The Castaway Hotel: Next Generation Book 4 - 1. Chapter 1 Many Changes

I hope you’re not disappointed, but its Trey here and I’ve taken over for Danny, as he’s super busy right now due to a new project he’s involved with at the Health Center. During the early part of the Spring Semester, Danny traveled to Penn State with one of the hospital administrators to make a proposal to the upper echelon of the medical school. They had put together a plan that would allow medical students an opportunity to do their internship rotations, or first year residency, split between the Cody Currie Health Center and the local hospital. The internship is specifically designed for those interested in specializing in pediatric or rural medicine, or a combination of both.

While meeting with the review panel, Danny and the administrator argued that rural medicine is quite different from what takes place in urban centers. First of all, the interns are not as likely to encounter the same types of medical problems as they would in more populated areas. For example, instead of gunshot and knife wounds or drug related problems, in rural areas they’re more likely to run into farm injuries and those involved in tractor and ATV accidents.

Danny and the administrator also emphasized that rural doctors have to be knowledgeable about a broader range of medical issues, since there are fewer specialists in those locations. Their other selling point was that the local hospital also operates a couple of rural clinics where the residents could get a good idea of what rural medicine was all about.

Because the Cody Currie Health Center has managed to gain regional recognition and now draws patients from farther out than just the local area, it has been able to add more specialists with offices there. Danny explained that the Health Center also has two operating rooms that are able to handle nearly any procedure, and also has an in-house laboratory, as well as a diagnostic and imaging department.

Prior to going to Penn State, Danny got the other doctors having offices at the Health Center to agree to offer a rotation in their specialty. In addition to Danny’s pediatric office, the OBGYN also has a fertility and pre-natal specialist on his staff, and the hematology-oncology practice focuses on adolescent blood diseases and childhood cancer.

The endocrinology and diabetic practice deals with childhood growth and hormonal issues, as well as juvenile diabetes, and there’s an office that specializes in allergies, immunology, and rheumonology. Another office deals with asthma and pulmonology issues, including cystic fibrosis, and there’s an otolaryngologist, otherwise known as an ear, nose, and throat doctor.

In addition to everything else, there’s also a gastroenterologist who specializes in digestive disorders, and an orthopedic specialist who deals with bone abnormalities, including fractures. There is also a cardiologist that treats childhood heart disorders, a neurosurgeon that specializes in problems involving the nervous system, including the brain. Finally, there is a pediatric surgeon who handles the more complicated surgeries, and an anesthesiologist.

In addition to the extensive medical staff, the Health Center also offers several support services, including a child psychologist, a speech therapist, and a physical therapist. All in all, the Health Center pretty much deals with everything pertaining to a child’s health issues.

This proved to be an attractive proposal for the Penn State College of Medicine, but before they approved of the plan they wanted to know who would be coordinating the program. Unfortunately for Danny, he was chosen to take over part of that duty, but he would split it with the hospital administrator who’d gone with him.

The administrator would be responsible for coordinating the in-patient rotations at the hospital and the out-patient rotations at the rural health centers. Danny, on the other hand, would be responsible for coordinating the out-patient rotations at the Cody Currie Health Center. This meant that in addition to running his practice, Danny would also have to oversee what the other doctors were doing to ensure the residents were getting a valuable experience.

This put a big crimp in his family life, because he was now working longer hours, which included a full day on Saturday, as opposed to his normal half day. It also meant he wouldn’t be able to go with Brandon when he took the boys to spend two weeks with his parents in Texas. Although Brandon wouldn’t normally be able to take off this much time, he’d arranged for the orthodontist who shared his office to cover any emergency cases while he was away. The only issue remaining was that Brandon didn’t feel he would be able to keep an eye on all of the boys by himself, and this was about to turn into a major problem until Dion and I offered a solution.

Brandon’s parents had also invited our sons to come along with the others, so Dion offered to go with Brandon and help out with the boys. I decided to stay behind and take care of those not going, since Dad had already told us that he was planning to take short trips to visit some of his other children that he didn’t get to see as often as he liked.

Holly wasn’t going with them, since she’d be working at the daycare center, and Noah had arranged to spend the summer working with Jesse again. Of course this meant that Ryan wasn’t going either, since he didn’t want to leave those two alone at home during that time, but this wasn’t his only concern. He also knew they’d be riding to and from work with each other, as well as eating lunch together at the health center, and he wanted to limit the time they’d be alone.

I think Noah and Ryan are making a big mistake, though, because Holly hasn’t shown any particular interest in either of them since she returned home from college. I thought it was possible that she might have met someone she was interested in while she had been away, even though she’d never mentioned anything like this to any of us. However, there were little indications that made me suspicious: she would often receive calls on her cell phone at night, and then she’d go to her room and shut the door. Although she’d tell us later the call was from one of the girls she’d met at college, she was often flushed and dreamy-eyed when she returned. She also seemed to spend an inordinate amount time alone in her room at night even when she hadn’t received a call, so I wasn’t sure if she might also be texting someone. However, when anyone would ask her about this, she’d merely claim she was tired from working all day and had gone to her room to rest.

Elliot wasn’t going on the trip either, since he didn’t want to spend more time away from Ian. I wasn’t sure how often he would be at home and how much of the time he’d be spending at Ian’s house, so I couldn’t count on his help either. I knew those remaining wouldn’t be able to survive if Dad wasn’t around to fix meals and they were left on their own, so I offered to stay behind and help out. I’d do the cooking, cleaning, and laundry for them, as well as taking care of Dobby and Flash.

I knew Ryan would be the only one at home during the day and felt he’d probably either be moping in his room about Noah and Holly spending so much time together or spending time with his friend, Owen. Since I didn’t think I could count on him to take the puppies outside to do their business, I’d take care of that instead, as well as making certain they got fed and had plenty of water.

I was somewhat surprised to find out that Brandon had also cleared it with his parents so he could take Revin with them as well. There were two reasons for this: first, Dad wouldn’t be here to watch Revin during the day, which he usually did while Becky was working over the summer recess. Secondly, Tristan would be the only one on the trip without someone he was close to. Benny and Joshie would have each other, and the same was true for Hayden, Hunter, and Wyatt, so it only made sense to include Revin. Becky was ok with this, and it definitely made Tristan and Revin happy. Besides, what’s one more boy when there are so many already?

Brandon, Dion, and the boys were flying out of the Pittsburgh airport on Sunday, and Brandon decided to use their SUV to drive there and leave it in the long-term parking lot. I helped Wyatt and Joshie pack their suitcases on Saturday, because Dion was busy getting his own things together, and I also helped Brandon with the other boys as well. Becky made sure that Revin packed everything he needed, and then she brought him to spend the night with us on Saturday. When she arrived, we invited her to stay and have dinner with us.

Dad had also been packing, because he was going to spend a few days with Sammy, Andrew, and Graham, since they were all teachers and home on vacation. When he left there, Dad was going to spend a couple of days with Ricky before going to spend a couple more days with Frankie, and then he’d return home. Pop wasn’t exactly happy about Dad being gone for so long, but Pop was taking vacation the week when Dad got back so the two of them could fly to Atlanta and spend some time with Shannon and Nick. This appeased him sufficiently, so he didn’t complain about Dad’s other trip.

I sort of felt the same way Pop did, so I was hoping that once Dion, Brandon and the boys returned, Dion and I could get away for some time alone before the summer ended. If we were able to do this, it would appease me as well.

I made sure to tuck both Wyatt and Joshie in that evening, since I wouldn’t be seeing them again for two weeks. We also made sure each of the boys went to bed at a decent hour, since we’d be waking them up early as well. I followed Wyatt to his room first, after he finished showering with the twins, and since they were all sleeping in the same room I tucked Hayden and Hunter in as well.

“You boys be good while you’re away and don’t cause any problems,” I warned them.

“I will, Poppy,” said Wyatt.

“We will too, Uncle Trey,” said both Hayden and Hunter.

“And Daddy said we could call you while we’re away so you won’t miss us so much,” said Wyatt.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

After I left their room, I went over to do the same thing with Joshie.

“You don’t have to do this any more, Poppy. I’m a teenager now.”

“I know you think you’re all grown up because you’re a teenager and we allow you and Benny to have sex, but you’re still not too big for me to tuck you in.”

I tucked Benny in as well, and then I kissed each of them on the forehead and said goodnight.

“Night, Uncle Trey.”

“I want both of you to behave while you’re away and not cause any problems.”

“Awww, you know we won’t, Poppy,” said Joshie with a touch of sarcasm in his voice.

“Yeah, we’ll be good, Uncle Trey.”

“I hope so. Goodnight and sweet dreams.”

Even though it may sound a little weird that both Joshie and Wyatt call me Poppy and Dion Daddy, but Joshie only does this when he thinks his friends won’t hear him. We do this so we don’t get confused with Dad and Pop, and the other boys call Brandon Dad B and Danny Dad D for the same reason. It helps to keep things straight.

When Dion and I turned in later, I made sure we made love before we fell asleep, since I wouldn’t be seeing him again for two weeks. That is going to seem like an eternity to me without his big member sliding in and out of my butt, and that’s also why I’m hoping we’ll be able to get away for a little alone time after they return.

The next morning, I’d just about finished making breakfast before Dion and Brandon went to wake up the boys, and when they came downstairs we all ate breakfast together. This didn’t include those staying behind, because I’d fix their breakfast later, although Danny got up to join us so he could say goodbye to Brandon and his sons. As soon as I saw him, I had the feeling that they’d also made love the previous night, because both of them were in a super good mood, especially considering how early it was.

Dad and Pop also got up to have breakfast with us, so they could say goodbye to the others as well, and they seemed to be in a rather good mood as well. Obviously, they’d also enjoyed some intimate time the previous night, because Dad was planning on leaving about an hour after Brandon, Dion, and the boys.

After we finished eating, the boys went upstairs to brush their teeth and put the final items in their suitcases, and then they brought their luggage downstairs so they were ready to leave. Danny and I kissed each of our sons before they went outside, and then we kissed our spouses as well. Brandon and Dion took their suitcases outside and loaded them into the SUV, along with everything else, and after they’d stored it all in the back, Danny and I waved at them as they drove away. Luckily, it was supposed to be a nice day and they shouldn’t run into any bad weather on their trip to the airport.

“In a way, I kind of wish I could have gone with them,” said Danny, “but then again I don’t envy Brandon for having to put up with that crew alone.”

“He’s not exactly alone, but I know what you mean.”

Dad left after he said goodbye to Pop and before the others came downstairs. After he drove off, Danny, Pop, and I sat around the dining room table and drank our coffee, and when the rest of the gang started to stumble down the staircase, I fixed their breakfast. Elliot and Ian were the last to join us, although I’m not sure when they got in. They’d spent the previous evening with Ian’s parents, and I suppose they spent the night in Elliot’s bedroom so they could have sex, since they didn’t like doing that at Ian’s house. As he was eating, Elliot looked around the table and made a comment.

“Where’s Grandpa Josh?”

“He went on his own trip,” said Pop. “He’s going to spend some time with Sammy, Andrew, and Graham first, and then he’s going to see Ricky and Frankie.”

“And you couldn’t go with him because you have to work?”

“Exactly. Sometimes the sixteen year age difference between us creates some minor problems like this, since he’s already retired.”

“Yeah, that’s why I’m glad Ian and I are the same age.”

“But in your case it’s your professions that might create problems for you,” I said. “I’m sure that Ian being a doctor might mean he’ll get called in for emergencies every now and then.”

“Yeah, but I don’t think it will be too bad,” said Ian. “My dad doesn’t have too many problems like that, and he’s a cardiologist, just like I’m going to be.”

“And I don’t think being a lawyer will create too many problems for us either,” said Elliot, “because I don’t plan on dealing with the types of people who will get into trouble late at night.”

“I hope that works out for both of you.”

Now that everyone had been fed, I took Dobby and Flash outside to urinate, but I didn’t have to feed them yet. They were down to eating once a day and we did that in the evening, since it worked better with our schedules when school was in session. The boys would take the puppies out to do their business as soon as they got home, and then they’d make sure their water bowls were full. The boys would feed them a little while later, just before we ate. That way Dobby and Flash wouldn’t come out and tease us for food while we were eating.

Once the puppies were taken care of, I got busy doing a few other chores and only stopped long enough to make lunch for everyone. After we’d eaten, I got busy doing more chores, since it helped to keep me from missing Dion and our sons. I was just getting ready to start preparing dinner when my cell phone rang. I knew who it was and would have gone to get Danny, but he’d gone to the Health Center to take care of a few things.

“Hi, Poppy,” said Wyatt. “Is Uncle Danny there too?”

“No, he went into the Health Center for a while.”

“Oh, ok. We just wanted to let you know that we’re at Grandma Brenda and Grandpa Pat’s house. They came to the airport to pick us up.”

I could hear a lot of background noise, but I wasn’t sure if he was on speaker phone or not. “How in the world did they squeeze you all into their car?”

“They rented a Chevy Express for while we’re here,” answered Brandon, which let me know I was on speaker phone.

“How was the flight?”

“It was good,” said Dion. “There was a little turbulence, but the boys handled it well.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Brandon, how is your parent’s house holding up?”

“We haven’t been here very long, so no problems yet. My mom and dad drove us around to show us some of the area first, and then we stopped for lunch.”

“When will you check into the hotel?”

“Not until after dinner,” said Brandon. “I’ve called to confirm our reservations and my parents are going to let us take the Chevy Express to drive back and forth. We’ll also use it for our trips, so it’s going to get quite a workout.”

“How are you handling the hotel situation?”

“I reserved two doubles and one room with a king-size bed. Dion and I will be in one double, while Bennie, Joshie, Tristan, and Revin are in the other double. We’re letting Hayden, Hunter, and Wyatt stay in the room with the king-size bed, and although I’m not sure about leaving those three in a room alone, they’ve promised to behave.”

“Wyatt, you’d better behave if you know what’s good for you.”

“I will, Poppy, and so will Hayden and Hunter.”

“Yeah, we will too, Uncle Trey,” said the twins next.

“Good and I want all of you to have a great time.”

“We will, Poppy, and we’ll call you tomorrow night too.”

Dion then took the phone off speaker and we spoke for a little longer before he hung up. “I’m glad to hear you and Brandon didn’t take the room with the king-size bed,” I joked.

“Even if we did, it would only have been to sleep. We’re still alone in our room, but we’re sleeping in separate beds. We’ll also be going back and forth to check on the boys.”

“I don’t envy you that task. So have Brandon’s parents got a lot planned for you while you’re there?”

“Yes, and since Texas is so big, we’ll be staying at a lot of different hotels while we’re here. We’ll be checking out the sights in the Houston area first, and then we’ll be going to investigate other areas of Texas after that.”

“It sounds good, but if Pat and Brenda are going with you then they’ll have to stay at a hotel too.”

“Yes, and they realize that, but they’re more than willing to do it so they can spend time with the boys and show us around.”

“Ok, I was just wondering about that.”

“It’s all been covered and I’ll talk to you again tomorrow night.”

“You don’t have to call every day. Every other day will be fine.”

“Not if I want to avoid hearing Wyatt complain that he’s worried you’re going to miss us if we don’t call every day.”

“Ok, because I don’t want him to be miserable when he’s suppose to be having fun.”

“I’ll talk to you soon then.”

After I had dinner ready, I fed Dobby and Flash and made sure their water bowls were full, and then I went back to the kitchen and carried the food into the dining room. Once we’d all sat down at the table, Jake announced that Dad had called him as well.

“Josh called to let me know he’d made it to Sammy, Andrew, and Graham’s place.”

“I’m glad he let you know he was there and I hope they’re having a good time.”

“I’m sure they are. Josh said he’s taking them out to dinner tonight.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. Dad likes to do that so he doesn’t feel like a burden.”

“Yes, and I’m sure he’ll help prepare the meals whenever they decide to eat at home.”

I also filled Pop in about my phone call, since he wasn’t around when Dion and Wyatt called. Come to think of it, I’m surprised they called so early, seeing Texas is an hour behind us time wise. Perhaps they’ll call later from now on.

After dinner, I pulled Holly aside so I could ask her a question. “Your birthday is in a few days, and since it’s on a Saturday, do you want to have a party then?”

“Can we wait until the others get home, because I want my brothers to be at the party?”

“Certainly, we can do that. They should be returning the following Saturday, so we can either have the party on Sunday or the following Saturday, whichever you’d prefer.”

“They’ll probably be tired when they get back, and I’m not sure they’ll be any better off on Sunday, so let’s have it the following Saturday.”

“That means your party will be two weeks after your birthday.”

“Yeah, I know, but I’m ok with that. I just want to make sure my brothers and the others aren’t tired when we have it.”

“Ok, and is there anyone else you’d like to invite?”

“Just Becky and Revin, because there will be enough here with just them and the family.” She giggled after saying this.

“Yes, that’s for sure. Is there anything special you’d like to do at the party, such as playing games or whatever?”

“Yeah, the boys will like it if we play games.”

I then talked to her about which games she wanted to include, what type of cake she’d like, along with which flavors of ice cream, as well as if she wanted anything special for dinner that evening. Once we’d covered all the bases, I let her go to her bedroom after assuring her that I’d let the others know about her plans. She thanked me before she left.

It was long after dinner before Danny finally returned home. “I didn’t expect you to be gone for so long.”

“I know, but since Brandon isn’t here I decided to take care of a few things at the office. I took an inventory of the supplies and ordered the things we needed, and I also did some research on a couple of cases I’ve been working on.”

“Ok, and you can go sit down and I’ll warm up what we had for dinner.”

“No, that’s not necessary. I went out to grab something when my stomach started rumbling and then I went back to the office to make a few additional notes in my patient’s files concerning the things I’d learned while doing research.”

Since he didn’t want anything to eat, I filled him in about the phone call I’d received and my chat with Holly, and then Pop told him about his phone call from Dad, but we didn’t keep him for very long. He looked tired and we knew he probably wanted to go to bed as soon as he could, and after we finished he went upstairs to shower before turning in.

Prior to doing the same thing, I took Dobby and Flash outside one final time to make sure they didn’t have an accident overnight, and then I went upstairs as well. Since the boys weren’t home, the puppies seemed lost, so I moved their beds into my bedroom and let them sleep with me. I’m sure they missed the boys, but at least they didn’t have to sleep alone in an empty room, and they seemed to appreciate this. Hearing them moving around also helped to keep me company, because I was missing Dion as well.