Kenny and Peter - Book 1 - 11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons living, dead, space aliens, goats, or others are purely coincidental. There may be sexual content so if this, in any form, offends you, please cease reading. Also, if you are not of legal age to read this, please don't.

Copyright © 2009 by hh5

Kenny and Peter

By HH5

Chapter 11

Brian

Peter didn’t wanna get up this morning. I tried, but he wouldn’t move. He didn’t want to talk to me. I called Mom in to talk to him while I brushed my teeth. I came back to my room and saw she was still with him. I got dressed as quietly as I could, and went to the kitchen to start cooking our breakfast. I was worried about Peter – he’s been, I don’t know, kind of different since the day before yesterday.

“Mom … Peter … breakfast is ready.” They both came out of my room. Peter was all dressed for school. We all sat at the table and started eating.

“Brian, we’re all riding into school.”

“But … Mom!” I wanted to walk so I could help Peter learn the way, but Mom gave me one of her looks. I nodded. I knew what she meant.

We were all quiet in the car – it was tense. But at least we didn’t snap at each other.

We got to school rather early; over a half an hour early. I took Peter to see Mrs. Booth in the library. I figured that maybe she could cheer him up. Mrs. Booth asked me to put up all the books on the cart. I knew it was so that she could speak to Peter in private.

By the time I finished putting away the books. Mrs. Booth and Peter came out of her office. I saw Peter giving an envelope to Mrs. Booth. I ask what it was. Peter told me, “I made my mom a birthday card. Mrs. Booth will give it to Mrs. Dawson for me.”

Peter and I hugged Mrs. Booth. She whispered in my ear “He should fine … He just misses his mother.”

Mrs. Booth broke the hug. “It’s time for your class – Now off you go!” Mrs. Booth picked up the phone as we were leaving. I accidently dropped some of my books. When I stopped to pick them up, I heard Mrs. Booth asking to speak to my mom. I didn’t have time to think about it; Peter helped me pick up me books, and we headed for class.

We went to our class together. We both were to have Mrs. Dobson, today. She was one of my first teachers in this school. I think this class is going to be awesome. Peter took my hand. My heart skipped a beat I was so happy to have him back. Well, at least part of him; I sensed that there was still something wrong with Peter.

All morning, I watched Peter. He was very quiet. He didn’t take any notes. He didn’t raise his hand once. Mrs. Dobson noticed, I think, but she didn’t make a fuss about it. About 10:00 o’clock, Mr. Adams made a surprise visit. He and Mrs. Dobson talked quietly for a few minutes. We couldn’t hear what they were saying. Mr. Adams asked Peter to go with him to the back of the classroom, where they whispered to each other. I couldn’t see what was going on; Mrs. Dobson told us to read to ourselves. Then she left the classroom.

As soon as she left, I looked back to see how Peter and Mr. Adams were doing. Peter seemed to look a little better than before. Once, I heard him giggle, just a little. He nodded to Mr. Adams, and then went back to his seat. Mr. Adams went around the room, checking to see how we all were doing with our reading. He must have thought we were okay—even Peter—since he left the room. Mrs. Dobson came back a minute later.

Mrs. Dobson asked us how far we’d read, and then started a discussion of the book. Peter seemed much better. He even raised his hand, and answered some of her questions.

Mrs. Dobson looked real pleased.

Mr. Williams

“Afternoon, ladies.” I said. I was seated at my desk watching two gorgeous women entering my office. It’s always a thrill. When you get to my age, you learn to enjoy every moment in life.

Mary invited Susan to take a seat. “I asked Susan to join us for our meeting. She has something to say about Mr. Morrison.”

Susan appeared to be nervous. She licked her lips repeatedly, and couldn’t keep her hands still. Mary put her hand over Susan’s as if to reassure or comfort her. It seemed to work. Susan dropped a bombshell in my lap. “Bob, two days ago Peter seemed despondent after leaving Mr. Morrison’s class. Yesterday, Peter and I walked into Mr. Morrison’s classroom just a minute or two after the dismissal bell had rung. Mr. Morrison and Brian were standing in the middle of the room. One of Brian’s shirt buttons was undone. Brian had a look on his face I can only interpret as fear.”

I sat up in my chair. I had heard rumors: nothing concrete, and certainly not enough to act on, but enough to make me extremely worried. “Mary, I assume you’ve investigated; what do you have to add?”

Mary spoke, “I questioned the boys last night. What they said points to Mr. Morrison being not only an overly strict teacher, but also being borderline abusive. And, it’s not only Peter and Brian. Many of the students disliked their classes with Mr. Morrison. Apparently, something similar to what happened with Brian happened to Peter the day before. I couldn’t get the details from him; he became very upset. Peter hasn’t been himself since then. He didn’t want to come to school today. Cynthia called me this morning from the library. Brian and Peter had stopped to see her before classes began. She said that the boy is deeply troubled. She had him look through picture books depicting various troubled images; she said he reacted strongly to several images. Her guess is that there seems to be a man or a teenage girl at the root of Peter’s troubles. And, that there seems to be some sort of connection between the two.”

I sat for several minutes, deep in thought, trying to digest the matter. The women were patient. Finally, I said, “We need hard evidence. You both appreciate that I can’t take action that might drag the school through the courts for years. That would be too damaging to the school and to this program.”

I picked up a memo from my desk and smiled. “On the other hand, we may be able to find that evidence. According to this progress report, the surveillance cameras that are to replace the observation room, were installed in Mr. Morrison’s room three nights ago, and were turned on for testing. Let’s see what they show.” I punched in the room number, date, and time. The TV on the credenza flickered into life. We all bent forward to see. “There’s Brian and Morrison … That’s certainly inappropriate.”

Mary gasped.

“I’m sorry, Mary” I said. “I’ve not forgotten he’s your son … Ah, here’s Peter taking Brian away … Let’s look at the day before … That’s Peter … Oh! God d … sorry, ladies. By golly! I’m going to can that guy!” I just could not believe my eyes. I was outraged.

I turned the TV off. “Rest assured this matter will be handled. If we didn’t have this equipment, it would have been the kids and your word against his. Now we have evidence – we can turn this matter over to the police and the education department. Thanks to your quick work—and, I might add—powers of observation, this abuse didn’t go any further.” The two women exchanged grim smiles as I picked up the phone and called the police.

Brian

It’s 2:00 o’clock! Mom said should be out of her meeting by now.

The door opened and I saw Mom.“Hi, Mom, Peter and his dad are here”

She came over and greeted Peter’s foster dad. “Hello, Kenny, thank you for coming. Please, will you and Peter come in and have a seat.” Mom turned to me and asked.”Brian, please come and join us.”

“Thank you Mrs. Jenkins.” Kenny replied.

Mom said, “Please, for now, let’s drop a bit of the formality. This is Bob Williams. He is the principle of the school.”

Kenny and Mr. Williams shook hands, and Kenny asked, “I presume you wish to discuss Peter’s enrollment.”

Mr. Williams responded. “Uh, actually, it’s a bit more than that.” His face changed to a more serious look. “Let’s get to the matter at hand before we go over Peter’s enrollment findings”

“Susan, would you please explain?” Mom asked.

Susan took a deep breath, and paused for a moment to collect her thoughts.“Of course,” she said. “Recently, we found that Peter, Brian, and several other students were being mistreated in Mr. Morrison’s class. We find that Mr. Morrison is not adhering to the requirements of the program.”

Kenny asked. “So, you’re saying you’ll be replacing this teacher?”

Mr. Williams clarified. “Yes, but there’s a bit more than that and the boy’s must answer the question in order to confirm our findings”

Mom looked at me and Peter. “Brian … Peter … Answer the truth about what happen ... Did Mr. Morrison touch you in his class?”

I answered first, even though I was little embarrassed by the question. “Yes, He unbuttoned the bottom of my shirt, but Peter opened the door and interrupted him … Mrs. Carson was there, with Peter, too.”

Peter came over and hugged me. He pressed his face into my chest; it was pretty obvious he didn’t want to answer. Kenny came over and picked up Peter. “Peter, please, you must answer Mary’s question. It’s okay. We have to know what he did.” Peter cried like I had never seen before; he struggled—not to escape from Kenny’s arms, but with something else. It was like he was wrestling with his thoughts; trying to resist something that’s keeping him from telling the truth. “I… I can’t!! … I’m scared … you’ll ...you’ll hate me!!”

I was in tears from seeing my friend hurting the way he was. Mom saw; she came to me and hugged me. I buried my face into her arms. Mom whispered to me to face my fears and to be strong for Peter.

Kenny broke his hug to look at Peter and asked, “Peter, you do love me don’t you? … Aren’t we best buddies?” Peter looked at Kenny in tears. He only thought for a moment before he nodded. But then, he dropped his head, and looked at the floor.

Kenny held Peter’s chin up so that he and Peter was eye-to-eye. “Then let me help you,” Kenny said. “I will always love you … I will always love you for being truthful … Please help us by telling us what happen … so we can help you, in return.” They looked at each other for a long, silent moment.

Peter broke the silence. “He … he took my shirt off and started … touching me … silencing my scream … He made me promise not to tell.” Peter began to cry, again, uncontrollably, non-stop. Kenny hugged him and rubbed his back. Kenny whispered things to Peter. I couldn’t hear what he was saying to Peter. They were together for a long time, supporting each other as they went through this terrible thing.

When Peter stopped crying, Susan spoke quietly to Kenny and Peter. They both nodded; Susan took Kenny’s hand. She gestured to me. I followed them out of the office. Mr. Williams told Mom he’d write the report and put together the video data. Mom took Kenny to her office.

Mrs. Jenkins

As soon as the door to my office closed behind Kenny and me, I started to thank Kenny for his help. “Kenny, thank you for helping us in this matter, you’ve help Peter and …” I couldn’t finish my sentence. Kenny broke down in tears. I fell silent. I wasn’t prepared to see a grown man cry.

I could only imagine what’s was going through Kenny’s mind, even though I could see that like a father, he really loved this boy who had become his son. The phone rang. It was Bob, telling me that the police had come and quietly removed Morrison.

I tried to console Kenny. He hugged me, and his sobbing intensified. Finally, I felt I had to say something. “It’s okay, Kenny … Peter will recover … It’s not your fault … We caught the bastard in time … He won’t be doing this ever again … ”

Kenny stopped crying. We both sat, silently for a long time.

Finally, I had to break the silence; it was necessary to get Kenny to focus on Peter’s future. “Are you ready to talk about Peter’s enrollment?”

“Yes, Mary. I am. And thanks.”

“Actually, thank you for your fatherly love for Peter. It will help him come to closure with regard to this incident. I’ll have to thank Peter for rescuing my son, too. When the time is right, of course.” Kenny nodded.

I described Peter’s strengths and weaknesses to Kenny. Kenny listened attentively; asked questions; and took notes about Peter’s difficulties: concentration, listening, talking, being the victim of teasing or bullying, heat exhaustion, low appetite, low self-esteem, acting out his fears, and keeping to himself. We had a lengthy discussion; together, we began to create an understanding of how best to help Peter.

I was happy to hear that Kenny was committed to raising Peter, and to help the boy reach his fullest potential as a human being. Kenny was afraid that if Peter went back to his former life, it would be a big loss for him, and would keep him from leading a fulfilling and rewarding life. Kenny vowed that he would do everything he could to help Peter be strong in mind, body and soul. I felt that Kenny was quite capable of helping Peter. The bond between them is very strong.

I wrapped up our discussion with the good news. “Given all we’ve talked about, I think Peter will be a perfect fit with the other three students in our new pilot program. The program is called, ‘Youth at Risk.’ Peter and Brian have been assigned to Mr. Horace Adam’s class. In fact, the other two students you saw on Monday—Sally and Jake—will also be in the class. They all seemed to have bonded well with Horace and with each other. Mr. Adams will be looking forward to seeing Peter on Monday.”

I picked up a note left on my desk. ” Mrs. Dawson left a note. She said that state would pay for Peter’s health care. Please call her on how to file claims.” I gave Kenny the note.

“Oh” I added as if an afterthought, “Will you and Peter have dinner with us tonight?”

“Yes, thank you, we will … The boys can sure use a break from all this … And, would you and Brian care to join us for the three-day weekend at my brother’s home? He would like very much to meet you, both. Please, it would be our pleasure if you come.”

It would be bad if the boys were separated. They need each other to get past this incident. I need to be close to my son and Peter to let them know I still care about them or rather we all care about each other. “I am sure, we will. Thank you for offering.”

“So,” I added. “I hear you took the boys to the Y all week; it’s good to know that you’re getting them active in lifesaving.” Kenny smiled and blushed.

“Let’s go get the boys,” I said.“They’ll be in the gym, with Bob.” As we left the office, and headed to the gym, I took Kenny’s hand to let him know that things would be okay.

When we got to the gym, Kenny asked Bob how the boys were doing.

“They’re doing great. Officer Jones is working with them. They’ll be seeing more of him, as a matter of fact. Jones and Horace Adams have a coordinated lesson play for the ‘Youth at Risk’ program. These kids need a lot more education than they’d get at a regular school. There are too many risky things in life. Mary tells me that you’re a paramedic. Maybe you could join us some day and demonstrate some stuff.”

“Daddy, are we going home?” Peter interrupted.

“In a little bit, why don’t you and Brian shoot some baskets? I’ll get you in 15 minutes.”

Officer Tim Jones

I was just finishing up with the boys when I heard a beautiful voice echoing in the gym. I turned and saw this wonderful looking man talking with Bob. I went over to meet him.

“Hello I’m Officer Tim Jones” (Wow – he’s got a good handshake.)

“I’m Kenny, Peter’s foster parent.” (He’s cute when he smiles.)

“Peter’s a great kid. The boys told me what happened, and I showed them a few things.” Mary stuck her face in between us. Smiling and eyeing at me and Kenny.

“Hey Mary it’s good to see you again.” (Uh, oh, she’s got to stop eye-chasing me! I’m not that kind of guy! )

“Likewise … Thank you for coming down to handle the situation for us.”

“It’s not a problem, Mary. Morrison’s arrest went down very easy. You have to thank Mrs. Carson for me. She was very discreet in handling the entire matter. That’s important in keeping the students safe from harm.” (I’d love to jump Kenny’s bones!! Dam that beeper.)

“Oops, I have to go. Duty calls. See you Monday. It’s a pleasure meeting you all. Bye.”

“Ahh, Kenny, here is my card. Call me any time.” I added. (Jumping you would be my pleasure.)

“Uhh, sure and thank you for helping the boys,” he said.(Oh gee whiz – that look of gratitude makes me melt.)

Mrs. Jenkins

Kenny turned to me and asked,“Mary, may I use a phone? – I have to call my brother Robbie and tell him that there’s a change in plans.”

“Sure, follow me.” I led the way to the nearest office that had an available phone.

Kenny picked up the phone and dialed.“Hey Robbie, Peter and I got invited to Peter’s friends house for dinner. We decided to come up in the morning … Oh, I hope you won’t mind … I’ll be bringing up some guest … Its little Brian and his mother who works in the school … You don’t mind? I knew you wouldn’t. … Thanks, Robbie … It means a lot to me. See ya. Bye.”

“Ready, Kenny? The boys are waiting for us.” I asked. Kenny nodded.

While Kenny was on one phone, I was on the other, ordering supper from an Italian restaurant that Brian and I love. We went straight there and picked up the food and headed over to my place.

Supper was around the table in the kitchen. It was informal, and like family. We enjoyed each other’s company, and talked about everything under the sun. It was good to see the boys laughing and talking again.

Kenny looked at the clock. “Uh it’s getting late – Peter its almost time for bed. We should go.”

“Aww, do we have to … I was just having fun.”

“We have a big day tomorrow. We’re all going to see Robbie.”

“All of us? You mean Mary and Brian?”

Kenny grinned. “Surprise!” The little guy got up from his chair and danced for joy. He gave all of us hugs of happiness.

“Uhh, Peter” I got down on my knees to look Peter in the eye. I gave Peter a hug. “Peter, darling, I’m so sorry you had to suffer like you did. But understand, you did something about it. You saved my son, your friend, from harm. Thank you for rescuing Brian. Thank you for your help in making our school a safer place.” I broke the hug to look at him. Peter was sobbing, but his tears were happy ones. Brian came over and hugged Peter.

Kenny and I exchanged glances at this little Kodak moment. We hugged.

Peter

Brian hugged me. Then, he gave me a thank you kiss on my lips. I was surprised. But I welcomed his gift to me.

Looking over Brian’s shoulder, I saw Kenny and Mary hugging. I almost stopped kissing Brian. Then, I saw Mary kiss Kenny. For two seconds, I saw an OMG look on Kenny face. It was scary. But it disappeared and he was kissing her back.

Brian was still kissing me and I kissed back.

It felt like forever. I knew I was in love with Brian.

We all broke our kisses at the same time.

Only I knew that Mary and Kenny had kissed. I smiled. Kenny gave Brian a hug.

We all said good-bye.

Kenny

On the way home, Peter fell asleep. When we got to the apartment, I took him straight to bed.

I was not very tired. I decided to have a cup of chamomile tea that mom loves to take before bed. Just after finishing my tea, I heard Peter scream. I rushed to him. He was still asleep, but was tossing and turning. He was screaming: “Noooo!” then “Stop!” follow by waves of crying.

I immediately woke him up. His eyes focused on me. He screamed “Daddy!!!! Don’t let her get me!!!”

I scooped up Peter into a hug. I cooed at him. I worked on calming him down. My mind was asking myself. “Her? Who is Peter afraid of?” I kept on cooing at Peter to calm him down. Then suddenly I started humming a song my brother Robbie sang to me when I was really scared. I didn’t remember the words but I remembered how it sounded. Peter started to relax. In fact, he fell back to sleep. He felt safe in my arms.

I couldn’t get Peter to let go of me. So, we both sleep together in his bed.

Something was blowing in my face. I blew back.

Again, something was blowing and I blew back.

Then it tickled me and I tickled back.

I started to hear giggling and a voice “Morning Daddy!! I love you!!”

My eyes were still closed and I responded “I love you to Peter. … Did you sleep well?”

“Yes Daddy. Did you?”

“Yes I did. Do you remember your dream last night?”

“No Daddy. I remember I was in your car and then waking up with you in my bed.”

“That good, Peter. You had a good night’s sleep. You go take your shower and I will make our breakfast.” Peter scooted off the bed and went for his shower.

I called Mary.

“Morning Mary … I thought I should call you to let you know we got up and it be like an hour before we leave for your place.”

“We’ll be ready.”

“Peter had a bad nightmare last night. I asked him this morning if he remembered his dream and he said no.”

“Do you think it’s related to his abuse?”

“Yes – I do think it is. He screamed at me “Don’t let her get me!!””

“So this past abuse was from a girl?”

“Oh shit!!! Mary … It’s that girl … the neighbors daughter from his home”

“Is he okay?”

“He is fine. He’s taking a shower and I’m making our breakfast. … Gotta go he’s finish his shower … Sure, see you soon. Bye”

I got Peter started eating his breakfast. I went for my shower, and then ate my breakfast. Peter came out of his room and asked me what clothes he needed to pack, so I finished breakfast, and we both packed our stuff.

Mary and Brian were just coming out of their house when we got there. It took only a moment to get their stuff into the car, and we were off. The boys sat in the back, playing Nintendo and listening to the iPod.

As far as Mary and I were concerned, we might have been alone.

“Uhh Mary about last night?”

“That’s was some kiss we had Kenny. I enjoyed it.”

“You did?”

“Yaa, how about you?” (Shit why did she ask that questions)

“Uh, yeah I did too” Mary snuggled next to me. My first reaction was to think, “Ugggg, now there are girl cuties all over me!! Help me!! Sob.”

We made small talk all the way to Robbie’s place, but it was for me, as she continued to touch me intimately—rewarding me for my courage in the Morrison matter.