Kenny and Peter - Book 1 - 8. Chapter 8

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 08

Mrs. Jenkins

I quickly excused myself after taking Kenny the observation lounge. I needed to see my son, Brian, after Mr. Williams had called. I wanted to let him know that I cared about him.

“Hello Horace, May I speak to my son for a few before you …”

Horace Adams answered my unspoken question, “Sure, Mary, take your time.”

I took my son into an empty office. “Honey, I’m really sorry about what happen this morning. I shouldn’t have snapped on the way to school. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“It’s okay mom … I understand … Mrs. Booth explained it to me … after I went to her in the library crying … She told me that you worry a lot about me … I do screw a lot … She told me that you love me always … She took me back to your office so I could tell you that I was sorry … Then you sent me away with Peter, I didn’t get the chance until now … I love you Mom, always.” Brian’s hug was as reassuring to me as were his words.

I broke the hug to take a look at my son. “Are you sure you’re okay, honey?”

Brian saw the worried look on my face. “I’m fine Mom”

“Are you sure? Did you hurt your head or anything?”

“Yes, I’m sure; and no, I didn’t get hurt. I just got the wind knock out of me. That’s all.”

“You don’t have to take the exam if you’re not well?”

“Mom, I’m okay, really! I want to take the exam.” I saw something written on my son’s face that caused me concern.

“Is there anything you want to say to me, dear?”

“I’m just worried about Peter. He must be really worried about me. He’s a great kid. I, kind of, have a feeling he doesn’t have any friends. I want to be his friend.” I saw a few tears in my son’s eyes. I gently wiped them off him. We looked at each other for a moment and we hugged each other.

“Take care. Good luck on the exam.”

“I will. Thanks. I love you.” I watched my son go down the hallway with the other kids. I was happy to see him beginning to mature. I do owe a debt of graduated to Cynthia Booth; if it wasn’t for her helping my son … I pushed that sad thought away. This wasn’t the time for such thoughts. I went back to the observation lounge.

I apologized again for deserting Kenny in the observation lounge. I told him that Brian, my son, had a minor run-in with another student, and that I had to check on him. I also told him that Peter was okay, but had been a bit alarmed by the incident. I then invited his attention to the students who were entering the exam room. Peter was already seated at his desk. I watched how Peter reacted to the other students. I gathered that it had been the biggest kid who had caused the run-in with my son. I was amazed to see how well my son handled the situation, and how forgiving Peter was to the bigger student. All of them demonstrating important qualities needed in this program.

It’s really difficult to evaluate so many children at once; I was glad that Kenny was here to help evaluate his foster son, Peter. It gave me more time to evaluate the other three students and Horace.

During the kids’ break, I ran through some of the questions for Peter’s profile.

“Who’s your employer?”

“Country General Hospital” Great, he’s got a steady job.

“What’s the Position?”

“EMS Paramedic/Nurse” And he’s not lazy.

“Your Marital Status?”

“Single” Bingo! Now we’re talking!!

“What’s your age?”

“Twenty-four.” I hope you like older women.

“Foster Parent Effective Date?”

“A couple of days ago.”I knew you’re a newbie.

“So how did you get Peter in your custody?”

“I found him on the road below the truck rest stop. He was unconscious. I call CPS to report the finding at the hospital after an examination. Mrs. Darwin selected me as a Foster Parent.” Cute he’s got the lost puppy syndrome.

“How is Peter doing at your household?”

“He’s doing well considering his circumstances. He gets along well with me. My mother finds him to be a good child.”Great! He’s going to keep his puppy.

“Do you intend to get married or are you dating? I’m sorry about asking. Its part of the profile we need to keep. It can help us correlate behavioral changes should any future incidents arise.”

“Not married, and not seeing any one at the moment” Oh, great! He’s available!

Kenny

The kids’ break was over. We resumed our observation. I reflected on Mrs. Jenkins’ questions. Some seemed a bit odd. But, if it helps Peter, then I don’t mind.

After another 90 minutes, the session was over. Mrs. Jenkins said, “I will take your notes and mine. I will later meet with Mr. Adams and the other students for the evaluation. Why don’t you and Peter go to the cafeteria for lunch? Here’s a voucher for the both of you. I will notify you and Mrs. Darwin of our findings by the end of the week. Have a good afternoon.” Mrs. Jenkins led me to the exam room so I could collect Peter. I thanked her for giving Peter a chance to enter in the new program, and we left for the cafeteria.

I asked to Peter on the way to the cafeteria, “Is there anything I should know?”

“Each day through Thursday I have to go to another class with three students and a different teacher each day. Mr. Adams says one of the four teachers will be my teacher. I’m glad that exam is over; my head hurts!”

“It’s okay, Peter. Your concussion should go away soon. We do have a three day weekend coming up. Would you like to meet my brother Robbie? And see Sarah and little Mary?”

“Yeaaaah, I would like to! I miss Sarah!”

“Do you have to go back to work, Daddy?” he added.

“Yeah, I do. Tonight, and then in the morning, But, I can pick you up after lunch; we can do things the whole afternoon. After dinner I have to go back to work.”

“How did you like your class today?” I asked.

Peter thought a moment, and then said, “It was easy sometimes and then it was hard. My brain hurts. I’m still upset that Brian got hurt today. I hope I don’t get hurt?”

I thought about what Peter said while I encouraged him to choose food from the cafeteria. I decided, then, that Peter would need a complete health check up; I needed to know his life history and his medical history. I don’t want to overlook anything. After paying the cashier with the voucher, we found a quiet spot to eat and chat about the exam.

There was something on Peter’s mind. It was written on his face. So I decided to ask this question, “Did you get hurt a lot at home?”

Peter shot a stared back at me like I guess what he’s been thinking about. He answered quietly, “Yes; in school and at home.”

I patted Peter’s shoulder and rubbed his back to assure him that I understood. Peter seemed tense at times, and that’s not good for his concussion. I needed to help him get his mind off of his worries. I needed that, too. Gary has been on my mind a lot, recently. Both Peter and I needed to blow off some steam. I got it! I asked, “Hey, would you like to go swimming? I have a membership at the YMCA.”

Peter ducked his head. “I, uh, I don’t know how to swim.”

“Well,” I said, “I just happened to have taught swimming lessons when I was in high school.”

Peter smiled. “Wow, and you’ll teach me? Yes, please. I’d like that.”

Taking Peter swimming meant a quick trip to the mall to get a suit for him. As we drove to the mall, I noticed that he was, again, looking out the window. I realized that he loved the idea of going places. I’ll have to keep that in mind; I want to give him the pleasure of seeing things outside of his little world. We ended up at one of the big, chain, sports stores. Peter selected the classic racer Speedo model—the low cut, brief kind. He insisted that I get a new suit, too. Well, it was easier than going home for mine. I went for the newer, jammer, style. I shouldn’t have been surprised that Peter wanted the briefest we could find. When I was Peter’s age, I would have been too bashful to have worn them. I figured it was his Tarzan fetish, again.

It was a short drive from the mall to the YMCA near my apartment. We changed into our new suits, and I lead Peter to the pool. I jumped in the deep end, and motioned for Peter to jump to me. I caught him, and then began to teach him the basics of swimming. Before he could get bored, I took him to the shallow end of the pool, where he could stand up with his head out of the water, and we just played for a while. I knew I would have to make learning fun for Peter. I also knew that it would take time for Peter to become strong in body, mind, and soul. And, to tell the truth, I realized, I’m a bit out of shape. I think it will be good for me and Peter to come more often to the YMCA. I’ll stop by the office and get a family membership.

Wow. Family … I’m glad we were in the water, and no one could see my tears. They were tears of happiness, joy, in fact. I had hoped for so long … Robbie and I played used to play in the pool a lot … we played games like Marco Polo, Jump or Dive, Belly Flop Contest, and many others. I hope Peter will have many fond memories to take with him. I certainly hope I can give him as many as I can.

Peter and I had fun at the YMCA, but we were both a bit tired after such a long day. I decided to have a simple dinner of egg-salad. Peter seemed to like it. I was pleased that I didn’t have to worry about his eating. We had just finished when there was a knock on the door. I opened it to see one of the boys from the school.

“Hi. Is Peter home? I’m Brian.”

“Peter, you have a visitor!” That’ll surprise him – I knew his reaction would be exciting.

“Brian! Hi!” It was a joy to see the little guy so excited.

The two were definitely glad to see each other. They hugged and laughed.

“Kenny? Can Peter sleep over at my place? I asked my mom and she said it’s okay with her. But she said I had to check with you? She said we’d bring Peter to school tomorrow, and can you pick him up after lunch?”

“Well Peter? Would you like to go?”

“Yes, please!”

“Well let’s get some stuff for you, uh, toothbrush, clothes for school, pajamas, oh, yes, and your swim suit, in case you want to go to the Y tomorrow after school with me okay?”

“Okay!”

Mrs. Jenkins

I saw my son come out of the apartment and wave to me to come in. I shut the car’s engine and left my car to walk into the Kenny Apt.

“Hello Kenny.”

“Hi, Mrs. Jenkins. Peter is ready to go.”

“Call me Mary, when we’re not in school, please”

“Okay, Mary. I have to leave for work in 15 minutes.”

“Well, this won’t take long. My son felt bad that Peter experienced something frightening, today. He asked me if Peter could sleep over. He wanted to make up for what happened today.”

“Actually, it’s great. It would solve my scheduling problem. You see, I have to work the evenings just for this week. My boss allowed me to split my shift so I can get pick up Peter and get him used to the after-school routine.”

“Well, how about this. They will have no homework this week, and Brian wants to spend some time with Peter. When you go to work, you can drop Peter off at our home. Peter sleeps over and goes to school with Brian. So, How about that?”

“It’s a great idea. I just hope it’s not too much of an imposition?”

“Oh, no, it’s fine. My son knows that Peter has no friends. He wants Peter to feel welcome in his new school. Here’s my address and phone number. You can drop by after work before 11pm, if you wish to see Peter before he goes to bed. I usually have my son in bed by 10pm but I’m up till 11pm.”

“Thank you, Mary. That’s seems fine, and it’s really a big help to me and Peter.”

“Peter … Brian … it’s time to go.”

Brian

We all left Peter and Kenny’s apartment at the same time. Kenny went to work; Mom drove Peter and me to our house. Peter was very excited, and I was very happy to have him over our place. It only took about 10 minutes to get to our place. I rushed inside, pulling Peter behind me to my room.

“Wanna Play Wii?”

“I, uh, I don’t know how…” Peter felt sad and suddenly shy.

“It’s okay … we’ll just play for fun … no keeping score.” I threw a pair of Wii controls at him and showed him what each control does. After a while he started to get the hang of it.

We played baseball for a while. Peter was pretty good for his first time. After baseball, I switched to boxing, and that’s when Peter went into a fit.

“Peter, are you okay? It’s just a game?”

Peter was lying on the floor, curled up into a ball, and crying. He didn’t hear me. I tried to touch him but he jerked away from me.

I kept trying, coaxing him, and trying to get him to let me hug him. It wasn’t easy, but I got him out of his ball. I held him and said over and over that everything was okay. We were like that on the floor when Mama came in to check on us.

“Are you guys okay? Brian, what happened?”

“I did nothing, mom. We were playing the boxing game. He got scared.”

“Can you take care of Peter?”

“Yes, mom, but can you get something for Peter to drink.”

“Sure.”

Mom came back with some juice and set it next to us. I held on to Peter. I continued to tell Peter that everything was okay. Mama left us alone. I was proud that she thought I was handling the situation. He was really upset. It was a while before I got Peter to calm down and take a sip of juice. Then, I urged him to sit on my bed. He wouldn’t let go of me. I figured that he needed to sleep it off. I urged him to lie down, and then lay down beside him. I held him until he went to sleep. When I was sure he was soundly asleep, I got out of bed. I pulled the covers over him, and then went to Mom.

“Mom … I got Peter calmed down. He’s asleep in my bed.”

Mom saw that I was crying and she hugged me. “I’m very proud of you Brian. You took good care of your friend. Would you like me to hold you?”

Yes! I thought, and sat in her lap. She hugged me. It didn’t take long before I was settled down. Mom took me to the kitchen, and started fixing us some chamomile tea. I guess our voices woke peter. He appeared in the kitchen door.

Mom asked, “Peter, are you okay?” He nodded and walked over to me and hugged me. I hugged him back, and coaxed him into sitting at the table. Mom gave us tea and biscuits.

The phone rang; Mama answered. It was Kenny. They talked a bit. Then Mama gave me the phone. “Hello Kenny … Peter is okay now…He started crying when we played boxing on my Wii…yes, sir, here he is.” I motioned to Peter and gave him the phone.

“Hi, daddy! … I’m okay. Brian was nice to me … I promise to be good. I miss you. I love you, daddy.”

Peter gave the phone to my mama. I hugged Peter. He was crying a little because he missed Kenny. I coaxed Peter to eat his biscuits and drink his tea. He calmed down pretty quickly.

It was getting late. Mama hung up the phone and told us that Kenny had to work late and it was time for bed. I told mama that I would take care of Peter.

Peter and I went to the bathroom and brushed out teeth. Mamas came in with some towels, told us to shower before bed.

I finished brushing first so I started to take off my clothes. Peter looked at me, liking what he saw. I said, “Wanna take a shower with me?” Peter nodded, and stripped off his clothes. We got in the shower. It was awesome. We were both giggling and washing each other. Mama called from the hallway, and told us to get in to bed in 5 minutes. We giggled as we got out of the shower and dried each other.

We wrapped the towels around our waists, and went into my room. Peter went into his bag and took out fresh underwear and pajamas; his Speedos fell on the floor.

“Peter, you wear those?”

He looked to where I pointed and smiled. “Yes. Kenny bought them for me, today.”

“Can I see you wear them?” He put them on, and I fell in love with him. I stepped close to him, and hugged him. We kissed kissing. My towel fell off but I didn’t notice. Peter was rubbing his hands across my back and down to my bum. It felt awesome. I was getting hard. Mama knocked on the door. We broke up, picked up our towels, and covered ourselves. She told us to get our pajamas on, and get into bed. “Good night boys,” she said, shaking her head and smiling.

We hopped into my bed. We were both too excited to sleep, so we talked.

“Are you okay? Is anything wrong Peter?”

“I’m okay … I hadn’t sleep like this since I ran away from home. I miss Benny.”

“You use to sleep with your brother” I kissed Peter in the back of his neck and then his cheek. I rubbed his tummy to get him to snuggle closer to me.

“Yes, but we didn’t do it so much … Papa would scream at us, and send me to my own bed.”

Peter started to cry but I hugged him, and urged him not to cry. “Peter, it’s okay. You can sleep with me anytime you want”

“I can?”

“Yes. Mama and I won’t make you sleep in the other bed if you don’t want to.”

“Thanks Brian. I love you.”

“I love you too Peter. Let’s go to sleep before mama yells at us.”

In a few minutes, Peter and I were asleep. Peter held my arm and kept it on his chest like a teddy bear. I didn’t mind; it felt good.

Kenny

I was sorry to hear from Mary that Peter had a fit from playing a Wii game. I know I can’t keep Peter in the house all the time. I hope in time he learns to make friends, and learn to trust people—the right people. I will have to talk to Mrs. Darwin about Peter’s health benefits. He may need some counseling, either professional, or perhaps one from church.

After I finished my break, I went back to work. There had been a multi-vehicle accident on the interstate, and that usually meant a load of patients. I talked to the duty chief, and worked out a schedule change. She said that I could take the morning off if I’d stay a little later tonight to help with the crisis. That suited me; I didn’t want to miss picking up Peter after lunch.

Now, however, it’s back to “Battlefield in the ER.” This is what I do. I know what I do, but I don’t know who I am – I don’t have a clue.