Manny Needs a Nanny - 19. One Parent Full of Shit, and a Foster Parent Waits

Jack Wilmer visited his son in the hospital.

"What did they say, dad?"

"They said, we won't be suing them because I don't want my son to be embarrassed or arrested."

"What? Why would I care? I didn't get hurt that badly, and the kid used Kung Fu or some shit on me. Arrested? Why?"

"It's not your injuries, Bruce. I want the truth. Did you ever do anything to that Tanner boy that, maybe, you shouldn't have?"

"No."

"How about two years ago?"

Bruce started to feel a little nervous, "No-oo."

"Cub Scout camp-out?"

"No… he wanted… to do it."

"What did he WANT to do?"

"My head hurts, can you get the nurse?"

"Your bottom is going to hurt after you get home if you don't tell me."

"Okay, I made him suck my dick. But he was a little faggot, I bet he liked it."

"Care to look into a mirror and still try to convince me, he liked it? I don't think you'd be in this hospital bed if he liked it."

"I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? Pffft, ‘sorry!’ Pitiful is more like it. Now I’ll need to call them back and beg them not to press charges. I probably won't get anything to cover the bills for the two hospital visits, which we can't afford to pay. Sorry. ‘Stupid’ works as well as ‘pitiful’. I'll see you tomorrow, after I get out of work. I can't afford to keep taking time off. You think the two-bedroom shack we live in now is bad. You won't think so if I lose my job and we live in my G.D. car. Think about what you did. And you damn well better have not done it to anyone else."

Bruce looked away from his father, knowing there were two other times.

Jack understood the look, "Oh, Christ! How many?”

Bruce looked away from his father, reluctant to answer.

Jack got angrier, raising his voice almost to a yell, “Tell me how many, damn it!!!”

“Just two.”

“Just two? One is too many! You’re going to end up paying for those in the long run. I hope for your sake, I can get Manny to avoid pressing charges, but two more. Who were they?”

“I don’t think, we need to worry about them.”

“Why not?”

“Do you remember George Arton?”

“The boy that died after he was hit by a car?”

“Yeah, he was one.”

“Okay, I guess, that one isn’t going to be a problem. Who else?”

Bruce hesitated, knowing his father wasn’t going to like the answer at all, “George’s little brother, Hank, well, Henry.”

“That could be a problem.”

“No, it won’t.”

“Why the fuck not?”

“Hank won’t remember it, but that part was George’s idea.”

“I don’t give a fuck if it was the Pope’s idea. Why won’t he remember it?”

Bruce answered very quietly, “He was only two.”

Jack put his hands over his eyes, “I’m calling a shrink.” He stormed out of the room. Being disappointed in his son would be a massive understatement.

***********************************

Manny and Bass were waiting in the living room for Sandy to finish cooking.

Riiiiiiiinnnnnggggg.

Manny was closer to the house phone, "It's Wilmer again. Should we answer it Bass?"

"Hmmm. Surprisingly, it's not a lawyer. Sure, it could be fun… Hello."

"Hi. Is this Blank, or Tollbert?"

"It's Blank, but Mr. Talbot is here and you're on speaker."

"Sorry, Mr. Talbot. Okay. Damn, this is hard. I need to apologize for my actions earlier. I was out of line."

Manny and Bass looked at each other, confused.

Manny responded, "Apology accepted. With your son being unconscious in the hospital, we can understand your anger."

"Yeah, well, I lied. Bruce isn't unconscious. He never was—not for more than a couple minutes, anyway. I need to negotiate a bargain with you fellas. Would you meet me somewhere, for a drink maybe?"

Manny mouthed, 'Charlie's' to Bass, who nodded and answered.

"Do you know Charlie's, in Talmo?"

"Yeah, where that shooting was recently. I've been there."

"Shall we say six-thirty? We're about to have dinner here."

"Yeah, that'll be fine. I'll see you guys then."

Bass disconnected, "What the hell was that about?"

"I doubt he believed us about the sexual assault, but maybe he beat a confession out of Bruce."

"Makes sense. Without that, he'd definitely have the upper hand."

Sandy yelled from the kitchen, "Dinner's ready."

After dinner, Manny and Bass left Patrick and the women in charge of Rocky and left for Charlie's. Wilmer was already there, with a plate of hot dogs in front of him. Wilmer had seen Bass at the gate, and with Manny missing part of his arm, that made it easy for him to recognize them, and wave them over.

"Hey, I know you."

"Yeah, I’m a bartender here, or at least used to be. Hopefully, I'll be able to again, someday."

"Shit. You're the guy that got shot here. Well, the one that lived."

"Yeah. Thanks for reminding me."

"Sorry."

Loretta brought over a Bass and a Dos Equis, and asked if they wanted anything else. Both Bass and Manny said ‘no’. Bass remained on the sidelines for the discussion.

Manny didn't want to stay any longer than necessary, this guy made his skin crawl, "So, you wanted to propose a bargain?"

"Yeah. I won't press assault charges against your kid…"

"Rocky."

"Yeah, Rocky. If you don't press charges against Bruce for what he did two years ago."

"You're admitting, Bruce did that?"

"Yeah, he told me the truth after I handed him a couple clues."

"Backhanded ones?"

"No. I'd never hit my kid, but I'll be honest, I was tempted to after he admitted it. But, you see, the thing is—and you really have no reason to agree to this—I can't really afford to pay the two hospital bills. I was wondering if maybe you could at least chip in a little? I know, none of this would have happened if Bruce didn't do what he did, but…"

"I think that I ought to tell you that Bruce has also been calling Rocky and his friends some not so nice names."

"Shit. What has he said?"

"Well, apparently two of Rocky's new friends are gay, or think they may be. I’m sure you can guess what words Bruce used."

"Ugh. He's not even here and he's digging his hole deeper and deeper. I'll talk to him about that. His mother, Karen, God rest her soul, was homophobic in a major way. Me, I could care less, but she pounded that shit into him. It made him very intolerant. We argued about it, but after a while, it just became a battle not worth fighting, you know?"

"Yeah, we get it. But he's still young enough to be corrected. I make no promises if I hear Bruce does anything like this in the future. To Rocky or others. He’ll have to take his medicine for the incident with Rocky as well, if it doesn’t stop. The cops WILL get involved."

"Yeah, I get it. I hope he’ll be good. I plan on sending him to a shrink. But anyway, the bills? I won't sue because obviously the other thing will come out, and I'd rather not have to subject Bruce to that—deservedly, or not."

"I will talk to the lawyer for Rocky's dad's estate, but if I leave out some of the details and say, you're just looking for the medical bills to be covered, he'll be hard-pressed to say ‘no’. Actually, he'd already agreed to cover the first set in the hopes of avoiding a lawsuit or two."

"Wow. And here I wanted to kick the stuffing out of the two of you, but you've been very reasonable. If you do that, and cover everything, I'll make sure Bruce never bothers any of them again. We don't have much, but I’ll make sure he gets the message, taking away some privileges. He'll toe the line from now on."

Manny recited his email address, "Just send me a copy of the bills, and I'll get you the funds."

"Thanks. You don't know how much this means to me. I would have opened a can of worms that turned into a lake full of piranha, if I called the cops or sued."

"Well, let's just put this all behind us. Hopefully, the kids can at least be civil to each other from now on."

"I hear that. Thanks, again. Damn, my last two dogs are cold. Oh, well, I'll reheat them at home."

Manny waved down Loretta.

"Yeah, get you something?"

"Yes, please. If you could be so kind as to get Mr. Wilmer two new hot dogs, and a box to take these two leftovers home with him."

"Sure thing."

"You don't have to do that, Manny."

"Consider it a show of good faith. Put all this on my tab, too Loretta."

"You got it, Manny. I'll be right back with new dogs and a box."

"Damn. I do a little auto repair on the side. You guys ever need something, give me a call. You've been too nice to not do something good back."

"We'll do that, Jack. Enjoy the food. I'll get in touch once I get the bills. Bye."

"Thanks again. Bye."

It was a long day, but that didn't stop Manny and Bass from having a little quiet time in Manny's bedroom that night. After trying a sixty-nine for the first time, which they both enjoyed quite a bit, they relaxed and lay close, talking.

They discussed Rocky's punishment, discarding several ideas that were either too harsh or not severe enough. They decided on a few things, among them staying in with extra chores around the house. He was provoked in a big way, after all. Since it was late, they decided they’d tell him the next day. It wasn’t too late for a round of kissing and mutual masturbation, however.

Wednesday

Everyone was in the kitchen by nine-thirty for breakfast. Manny figured, that would be a good place and time to reveal Rocky’s punishment.

“Good morning, Rocky.”

“Good morning, Manny. Why do I think, there’s more than a ‘good morning’ hiding in those two words?”

“Because there is. I, well, we’ve decided on your punishment.”

“Uh oh.”

“Oh, I don’t think it’s all that bad. First, you’ll stay in the house, no friends, and help Linda and Sandy around the house and kitchen through next Monday night.”

Not very happy, Rocky capitulated, “Okay. First means, there’s more.”

“Correct. Second, you’ll give up your two newest games and four more of your choosing for the same duration.”

Rocky sounded like a four-year-old that was denied a cookie, “Oh, man. The new ones?”

“Whining changes it to be the console instead.”

Frowning, “Okay, number three?”

“When school starts, you will walk away from Bruce if he teases or picks on you. No more fighting.”

“Just walk away—I don’t have to be nice to him or anything like that?”

“Not unless he’s nice to you.”

Rocky snickered, “Yeah, like that’ll ever happen. Is there a number four?”

“No.”

“Those aren’t so bad. What am I missing?”

“Bruce’s father won’t press assault charges against you if we don’t press assault charges against Bruce for his actions of two years ago. Nobody else will ever have to know. We’re still paying Bruce’s doctor bills, but you did injure him, so that’s fair.”

“How did you manage that? It’s not like I could have proven, he did it.”

“Actually, it was his father’s idea. He got Bruce to tell him the truth. Even the accusation would stain his son’s name and damage his future.”

“Cool. Can my friends come over again on Saturday?”

“Hmmm, it’s part of number one, but I think that will sneak in specifically as number four. Again, through Monday.”

“Me and my big mouth. Bringing that up right after the punishment discussion.”

Rocky survived the week of punishments. He even kept helping Sandy in the kitchen after his sentence was completed. He enjoyed learning how to cook. Sandy showed him more than the basics, like spaghetti and meatballs. Rocky helped cook dinner, among those meals were baked chicken, and broiled swordfish, which can be challenging for any cook. Since Rocky had always liked getting dirty, mixing three types of meat for the meat loaf, by hand, was probably his favorite.

Rocky was surprised when he went back to school that Bruce didn’t bother him at all. No hassles at their lockers. Bruce said ‘hello’ to him before history class. He even told Bart Packer to leave Rocky alone when Bart threw an insult Rocky’s way at lunch. Rocky remained vigilant when Bruce was around, thinking he was just being nice to set him up for a later surprise altercation. Trust wasn’t a word that could be associated with their acquaintance at this point.

Monday

Two weeks after the Monday following his release from the hospital, Manny had his follow-up visit with Dr. Ko.

“Good morning, Dr. Ko.”

“Good morning, Manny. How have you been?”

“Pretty well. The phantom pain is decreasing in both intensity and duration, with increasing intervals between bouts.”

“Excellent. Any soreness or inflammation at the amputation point?”

“No. It feels pretty good.”

“Let’s get the air splint off and take a look.”

Everything looked to be progressing normally. He also gave him the green light for bathing and pool use. However, the doctor had one more item to discuss with Manny.

“You have been approved for transplant surgery, but as you know, that could take a very long time. I did some research, and unfortunately, there are two men with very similar requirements on the list ahead of you. It could be a couple years before a suitable limb is found. Therefore, we should talk about prostheses. I’ve had my staff investigate the various costs for the various types and how your insurance comes into play.

“Now, for what you would need, I believe, your best option would be a TrueLimb device. They start at around eight thousand dollars. You may be looking at twelve to fifteen thousand, based on your amputation point. Most others are more expensive—fully bionic ones could cost up to one hundred thousand dollars. Plus, those look robotic.” (1)

“And my insurance?”

“Five thousand, and that includes meeting your deductible. So, for example, a three-thousand-dollar unused deductible, means essentially, they cover two thousand.”

“I rarely need to go to the doctor, so, yeah, not much used yet. The hospital bills will probably meet the deductible, but whether it’s the hospital bill or prosthesis going toward the deductible doesn’t really make a difference.”

“Julie, the receptionist, will have a packet for you on your way out. Review it, consult your financial advisor, and get back to me and we can start the process. Any questions?”

“Probably obvious, but if I do get an arm for a transplant, I’d be paying for both, right?”

“Essentially, yes. You may get so used to a prosthetic arm that you won’t bother with the transplant. The prosthetic could be ready in just a few months, as opposed to possibly years waiting for a transplant.”

“Okay, thanks. There’s a lot to consider. I’ll be in touch.”

“See you in a month, regardless.”

“Bye.”

Thursday

Manny had studied the brochures on the prosthetic arm for nearly three days and decided exactly what he wanted. Since Manny’s health had a direct impact on Rocky—and with them becoming lovers, Bass too—the three of them got together to review Manny’s choice.

Rocky thought, the metallic gold would look cool, “You’d look like a superhero or something.”

Manny overruled, “I think skin toned would make more sense, Rocky.

Bass had a suggestion as well, “I think you should consider a slightly darker tone, so if the other arm tanned, it would be closer. Everything’s covered up during wintertime when the skin is paler.”

Manny agreed with Bass’ suggestion and called Dr. Ko’s office with the details.

The next step was to talk to Brewster James about the possibility of using Tanner funds for both the hospital bill and the prosthesis.

“Hello, James and associates, attorneys at law, this is Barbara, how can we help you?”

“Hello Barbara, this is Manny Talbot. I’d like to come in and speak with Brewster regarding the Tanner account.”

“Hello Mr. Talbot. You’re in luck, Mr. James is here today and has a couple of openings this afternoon. Would you prefer two or four PM?”

“Let’s do two o’clock.”

“Very well. You’re all set. We’ll see you at two.”

“Thanks.”

Manny walked into the law offices at five to two. Brewster came out to get him at two o’clock.

“Hello, Manny… Holy shit! What happened?”

“Long story short: an upset customer shot me in the shoulder, too much blood loss cost me the arm.”

“Wow. I’m sorry that happened to you. Well, come on in.”

They went into the office and sat down.

“What can I do for you?”

“The first thing I’m curious about is the hospital bill. How could that be handled? I’m sure my insurance won’t cover much of it”

“Well, being a foster parent, the state would cover some percentage, I’d have to check exactly how much. But the will does have a provision for your care. Obviously, if you were to get sick, it would affect your ability to care for Rocky. So, yes, depending on how much it was, the entire difference may be covered.”

“I don’t know if anything would be possible for this, but I’ve started looking at prostheses and was wondering if I could tap into my future portion of the Tanner fortune to cover the difference between insurance and the cost.”

“Hmmm, typically, I would say ‘no’, but perhaps we could work something out.”

Manny thought a moment, “I suppose I can start the process of selling my house, but that could take months.”

Brewster stuck to the estate possibility, “Have you been thinking about adoption? I can’t give you an exact figure, like I said at the beginning, but I’m sure we could take a healthy chunk out of that bill by utilizing that path.”

“Well, it’s always been in the back of my mind. I mean, I’ve grown to love Rocky, so making it permanent would be nice.”

“If you start the proceedings, and once the application is accepted, I would be able to justify a small advance on what you’d have coming to you. I do have some leeway about how I handle the funds. Must keep within the law, obviously.”

“What do you think my chances are at being approved?”

“There have been no issues to this point, being single may be a roadblock, but with all the support in the household, we could possibly mitigate that. I’d say pretty good.”

“Let’s get it rolling then.”

“Excellent.”

They started that ball rolling.

Next up - "Everything Comes Together"