, don’t close that door yet. Just remember, once a child—especially a teenager—is placed in that system, it’s very difficult—almost impossible—to get them out.”

“I’ll think about it. For now, I just want Daniel to have some visitors, and the three of us know him from the summer.”

“I’ll see what I can do, Jason. Just keep your mind—and your heart open, okay?”

“I promise.”

I went back in and kissed Cade goodbye and told him his Papa was awake and talking and should be in a regular room soon.

When I went out into the hallway, JJ was waiting for me as the others headed for the elevator. “Did I hear you mention Daniel Hayes to Beverly? What’s going on?”

“Oh, JJ. It’s terrible. When I was downstairs with the police, I saw him being rushed onto the surgery elevator. He was beaten pretty badly.”

“Shit! I was afraid of this. I told him to be careful.”

“What do you mean?”

“A few weeks ago, he came up to me after classes and wanted to talk. He told me he was gay and he didn’t know how to tell his parents. I told him he didn’t need to do that just yet if he felt that either or both of them might take it badly. He said his mother already knew, but his dad might be another story.”

“JJ, the social worker from CPS is downstairs. Would you be willing to talk to her? You might have more insight on this than I did.”

“Sure. Is Daniel going to be okay?”

“I don’t know. They wouldn’t tell me much since I wasn’t a family member, but it looks like his dad might have done this to him. As far as his mother goes, all they said is that she was out of the picture.”

“That doesn’t sound good at all, Jason. His mother adored him.”

“Well, I asked Beverly if she could see about getting us on his visitors' list so he won’t feel so alone when he wakes up.”

“We should try to get Cade in there too. He loved hanging with Daniel.”

We all met in the lobby and decided to have a quick lunch in the cafeteria since JJ and I were going to stick around and talk with Beverly. I took JJ into the ER lobby and found Ms. Warner sitting in the corner on the phone. When she saw us, she ended her conversation and motioned for us to come over.

“Ms. Warner, this is JJ Combs. He worked rather closely with Daniel this summer and may be able to give you a little more information than I was able to.”

“Mr. Richardson. Thank you so much. Beverly filled me in on your ordeal over the last twenty-four hours. I had no idea you were the family involved in the courthouse shooting yesterday! I do hope everything is going to be alright.”

“Thank you, Ms. Warner. Everyone is doing much better, and I’m hoping to have everyone home and on the road to recovery in a week or so. I’ll leave you and JJ alone for a bit.”

“Thanks, Mr. Richardson. If there’s anything I can do—”

“Right now, let’s see if we can get Daniel some help.”

I left JJ with Ms. Warner and went to join the others in the cafeteria. God, that food is horrible! Fortunately, there was a mediocre salad bar, so we all decided it would be best to take our chances with that.

After a few minutes, JJ walked in, shaking his head. Zach asked what was wrong, and JJ filled him in with basically the same information I had received earlier in the day. Tears came to Zach’s eyes. “Gosh, I trained that kid! He had such a promising future. Now, who knows what might happen?”

“Beverly is working with CPS to try and make sure we will be able to visit him while we’re here. He apparently has no one anymore, so some friendly faces might do him some good.”

JJ leaned in to me a quietly said, “Apparently, that’s not all she’s working on. She told Ms. Warner that she was going to try and convince you to take Daniel in after he’s released.”

“I don’t know, JJ. I’m going to have my hands full with Johnny and Cade when they get home. And we just don’t have room for another person.”

“Well, don’t say no just yet. Let’s wait and see how everything plays out, okay?”

My phone buzzed with a text from Beverly. “Johnny out of ICU. Room 514. Private Room.”

“Wow! They’ve moved Johnny into a private room. I need to go see him!”

I hurried to the elevator, and it seemed like it was taking forever! The door finally opened, and I was soon on my way up to the fifth floor. When the doors opened again, I nearly ran down to the hall to Johnny’s room. I got there and had to catch my breath as I walked in.

“Hi baby, took you long enough!” Johnny had his full, toothy, dimpled, goofy smile right back where it belonged. I couldn’t believe it! I thought I had lost him a little over 24 hours ago, and now he was sitting up in his bed. He was holding some kind of plastic contraption with a ball in a tube.

I walked over to the bed with tears in my eyes (yes, again) and leaned down and gave him a kiss so full of love and passion I was afraid I was going to give him a raging hard-on. Just as I was about to break the kiss, there was a light knock on the door. Dr. Marco cleared his throat as he walked into the room. “Excuse me, boys. I just wanted to check in on Johnny before I headed back to my office. I’m glad you’re here Jason, I wanted to fill you in on what’s going on, too.”

“I guess my only question is, how can he be doing so well so quickly?”

“Jason, I have to admit I’m a bit surprised at how rapidly our patient seems to be recovering, but I will tell you a lot of it has to do that he is in excellent physical shape and quite healthy. That makes a huge difference. As you see, we still have the IV hooked up. I want to make sure there is a good supply of fluids and antibiotics going through his body for the next day or two. We also have a morphine pump, which Johnny controls. When he feels pain, he can give himself a dose. There are a limited number of doses per day, and the pump is set so he can have no more than two milligrams every ten minutes.”

“I’m trying not to use the pump, Dr. Marco. I don’t like feeling the drugs go through my body—plus, I don’t want to depend on it if I don’t need to.”

“Understandable—and I’m glad you feel that way. Now I see the nurses have given you a spirometer. That’s a machine to help you with your breathing. It tells us how much air you are able to take in. Just follow the nurse’s instructions, and you’ll be fine.”

“The nurse put a couple of lines on the tube. She said when I could do five breaths in a row above the yellow line, I can go down the hall and see Cade. Once I get to the blue line, I can talk to you about going home.”

“And that’s why we call it an incentive spirometer. How are you doing with the contraption?”

“I’m almost to the yellow line—and I intend to have dinner with my son today.”

“Excellent. And I’m not going to be surprised at all if that happens. Just make sure you call the nurse before you go walking so she can set you up properly.”

“Now, Jason—if you’ll excuse us. I want to examine Johnny one more time before I leave for the morning.”

“He can stay. I don’t mind.”

“Jason?”

“Sure, I’ll stay.”

I was sitting in the chair on the opposite side of the bed from the doctor as he lifted Johnny’s gown to examine his chest. There were four stitches where the bullet exited his chest.

“It’s looking good.”

Yes, Johnny’s body was looking magnificent if you asked me. I never stop marveling at the physique of the man I love.

“I don’t see any signs of bleeding or infection. Let’s look at your back.” He lowered the gown and helped Johnny sit up. He took a close look at the entrance wound, which seemed to have just two stitches. The doctor then listened to Johnny breathe with his stethoscope. When he finished listening, he helped Johnny lie back down and looked at the bag attached to the drainage tube.

“Well, it looks like we might be able to remove the tube tomorrow. You are healing at a remarkable pace, Johnny. I’d like to take credit for that, but something tells me something much greater than medical science is at work here.”

“Yeah, Dr. Marcos, I think you might be right there.”

I looked at Johnny with a puzzled look. “I’ll explain later, hon.” Johnny just smiled at me again.

Dr. Marco made a few notes and told us he would be stopping by later in the day to have another look.

When he left the room, Johnny looked at me with a grin. “Now, where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?”

I got up from the chair, sat on the edge of the bed, and looked Johnny in the eyes. “I love you, Johnny Breeze.” I bent down and kissed my lover with all my heart and soul. After a couple of minutes, there was another light knock on the door.

We broke the kiss, and I sat down in the chair as Johnny called out, “Come in!”

What a surprise we had when Judge Alvarez walked into the room. I stood up and extended my hand. “Judge Alvarez! What a nice surprise!”

“Please, we’re not in court. You can call me Mimi.”

“Okay—ummm—Mimi.” That just didn’t feel right, but I guess I could get used to it.

“So, how are you doing, Johnny? I was shocked when I heard what had happened, and I should say I’m even more surprised to see how well you are doing. I hear Cade was injured as well?”

“Yes, he was hit in his forearm and is doing quite well. He should be getting out of traction later today.”

“Such a shame about Sam. He was a great man and thought the world of you boys.”

“Thank you, Judge—I mean Mimi.” Tears came to my eyes again as I thought about the loss of our friend. Johnny looked up at me with a confused look, and I whispered to him that I would explain later.

“Gentlemen, while I wanted to make sure you were doing well, there is another reason I’ve come to see you. Beverly told me you were in here together, so I wanted to make sure I could talk to the two of you alone.”

Johnny looked concerned as he asked our guest, “What’s happening, is something wrong with the adoption?”

“Oh no! Nothing like that, Johnny. As you know, a young man named Daniel Hayes was brought in yesterday after being severely beaten by his father.”

“What? What happened? Is he okay?”

I took Johnny’s hand. “I’m sorry, babe. I haven’t had a chance to tell you about it yet.”

I looked over at Mimi. “Is he going to be okay?”

“He’s going to need a lot of time to heal. He suffered several broken ribs, a concussion, and a broken jaw. He’s been moved to the children’s hospital and will most likely be there for quite a while. Not only does his body need to heal, but he will also have a lot of emotional healing as well since he lost his mother in the ordeal. Even though he’s sixteen, they moved him to a facility that would better serve all of his needs.”

Johnny looked at the judge. “Wha—What happened to Daniel’s mother?”

Mimi continued. “Apparently, Mr. Hayes was furious that she knew about Daniel’s sexuality and never told him. He beat her and then shot her. Daniel threw him to the floor, and, fortunately for Daniel, the gun went flying across the room. Unfortunately for Daniel, his father still beat him rather badly and then literally threw him out the front door. The neighbors next door had heard the yelling and the gunshot and had already called 911. Daniel was unconscious by the time help arrived.”

The tears were flowing from my eyes at this point. “Daniel will be fine. He will heal. But he’s going to need some help.” This is what I was dreading. I knew what she was going to suggest and had wanted to talk to Johnny first.

“Now—before I go on, I should tell you that I have been talking with Beverly, Margaret Manning, Mary Warner of CPS, and those two lovely young men—JJ and Zach. They all are aware of what has happened with Daniel and are all willing to help. Now I understand that you now consider Margaret a member of your family?”

“Yes,” I answered. “She has been a godsend throughout this entire ordeal. And Cade adores his new grandmother.”

“That’s wonderful to hear. Now you may be aware that as part of my preparation for your adoption hearing, my clerks did an extensive background check on you, Johnny, and on the Mannings. Did you know that Margaret is a retired nurse?”

I looked at Johnny. “You know, back in college, I think I remember Lindsay saying something about that. But it’s one of those things you never really hold on to. I totally forgot about that.”

“Well, as I said earlier, Daniel will be in the hospital for three to four weeks. He’s understandably quite depressed and quite honestly terrified of what might lie ahead for him.”

Johnny now had tears flowing from his eyes. “Dear God, that poor kid. Daniel is such a wonderful boy. He was probably the top counselor during the summer program. He had such a great future.”

“He can still have that future. But we’re going to need both of you to agree.”

Johnny squeezed my hand. “We’ll do anything needed to help Daniel.”

I looked at Johnny. “Johnny, be careful what you say. Mimi is a very persuasive person.” I looked at Mimi and said, “I know what you are about to ask—Beverly brought it up to me earlier, and I told her I would have to discuss it with Johnny first.”

“What are you talking about, Jason?”

“I have a feeling that Mimi is about to ask us to become foster parents.” I looked at Mimi again. “Mimi, I would love to help out Daniel, but I’m going to have Johnny and Cade, both healing from gunshot wounds. Margaret will most likely be staying with us as well. Not only will we not have any room for another person in the loft, but I also don’t know if I would have it in me to care for a third person. I don’t know—I just don’t see how it can be done and still give Daniel all the attention he needs.”

“Before you give me a definitive no for an answer, I ask that you hear me out.” Wow! Mimi is a persuasive person!

“Now I have to give credit for this idea to your friends downstairs. Margaret has insisted that she help you in the care of Johnny, Cade, and Daniel. The boys have suggested that you all trade houses for a while until a better solution for space could be found. Of course, you won’t have to swap homes for a few weeks, so Cade and Johnny will be able to get back to health before Daniel would arrive.”

I could see the wheels turning in Johnny’s brain. “Jason, you know I love our loft. But once Cade moved in with us, it started to feel a little crowded.” I had to agree with him on that point. “I think it might be time for us to look for a house in a nice neighborhood—even if it were going to be just the three of us.” Again, I had to agree—so I just nodded. “I hear Cade is recovering quite well—snd so am I—so there won’t be a lot of care involved with us once we get home.” Yes, I had to agree again.

I looked at Mimi. “But isn’t the process of getting approved for the foster program quite long and extensive?”

“Normally it is, Jason. However, as I said earlier—you, Johnny, and Margaret have already been extensively investigated by my staff. I gave that information to Mary, and she immediately sent it to her office for approval. I’ve already spoken with her superiors, and everything should be taken care of in the next 24 to 48 hours.”

“I’m really not trying to be negative here, Mimi—but should Johnny and I decide not to become foster parents, what will happen to Daniel?”

Mimi took a deep breath. “That’s the hard part. Daniel will most likely be forced to take residence in a state children’s home until he is eighteen. We can’t guarantee that it would be here in Austin. He will be put in the home that can best accommodate his immediate needs.”

Johnny just shook his head. “An orphanage?”

“Technically, no. Although his father will most likely be in prison for a very long time, he still has a father. On the other hand, the home is very much like an orphanage, only it would be for teenagers, and sadly, there are very few people interested in fostering teens—especially gay teens.”

Johnny looked at me and smiled. “We need to talk about this, Jason. We can’t say yes or no to Mimi until we talk about it together and then with Cade, and then again with Margaret, JJ, and Zach.”

“I know, Jason. There is just so much to think about and discuss before we make a decision that will have such an impact on all our lives.”

Mimi stood up from her chair and walked over to Johnny. “Thank you, Johnny. That’s all I ask of you today—discuss it and see if there is anything you can do.” She gave me her card. “Jason, you can call me anytime if you have any questions. If I’m in court, I’m sure my staff will be able to help you. We’re a part of the family court system, and sadly, this is the type of thing we deal with regularly.” She shook my hand, then Johnny’s. “Thank you, boys. You just might be able to save another wonderful boy’s life.”

Margaret got up and let herself out of the room. I looked at Johnny with a worried look on my face. “Jason, you know what the right thing to do is, don’t you?” I just nodded my head. “And you know that neither of us would be able to live with ourselves if we allow the state to put Daniel in a home where his safety would be in jeopardy every day because of his sexuality.” I was still nodding my head.

“And you know between our extended family and us, Daniel would most likely grow up to be a happy, secure, and definitely loved young man.” Tears began falling from my eyes as I continued nodding. “You won’t have to worry about taking care of Cade or me once we get home. We’ll both be just fine before you know it.”

I looked at Johnny and remembered something he had said earlier. “You had mentioned to Dr. Marco that there was another reason you were healing so quickly?”

“Yeah, but you have to hear me out, okay?”

“Sure, baby.”

“Well, after I was shot, my Papa and Nana were with me—it was like they were there watching over me. I kept trying to go over to them, and they would just lay me back down and tell me it wasn’t time yet.

“I remember you coming into the room and telling me that Cade was alright and that you both loved me. I knew I wanted to see my son, so I got up from the bed, and the next thing I knew—I was floating over the bed looking down at you. I saw a bright light and thought that was the way to Cade, so I went toward the light and the next thing I knew, Papa and Nana took my hands and led me back to the bed. They told me that they would be with me and help me heal so I could be with you and Cade. And the funny thing is, I feel them with me right now.”

“That’s amazing, Johnny. I’m sure they are with you—actually, I’m sure they’ve been with you all along.”

“Yeah, I think so too.” Johnny smiled at me, and I started to relax. “I hate everything that happened to our family after we walked out of the courthouse, Jason. But, on the other hand, if this hadn’t happened, we probably wouldn’t be able to be there for Daniel. There are no coincidences in life. Everything happens for a reason.”

“We’re going to do this, aren’t we?”

Before he could answer, he took the spirometer and started his breathing exercises. One, two, three, four, five, six—he made it to the yellow line and set the machine down in his lap. He pressed the nurse’s call button, and in a few minutes, a nurse came into the room.

“Everything okay, Mr. Breeze?”

“Yes, watch.” He repeated the breathing into the contraption and said, “I need to see my son now.” The nurse looked at me and asked if I would support Johnny as he walked down the hall. I told her I would be thrilled to help him. She then said she would get another gown for him to wear and cover the open slit on the back of the gown he was wearing and that she would undo some of the tubes. He would have to roll his IV with him, and she would give him a belt that would hold his drainage bag.

She left the room, returned, and in no time, had Johnny ready to walk the short distance to Cade’s room. She told Johnny to use the rails along the hallway to help support himself, and soon, we were on our way. I knocked on the door to Cade’s room and stuck my head in. JJ, Zach, and Margaret were there watching videos on Cades iPad. “Daddy! Where have you been?”

“Well, little man, I have a surprise for you!”

Just then, Johnny slowly made his way into the room with his big, signature grin on his face. Everyone in the room gasped in surprise at what they were seeing. “Papa! You found me!”

“Hi, little one. How are you feeling?”

“Okay, I’ll be better when Dr. H takes my arm out of this traction and changes my cast this afternoon. Then I’ll be able to start walking, too!” We could walk together!”

“We’ll have to do that soon!” I helped Johnny over to the bed, and he leaned down and kissed Cade on the forehead.

“I was so worried about you, Cade. I’m so happy to see you!”

“I was worried about you too, Papa! I was so scared!”

“I know, little man, but there’s nothing to be afraid of now!”

Johnny sat in the chair by Cade’s bed. I could tell the short trip down the hall wore him out a little, but seeing my two boys together again made my heart soar! We visited for about 10 minutes, and Johnny told us we should get back to his room. He told Cade he would see him later in the day. JJ asked if he and Zach could walk back with us, and Johnny thought that would be great.

The four of us slowly made our way back to Johnny’s room. I helped him get situated again and back into the bed. “Wow, that was exhausting! But it was so good seeing our boy!” I called the nurse so she could hook up the morphine pump back to the IV. I had a feeling Johnny might be needing a dose sooner than later.

Once Johnny was all situated, we decided to talk about Daniel's situation. Johnny understood my apprehension. I explained that I really did want to help the boy, but I also wanted to make sure Johnny and Cade got well, too.

JJ brought up the idea of us moving into a house. I told him I loved the idea, but I didn’t see how we would have the time to find a place we could afford and move in time for Daniel to move in with us. JJ smiled at me.

“Jason, you know I love you more than life itself. You, Johnny, Cade, and Zach are my family. Zach and I found the perfect house for you guys. It’s three doors down from us.”

I looked up at JJ and spoke, “JJ, as much as I love you guys, you live in a neighborhood that’s way beyond our means.”

“I know that! But I think you and I should take a look at it in the next day or two. If you like it, I’ll buy it, and you can pay me the same rent you are paying for the loft.”

Johnny and I looked at each other. Johnny spoke first. “JJ. We can’t take advantage of you or your sick financial situation!”

“Guys, Zach and I have already decided that we would probably buy the place and rent it out. Having you live there would not only give us the perfect tenants, but it would also have the most important people in our lives closer to us.”

“JJ, I love the idea too, but I think it’s time for us actually to buy our own place. I don’t want to keep renting—I don’t know. There’s so much to think about. I feel like my brain’s going to explode.”

Johnny looked over at Zach. “Will you guys take my lover home and do whatever it takes to relax him? I know he likes the sauna, and I know how much he loves your—um, assets.”

JJ smiled with an evil smirk and said, “Johnny, I couldn’t let Jason stay alone last night!”

I was actually blushing. Johnny looked at me and smiled. “Jason, I love you dearly, but I’m probably not going to be having sex for a while. Please spend as much time as you can with the other two guys in our family. It will help you relax and think with a clearer mind.”

I bent over and gave Johnny a long and passionate kiss. “I love you, Johnny.” As soon as I moved away from Johnny, JJ bent over and did the same thing, followed by Zach.

Johnny looked up at me. “It’s all going to work out. And you do realize we don’t have to worry about money. JJ left us each with a wonderful nest egg, and we can pretty much afford to buy any house in this town.” He was right. I had forgotten entirely about the trust funds JJ set up for Johnny and me—and then again for Cade. They were just sitting in the bank and building up interest. We had yet to touch them and had been living off our income all along. Suddenly a huge relief came over me.

“Okay, baby. I’m fine. I’m going to go with the boys and let your mother come in and spoil you rotten. Margaret’s spoiling Cade, so it’s only fair. I’ll come back with some pajamas and a bathrobe so you won’t have to show that sexy ass to all the nurses anymore.”

As if on cue, Caroline came into the room carrying a stack of magazines and newspapers. “I raided the gift shop downstairs so Johnny would have something to read.”

“Mama! I was wondering where you were this morning. The guys were just leaving so we can have some visiting time.”

We stopped by Cade’s room for a quick goodbye and left him with Margaret. I was so happy with how quickly they were bonding. It’s going to be good for the boy to have a little mothering in his life!

We made our way to the car. I asked JJ and Zach if they minded going up the highway to the children’s hospital. They both just smiled and readily agreed. I asked Zach to drive as my mind was going in circles, and I didn’t think I should be navigating the horrible traffic on the interstate in my condition.

We arrived at the Dell Children’s Hospital about fifteen minutes later. We walked in and up to the reception desk. I asked where I could find Daniel, and she asked to see my ID. I was on the visitors' list and found myself on the way to Daniel’s room.

I walked in to his room and was shocked at the sight. This handsome young man was covered with bruises, and his left eye was swollen shut. “Daniel?” I spoke softly in case he was asleep. But he slowly turned his head.

“Mr. Jason? What are you doing here?” It sounded like his jaw was wired shut as well.

“I heard you were hurt pretty badly, and I had to come by and see if my number one counselor was okay.”

“I’ve been better.”

I walked over to the chair next to his bed and sat. “I was so sorry to hear what had happened. No one should ever have to go through what you did. I just wanted to let you know that if there is anything Johnny and I can do, just let me know.”

“There’s nothing anyone can do.” Daniel started to cry. “I should have died instead of my mom. None of this would have happened if I wasn’t gay!”

Daniel started sobbing. I knew he was in a lot of physical pain and wanted to hold and comfort him. Instead, I took my hand and gently touched his face. I wiped some tears away.

“Daniel, some horrible things happened, and I’m not going to tell you that everything is going to be alright because I know right now it sure doesn’t feel like it. But you have to know that there are people here who care deeply for you and want nothing but the best things for you.”

“How can you say that, Mr. Jason? I’m all alone now. There’s no one left to care about me! Why didn’t—I just wanna die so I could be with Mom!”

“Daniel, please don’t talk like that. I promise you. Your mom is with you right now. She’s going to protect you and guide you for the rest of your life. She is so proud of you and all the wonderful things you have done—and going to do! And you know, there are all those kids you worked with this summer who love you like you were their brother. You know my son Cade adores you!”

“Cade—he’s a sweet kid. I heard he was hurt yesterday. Is he okay?”

“Yes, he’s going to be just fine. His arm is in a cast right now.”

“Will you tell him I said hi?”

“Of course I will. How about when Cade gets out of the hospital, I bring him over to see you?”

“That would be nice, Mr. Jason.”

“I tell you what—since we’re not at the theatre and you are not working for me right now, how about you just call me Jason?”

“Okay. But I still don’t understand why you are here?”

“Daniel, I’m one of those people—along with Johnny and Cade—and JJ and Zach—who care very much for you and want you to get well and be happy soon.”

Tears started flowing again for Daniel. “Cade is such a lucky kid to have two awesome dads and uncles like JJ and Zach. I wish I could find a family like that. If my mom is really with me like you say, maybe she can help me find one?”

“I think she just might be doing that very thing, Daniel.”

“I sure hope so. I can’t let them put me in a group home!”

“Daniel, I want you to know that there are a lot of people working very hard to make a lot of things happen, so you’ll never have to be put in a place like that.”

“Promise?”

“I promise, Daniel!”

I leaned down and kissed him on the forehead, just like I do with Cade. I saw the first smile from Daniel that I had seen since I walked into the room. “You get well real soon, kiddo!”

“Thank you, Jason. Will you come back to see me?”

“Of course I will, Daniel—as often as I can.”

“I love you, Jason—I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s perfectly alright, Daniel. We love you, too.”

I kissed him again and left, knowing that my decision had been made for me. All I could hear in my head was Daniel telling me he loved me as tears flowed freely from my eyes. When I got to the lobby, JJ and Zach ran up to me. “Are you okay? How’s Daniel?”

“Daniel has a lot of healing to do—both physically and emotionally. I’m fine—but there’s so much to do. We need to go buy a house and get ready for a new foster son.”

JJ told me he had called his mom and got the name of a real estate agent. And that she would meet us at the house at 3:00. With that, we got into the SUV and headed to JJ and Zach’s for some afternoon delight! “That gives me and Zach four hours to take you home and relax the hell out of you—as requested by your man!”