Date: Thu, 28 Jul 2005 02:09:26 -0700 (PDT)
From: Snwdemon <snwdemon@yahoo.com>
Subject: Playing the Game: Rodie's Story Continued

Chapter 18: (M/b, b/b M/F as, no sex)

	WARNING: This story contains descriptions of sexual acts involving
MINOR boys.  I wish to explain that this story is not true!  Further, it is
not intended to promote illegal acts against minors, but to demonstrate
that young boys can love each other even when adults believe that they are
to young.  The sexual acts described in the story are the result of my
imagination.  I have not performed these acts, and I do not encourage
others to perform them with minors.  If the subject of boy/boy or
homosexual love between minors offends you, or this material is illegal to
possess in your place of residence, or if you are under the legal age to
possess such material, do not read further!

	By downloading this story: You implicitly declare and affirm under
penalties of perjury that you are not a minor or in the company of a minor
and are entitled to have access to material intended for mature,
responsible members of society capable of making decisions about the
content of documents they wish to read ."  The story is copyrighted under
my pseudonym, Snwdemon.  A copy has been placed in these archives for your
enjoyment.  The story cannot be used to derive monetary gain.  However, if
you want to place a copy of this story in your free access archives please
email me for my permission.  The story cannot be placed in archives that
require payment for access, or printed and distributed in any form that
requires payment either directly or indirectly.  Any similarity to
individuals, living, or dead, is partially accidental.  Reference is also
made in context to locations, businesses, characters, and people to define
the story line.  No other implication about the true sexuality or actions
of the people, or places mentioned is intended.

	Author's note: Hello again everyone, I know it has been awhile but
I am finally back now.  First off, I want to thank everyone who responded
to Rodie's love.  I have received over 1500 responses to Rodie's Love and
almost everyone wanted it to continue.  The reason I ended Rodie's story so
abruptly was that my youngest son Simon was diagnosed with Hodgkin's
disease (lymphoma) cancer.  He had surgery in January to remove the
cancerous tumor, and then underwent 6 months of chemotherapy.  He is
currently in remission, and I pray that he will stay that way.

	However, I have continued writing throughout my son's cancer
surgery and subsequent chemotherapy.  My son Simon asked me to read him one
of the new stories I had written one day.  Therefore, I started reading to
him "Canyon's Desire" which is about a boy who is an Junior Olympic caliber
figure skater who realizes that he is gay.  The story details his struggles
and triumphs as he deals with his parents, coaches, and peers once he
discovers who he really is inside.  While the story takes on a serious
subject matter concerning a growing number of boys, it is ultimately more
of a story about a boy confronting his fears, then overcoming them and
proving to himself that he is the best.  I started reading the story to him
only to have him "zonk" out on me, as only an 8-year-old can describe it,
after the first chapter.  The next day, he had one of the other children in
the ward in his room coloring with him when Simon asked me to read to them.
So I started over from the beginning of the story.  When I read a story
aloud, it is not just me reciting the passages of the story.  I try to give
the story some life by changing the cadence, tone, and inflections of my
voice.  I have learned that by doing this, it draws people, especially
children, into the story so that it is as if they are actually there in the
story watching these events unfold.

       While I was expecting my son and his playmate to be drawn into the
story, I was not expecting the adults.  His playmate's parents were
standing by the door listening as were as two more children from the ward
and a couple of the nurses.  When I finished the story they actually
applauded, which caused me to turn crimson.  Of course, the kids wanted me
to read another story to them, but I knew that Simon had to rest.
Therefore, I promised that I would read to everyone a new story the next
day in the play area.  Well the next day I had almost 50 people waiting for
what was to become "Story time."  All 20 children in his ward were there
with their parents as well as the nursing staff, who quietly made their
rounds to their small patients who sat listening to me.  This became almost
a daily event, and the children's therapies were actually scheduled around
"Story time."  I read to them classics like Moby Dick, Captain Courageous,
Tom Sawyer, and Huck Finn as well as my own stories.  I got to know every
single child staying there in the ward, their parents, what was their
disease, and their treatment and prognosis.  I befriended all of the
parents and staff, and they helped me handle my stress and fears while I
shared in their triumphs and pain.

       I almost quit doing story time when one special girl named Rebecca
lost her battle against leukemia during story time.  I had thought that I
had distracted the staff from Emmi's (her nickname, short for Emily) care
because of story time, but her parents told me that she passed away
peacefully with a smile on her face.  I knew that Emmi was in pain
constantly, but she passed out of this world battling the pirates of
Treasure Island.  Her mother told me that I had a gift, not just with
words, but also with children.  That I could enable a child in such
extraordinary pain like she was in to escape this world and go to a
wonderful place where there isn't any pain, sickness, and there is always a
happy ending.  I cried for their loss, for everyone else's loss, for my
loss.  For me, the loss of a child is something very profound, even when
that child is not related to me.  I feel this way because in reality, at
least my reality, all children belong to each and every one of us.  The
children are our hopes and dreams of a better tomorrow.  They are our
future in its infancy and counting on us to protect, guide, and nurture
them until they can continue our quest in life.

       So with this girl in my mind, I decided to continue Rodie's story
because Rodie's Love in its original unedited format (it did not have any
erotic scenes in the original story) was her favorite.  She even drew a
picture of what she believed Rodie looked like if he were real.  I told her
that "Rodie" was a real boy, but that he did not have name Rodie or his
special gifts.  Her picture was very close to the boy who I had modeled the
character Rodie after when he was 10, although he is just a bit older
today.  She made me promise that I would let her meet the real "Rodie" one
day, which I did promise.

       I fulfilled my promise to her on Valentine's Day of this year
(2005), and introduced her to the real "Rodie" who is my now 17-year-old
adopted son Eric.  I think Emmi quite literally fell in love with my son
Eric when he came into her room looking exactly as she imagined Rodie would
look like, only older.  She even loved his original first name Corrin,
which is his middle name now (I do not know if I explained it, but he had
his first and middle names switched when he was adopted to Eric Corrin).
Eric was touched by her in the same way I was when he met her, and he knew
that she was a very special and gifted girl.  He spent most of the day with
her, and since he is quite a good sketch artist himself, he drew her
portrait and gave it to her as a gift to remember him by.  He even signed
his name with "Rodie" underneath his signature.  She told me that night
after Eric had left that it was the best day she had ever had, and I was
happy to have made it possible for her.  I just did not know that she would
not have any more happy days before she left us.  Her picture of Rodie was
given to my son after she passed away, her parents felt that she would have
wanted him to have it, while they framed his portrait of her and donated it
to St. Jude's Hospital.  It now hangs in the playroom in the ward where she
stayed.  She was a quite gifted artist like my son Eric, and I know he will
cherish her gift to him always.

       As I stated earlier, it was because of her that I decided to
continue Rodie's story.  I am just saddened that she passed away before I
had completed the first chapter.  After her death, I set it aside because
it reminded me so much of her, and of my fear that my son Simon would meet
her fate also.  Once we got home though, I started editing and proofing my
stories.  Deciding which ones I could post unaltered, which ones needed to
be altered to allow posting to Nifty, and which ones I did not want to
change.  That is when I came across the first chapter of Playing the Game
that I had written and forgot about.  I almost deleted it, but then after
thinking of her for a few minutes, I decided that I would finish the story
and dedicate the original unedited versions to her memory.

       I had one big problem though when I went back and re-read the Nifty
version of Rodie's Love.  The new story's characters did not match Nifty's
version of Rodie's Love, so I spent about a week trying to figure out how
to make them match which included killing off a few of the characters from
the version I posted.  However, I have discovered that it is too much of a
leap to present the unaltered version of this story and connect it to the
altered version of Rodie's Love that I posted to Nifty.  Mainly because in
the original story Jim befriends Rodie like a surrogate father, since he is
already involved in a long-term relationship with Eddie.  When I adapted
the story to make it an erotic story, I needed to make Jim available so I
introduced Marco as Eddie's partner, thus freeing up Jim to be with Rodie.
However, I still have Rodie discovering his true sexual preference
(homosexual, for now, possibly Bi later on) the same.

       Therefore, here is the next part of Rodie's story modified to make
it erotic as well as connect it to the first story.  I have to rewrite the
whole story in order to do this, but I plan to make the original stories
available to everyone by either posting them to Nifty if allowed, or on my
personal website (which is under construction right now).  I chose to age
all of the characters covering a period of 3 years in the beginning
chapters of the story.  The story will become more detailed and the time
will slow to normal speed as it was in the first story once I have aged the
characters.  So please bear in mind of the age increase since there will be
periods where weeks or months pass.  So, enjoy the next portion of Rodie's
life titled "Playing the game."  Damion



      I dedicate the original unmodified stories about Rodie to your memory
Emmi: Rebecca Emily Starnes -- Age 11, October 18, 1993 -- April 22, 2005.



Playing the game: Rodie's story cont.

Chapter 1: Rodie's recovery

16 hours after Paul's death.


	The surgery for Rodie was taking much longer than it should have.
Finally, after six grueling hours a nurse came out and told Cathy, John,
and Eddie that the doctor would speak with them shortly.  Cathy asked if it
was all right if the doctor spoke with them in Jim's hospital room.  The
nurse said that would be fine and would inform the doctor.  Cathy went over
to the couch where Eric slept and gently lifted him up into her arms
without waking up.  They all then proceeded up to the second floor to where
Jim was staying.

	Jim had refused to be transferred to the UNC Medical Center until
after Rodie was out of surgery and recovering.  Mike had ordered a morphine
pump for him to help ease the pain he was in.  While his injuries were not
life threatening, they were very serious and the only way to repair the
damaged prosthetics was to replace them.  Cathy and the other came into the
room and she laid the slumbering Eric in the small bed next to Jim's.  The
nurses had brought the roll away bed in for her to use while she stayed
with Rodie.  Eddie informed Jim that Mike would be there soon to speak with
them.  They waited for another fifteen minutes before Mike came in along
with the one of the trauma surgeons.

	"How is he Mike?"  Cathy asked in a worried tone.

	"He is doing well as can be right now Cathy.  Rodie will be in
recovery for another 45 minutes and you can go stay with him while he is in
there."  Mike told her.  He then looked around to all of them before
sitting on the edge of Jim's bed.  He rubbed a tired hand through his hair
before speaking.

	"I almost lost him again Cathy.  He coded on the table, but I got
him back once more and stabilized him.  It is a miracle that he survived at
all, considering how much time he went without oxygen.  However, he is
extremely weak, and the next 24 hours will be critical for him.  If he
makes it through that time, then I will begin to relax a little.  Right
now, expect him to wake up right now due to the amount of time without
oxygen.  His brain is showing signs of some swelling so Dr. Saunders here
put in a shunt to relieve some of the pressure.  Also, the damage to his
larynx was much worse than I thought.  Not only was his larynx crushed, his
spinal column was damaged at the C-4 vertebrae.  Dr. Saunders is a
Neurosurgeon, and he repaired the damaged vertebrae by fusing it to the
other vertebras above and beneath it.  He also put Rodie's head in a halo
brace to prevent any movement while the bones fuse.  Rodie will not be able
to turn his head to the side as much from now on, but he will learn to
compensate for this later on.  His carotid artery was damaged too, which
explains his lack of oxygen.  I inserted a stint to unblock the area that
was compressed, but we have to wait and see if permanent damage was caused
by the blockage."  Mike said softly to everyone.  He then looked directly
at Cathy with an extremely haggard look on his face.

	"Cathy, we have done all we can do.  Now it is up to him and God.
When he wakes up - if he wakes up, I do not know what he will be like.  How
much he will remember, or how much of his abilities he will regain, I just
don't know.  For all we know right now, Rodie may be paralyzed.  I do know
that he will not be able to speak due to the damage to his vocal chords.
There are some good surgeons that he will have to see, as well as more
surgeries he will need, if he is to be able to speak again, but for now he
is unable to talk.  His vocal cords are torn right now, but they can be
repaired.  I doubt if he will be able to sing, or even speak loudly, but he
should be able to talk at least.  Rodie has a long and hard recovery ahead
of him if he pulls through."  Mike explained to all of them.  A small tear
started to trickle down his cheek as he spoke to them.

	"So he will not wake up right now from the surgery Mike?"  Cathy
asked in a trembling voice.  Mike gave her a serious look and then nodded
his head.  His shoulders slumped like a defeated man and he brought his
hand up to his face.  Cathy watched as he struggled to regain his
composure, then he raised his head to reveal his wet cheeks.

	"I'm sorry Cathy.  I am sorry I could not do more to help him, but
I have done my best.  We need to be thankful that he is alive right now,
and that he has made it this far."  Mike told her as he stood.  Just then,
the nurse knocked on the door getting their attention.

	"Dr. Wise.  Your patient Mark is on his way up and I wanted to know
if you would like for him to be in the same room as Rodie?"  She asked him
as she leaned her head into the room.

	"Yes, that is fine.  Also if you can put them in the room adjacent
to this one would be even better."  Mike replied.

	"No problem Dr. Wise," she replied and then she was gone.  Just
then, Mike looked at the other doctor and introduced him.

	"I am sorry Bill, everyone, this is Dr. Bill Saunders.  He is the
trauma surgeon who operated on Mark and Marco, as well as assist me with
Rodie," Mike said while Dr. Saunders shook hands with everyone.

	"Mr. Winters, Mark did fine in surgery.  The bullet shattered his
collarbone and a fragment lodged into his shoulder joint.  I assisted
Dr. Bach, our pediatric orthopedic surgeon here.  We removed the fragment,
and repaired his collarbone and shoulder joint.  However, he will be unable
to use his right arm for the next 3 to 4 months.  Then he will require
physical therapy in order to regain full use of his arm.  I am afraid that
he will always have some problems with that shoulder in the future.
However, I do not think it will prevent normal usage of that arm.  I also
gave him two pints of blood to replace the blood he lost.  Other than that,
things went very well Mr. Winters, and I expect him to make a full
recovery."  Dr. Saunders explained to John.  He then turned to Eddie.

       "As for Marco, he had a small fracture on his skull with a slight
depression of the bone, and a significant concussion.  I removed the small
bone fragment because it was protruding into his brain cavity.  I then
covered the area with a steel plate.  Other than a nasty headache, he will
be fine in a few days and his skull should heal in 3 to 6 weeks.  Just make
sure he does not bump his head during that time."  Dr. Saunders said to
Eddie.  Both Eddie and John thanked him for what he did, and he left the
room.  Just as he was leaving, Mark was wheeled in by the nurses.  They put
his bed into the empty space next to Jim's bed.

       "Excuse me," John said to one of the nurses.  "I thought he was
supposed to be put into the next room?"

       "Oh, Dr. Saunders thought it would be better to put all of the
patients in one of our 4-bed rooms instead of splitting everyone up.  We
are moving one patient into the next room then we will move Mark and
Mr. Chavez to the new room before the others come out of recovery.  Mark is
still pretty groggy, but he should be waking up anytime now.  He will be in
quite a bit of pain, but Dr. Wise ordered a morphine pump here.  Just have
him push this button a couple of times and it will deliver the morphine.
It is set so that he cannot overdose no matter how many times he pushes the
button.  Do you understand all this Mr. Winters?"  She asked him.

       "Yes, I understand Nurse Rodgers and thank you for taking care of my
son," John said to her.

       "It is no trouble Mr. Winters, I am happy to help out in anyway I
can when young men like your son are concerned.  You take good care of him
or you will have to answer to me."  She told him while wagging her finger
at him and smiling.  John laughed and promised her he would do as she
commanded, and with that, she left to go finish preparing the larger room.
Cathy had moved over beside Mark and was gently brushing his hair out of
his face when he cracked his eyes open a bit.

       "Mom...It hurt's," he mumbled softly to her.  Cathy's face just
softened more and she smiled.

       "I know it does honey, just push that button in your other hand and
it will help the pain go away."  She said to him softly as she caressed his
forehead.  Mark pushed the button twice and started to drift off to sleep
again.

       "I've missed you mom," he whispered as the medicine took effect.
Cathy watched him as he slipped back into unconsciousness.  Then she leaned
over and kissed Mark's forehead.

       "I've missed you too, Mark.  Go to sleep now, and I will be here
when you wake up."  Cathy said softly to him.  A little smile appeared on
Mark's face as the pain eased away, and he slid deeper into sleep.  When
she looked up, she saw John watching her with a look of admiration on his
face.  A tear had slid down his face while he watched her talk to Mark.

       "You are a remarkable woman, Cathy.  Thank you for coming into our
lives."  John told her after she had moved away from Mark's side.  Cathy
just took his hands, then stepped closer and kissed John on the cheek.

       "No.  Thank you John," was all she said while holding his hands for
a moment longer.  Jim and Eddie both realized what had just happened.
Cathy had just made a decision that would change all of their lives.  Eddie
looked at Jim, and he gave a slight nod of his head.  They knew that this
was the right decision for Cathy, for Rodie, and everyone else in the room.

       The moment was broken when Nurse Rodgers came in again and let them
know that the room was ready.  Mike got up and rolled his shoulders a
couple of times to relieve the tension in them.

       "I am going to go check on Rodie and Marco.  I will come up with
Bright Eyes," he told them all, and then left.  More nurses came in to move
Mark and Jim into the new room.  Cathy touched Nurse Rodgers forearm as she
came up to Mark's bed.

       "Please be careful not to move him around to much please.  He just
woke up a moment ago, and he was in quite a bit of pain like you said."
Cathy told her as any concerned parent would do.

       "Yes Ma'am, He won't notice a thing," Nurse Rodgers assured her.
Cathy and John moved out of the room while the nurses gently maneuvered
Mark's bed out of the room.  Once the doorway was clear, Cathy came in and
gently picked up the slumbering Eric and carried him out of the room.
Eddie watched her leave and shook his head with a look of regret.

       "Why the sad look Eddie?"  Jim asked him.

       "Because I was hoping for a different outcome is all," he replied
finally looking around at his friend.  Jim looked at him for a moment
before he realized what Eddie meant.

       "Me?  You're joking right?"  Jim told him with a stunned look on his
face.

       "Well, I thought you two would make a nice couple together," Eddie
said with a smile.

       "Yeah right, you thought huh.  Did you consider where Rodie would
fit into all this while you were thinking about this?"  Jim asked him.

       "Um, no.  I guess not.  He does throw a wrench into the gears,
doesn't he?"  Eddie asked while giving Jim a raised eyebrow look.

       "I would guess so.  I can imagine our wedding now.  `Cathy, I take
you as my wife, to love and honor you while I have sex with, and to hold
closely, our son Rodie, till death do us part?'  I don't think so."  Jim
said to Eddie.  Eddie just grinned while brow beating him.  Then they both
laughed.  A few moments later Nurse Rodgers was back to move Jim into the
new room.  As she released the wheel stops, Jim tapped her on her shoulder.

       "I hope that you are licensed to drive this thing," he said with a
mock expression of seriousness.

       She looked at him with a big smile and said, "Only when I'm drag
racing."

       "Good enough for me now punch it Mama!"  Jim replied with a big
smile.  They all laughed while she helped the other nurse maneuver his bed
out of the room while Eddie followed.  In no time, she had Jim set up in
the new room with Mark's bed across from his.  There were empty spaces next
to both of them for Rodie's bed and Marco's bed.

       Twenty minutes later, Marco was brought up first.  He was awake and
alert, but they could see the discomfort he was in clearly on his face.
Eddie hugged him tightly for a long moment.  When they broke their embrace,
Eddie's face was wet with tears.

       "Don't scare me like that again.  I thought I had lost you there for
a moment."  Eddie said in a surprisingly gentle voice.  Marco did not
reply, but instead gently wiped away Eddie's tears before pulling him close
and kissing him.  In no way did it seem wrong as the others watched this.
Jim now understood completely that Eddie and Marco were life partners and
grow old together.  Maybe one day he would find someone like Marco he
thought to himself as he watched his best friend start to fuss over Marco.
At that moment, Jim felt happiness for his best friend, but also a pang for
his own loneliness.  All of this was interrupted when Mike appeared.  He
directed the staff like a mother hen brooding over her chick as they
maneuvered Rodie's bed through the doorway.

       "Watch it!  Do not bang him against the door, and be careful with
that Respirator, I do not want those tubes pulling on his neck.  Ok, gently
now," Mike said as they guided Rodie's bed, as well as a number of machines
that he was hooked to, through the doorway and into the room.  Once they
had his bed in place Mike started connecting all of the monitoring devices
connected to Rodie's small body.  His neck and head were covered with
bandages as well as the halo neck brace that encircled his head.  There
were four thumbscrews in his head, one on each side in the front just below
the hairline and in back, holding his head and neck stationary.  There was
a tube coming out of his nose and a suction tube from his small mouth.  The
tracheal tube extended up out of the bandages of his neck before splitting
into a "V."  The tubes connected to the Respirator where the accordion
shaped bag rose and fell signifying each breath he took.  His small bare
chest was covered with electrode pads with wires leading to the heart
monitor.  He had IV tubes connected to both hands as well as his arms at
the elbow joint.  Another small tube came from behind his bandaged head and
connected to a machine that monitored the pressure inside his skull.  A
small Foley tube appeared from under the sheet covering his body, extending
down the side of the bed to where it attached to bladder bag.  It only had
a small amount of urine in it.

       Jim watched as Nurse Rodgers shooed out the other staff except Mike
and closed the door.  She then motioned to Cathy who moved to the opposite
side of Rodie's bed while Mike stood at the foot of the bed.  Nurse Rodgers
carefully took off the single sheet covering Rodie's nude body.  She and
Cathy then carefully sponge-bathed him, removing the Beta-dine solution and
dried blood from his frail looking body while Mike made sure that none of
the tubes and wires were disturbed.  A tear trickled down Jim's face as he
watched them bath Rodie.

       Mike put the compression stockings on his legs before carefully
lifting him up off the bed with Nurse Rodgers.  Then Cathy laid out the
snap pajamas underneath Rodie before Mike and Nurse Rodgers lowered him
back onto the bed.  They all then dressed Rodie in the set of light blue
snap pajamas with pictures of Dalmatians all over them.  Mike carefully
arranged the Foley tube so that it was not pinched, or would be painful for
Rodie, before snapping closed the legs of the pajamas.  Cathy helped Nurse
Rodgers cover Rodie up with a clean sheet and blanket before tucking the
sides under the mattress down the sides of the bed.  Once they finished,
Nurse Rodgers thanked Cathy and left the room while Mike took a seat next
to Jim's bed.

       Cathy leaned over Rodie, and gently brushed that stubborn lock of
hair out of his face while being careful not to disturb the halo brace.
She then leaned down and kissed his forehead then lightly rubbed her nose
against his.  As she straightened up, Jim could see the tears streaming
down her face.  She sniffled slightly as she caressed Rodie's forehead
again.

       "God damn you Paul!  I hope you burn in hell."  She said softly as
she looked down at Rodie.  Her control began to crumble, and Cathy hurried
out of the room.  John went after her, but Jim grabbed hold of Mike's arm
as he started to follow them.

       "No Mike.  John will handle this," Jim said in a soft but firm
voice.  Mike looked at Jim's serious expression and immediately understood.
He nodded in agreement and sat back down again where they all waited in
silence.




       "Cathy wait!"  John said as he hurried after her.

       "Just leave me alone John," she said as she headed for the exit.
She was almost to the door when John caught hold of her arm and turned her
around.  He saw the tears streaming down her face streaking it with
mascara.

       "No, I won't leave you alone.  I will not let you follow the same
road as Rodie.  You are the most remarkable woman I have ever known, but
you cannot do this alone.  This burden is too much to bear alone.  You have
a remarkably gifted son who needs all of us to be strong for him right now.
He needs you to be strong for him, Cathy, because he can't do this by
himself."  John told her as he held her by her shoulders leaving her no
choice but to look at him.  She tensed up for a moment as if she was going
to break free of his grasp, but then relaxed.  She put a hand on John's
chest as if to push him away, but the last of her control vanished and she
bowed her head in sorrow and shame.  John could feel her will dissolve, and
gently pulled her into his embrace.  He just stood there in the middle of
the lobby embracing her as she cried.

       "I failed him again John.  He trusted me.  He trusted me to protect
him, and I failed him again.  Now look at the damage I have caused
him...how much it has cost him for my failure."  Cathy said as she cried
into John's chest.  John continued to hold her gently as she cried.  After
a few minutes, he finally spoke.

       "No you didn't.  You did not fail him, Cathy.  He is alive, isn't
he?  If you had failed him, we would be burying him instead of that bastard
father of his.  Rodie is alive because of you.  Because of what you did for
him.  You brought him here to this place to save him, and you did.  You
brought Rodie to Jim when he needed someone to love him for himself, and to
save him when Paul came to take him away from us.  You brought him to Eric
when he so desperately a friend.  You also brought him to Mark so he could
love someone besides you and Jim.  You brought him to Eddie and Marco so
they could show him how wonderful he truly is.  So do not ever say that you
have failed him Cathy, because you have never failed him.  And you will not
fail him now either."  John told her as he held her in his arms.  Cathy
realized how true his words were as she was comforted in his embrace.  She
realized that John had left out one thing though.  She lifted her head and
looked at him.

       "You forgot to say that Rodie brought me to you when I needed
someone."  Cathy said with a weak smile.  Her will and resolve returned,
and she stepped back out of John's arms.  John could now see how much Rodie
was like her, and where he got his strength from.

       "God, I must look like a mess," she said while dabbing at her eyes
with a tissue from her purse.

       "You are beautiful," John said to her.  Cathy smiled and blushed
prettily.  John knew now where Rodie had learned how to do this same thing.
In so many ways, Rodie was exactly like his mother only that he was more
talented was all.

       "Thank you John, for everything.  You are wrong about Rodie needing
me sort of.  Rodie does need me, but he needs us more," Cathy said to him
as she started to walk back the way she had come with John close beside
her.  John understood what Cathy was saying, and he agreed completely with
her.  John put his arm around her waist as they both walked back to the
elevators that would take them back to where Rodie and the others were.




       Ten days later:

       Cathy was sleeping in the reclining chair next to Rodie's bed.
Eddie had left earlier to go take care of his business at the restaurant,
and John had taken Eric home.  His mother had come to stay with Eric, while
John stayed with Mark at the hospital instead of bringing Eric with him to
the hospital every day.  Mike had been in earlier, and was in a much better
mood once Rodie had made it through the first 24 hours.  His vital signs
had strengthened and stabilized, and this morning his kidneys began to
function normally while also showing signs of waking up.  Jim was dozing as
he normally did.  He never slept deeply in times of crisis, but just
slipped under the level of consciousness, ready to wake up fully alert if
needed.  Mark and Marco were sleeping, although both were up earlier.

       As Jim dozed, he had let his mind drift a bit when he first heard
it.  His awareness level peaked a little as he waited listening.  After
hearing nothing but silence, and the constant beeps and whoosh from the
machines connected to Rodie, he relaxed again.  He didn't know how much
time had went by when he heard it again only louder this time.  He raised
his head and looked over towards Rodie's bed where he could see Cathy doing
the same thing.

       "You heard it too, didn't you?"  Jim asked Cathy in a low whisper.
Cathy just nodded her head at Jim, then they stayed quiet while watching
Rodie's small chest rise and fall with each whoosh.  Jim was about to move
his head because he was beginning to get a cramp in it when it happened
again.

       "Mommy?"


       Rodie's voice came into Jim and Cathy's mind as if he had spoken it.
Despite the pain, Jim forced himself up onto one elbow to enable him to see
Rodie's small face, while Cathy was up out of the chair and next to Rodie.
She took hold of his small hand and kissed it as she sat on the bed beside
him.

       "I'm here honey.  Mommy's right here," Cathy said in a choked
whisper.  For almost 5 minutes, they watched Rodie's still face, then his
eyes moved under his closed eyelids.

       "I'm scared mommy."

       "It's ok baby, don't be scared.  I'm right here beside you.  Jim's
here too honey.  So there is nothing to be afraid of."  Cathy said to him
as she held his small hand to her chest.  She looked over to Jim and said,
"call Mike."  Jim laid back and then reached for the phone next to him.
When the hospital operator came on the line, Jim asked her to page Dr. Wise
for him, he then hung up the phone.

       "Where is daddy?"

       They heard the fear in Rodie's thought, as well as Rodie's heart
monitor doubling in a few seconds, while the brain activity monitor was
going crazy.

       "It's ok honey, your daddy will never hurt you again.  Jim made sure
that he could never hurt any of us again."

       Nurse Rodgers had just noticed the increase in Rodie's heart rate as
well as the increased brain activity.  She was just coming out of the
nurse's station when Mike came through the entrance to the CCU.

       "What is wrong Nell?  I got a page from Jim," Mike asked when he saw
her.

       "I was just on my way to find out myself.  Rodie's heart rate and
brain activity just skyrocketed," she said to him as they walked towards
Rodie's room.  As they came in Jim signaled them to stop, then Mike came
over to Jim's side while Nurse Rodgers stayed by the door.

       "What's wrong?"  Mike asked him.

       "Just listen," Jim said in a quiet voice.

       "Where's Mark?"

       Mike looked first at Nell who had a surprised look on her face, then
at Rodie.  It was clear that she had heard him also.  Mike then looked back
at Jim, who just nodded his head as he smiled.

       "You remember after his appendix burst Mike?  Even though he is
still not awake yet, he is aware that we are here.  He is reaching out to
everyone because he cannot sense us yet since he is not fully awake yet."
Jim whispered to him as he listened for Rodie's thought.  Mike just nodded
then looked over at Nell, who had a confused expression on her face.  Mike
tapped Jim's arm then pointed at Nurse Rodgers.  Before he left he looked
down at Jim again and asked, "Why don't you just raise the bed instead of
putting all of that pressure on your hip?"

       Jim gave him a sheepish smile before admitting that he did not think
of doing that.  He laid back and raised the head of the bed up until he
could see Rodie's face clearly.  He then punched the button for the
morphine pump before touching Mike's arm to get his attention.

       "Watch his eyes," Jim told him.

       Mike moved to the foot of Rodie's bed and gazed at his small face.
He did not notice any change to his face for a few moments, then he saw
Rodie's forehead crease and his eyes move under the lids.

       "Where is Mark?"

       "Rodie?"  Mark said in a hoarse whisper as he opened his eyes.  Mike
moved over beside him when he heard him speak.  "Where is he, I heard him,"
Mark said as he tried to shake off the medicine's effects.

       "Shhh, Bright Eyes is trying to talk to us in here."  Mike told him
in a soft whisper while pointing to his head.  Mark nodded and lay back on
his pillow as he listened?

       "Please say Mark is ok?"  They all could feel Rodie's concern as he
remembered Paul shooting Mark.

       "Yes honey, Mark is going to be fine.  He is here with you also, so
is Marco."  Cathy said to him as she smiled and brushed away the tears on
her cheek.

       "Don't cry Mommy."

       "It's ok honey, I'm just happy is all."  Cathy said to him while she
kissed his hand.  She felt his small hand give hers a small squeeze.

       "Everything hurts...my head hurts."

       "I know it does honey, I will tell them to give you something for
the pain."  Cathy told him.  Mike touched her shoulder motioning that he
would get it, he then left the room while Nurse Rodgers followed him to the
nurses' station.

       "Could you tell me what is going on please!"  She said to Mike as he
unlocked and opened the medicine cabinet.  Mike looked at her and could see
the confusion on her face.

       "I'm sorry Nell; I forget to tell you about Rodie.  Rodie is a very
gifted boy, he is a telepath."  Mike said as he looked through the various
vials before selecting one.  He then closed the cabinet before facing Nurse
Rodgers.

       "Telepath?  I thought all that psychic stuff was crap."  Nurse
Rodgers told him with a dubious look.

       "No, no, no.  Rodie is not a psychic.  He is a telepath; he can
speak to someone with his mind."  Mike corrected her.  "The voice you hear
is him speaking with his mind.  Because his head is injured, he is
broadcasting to everyone instead of just to Cathy.  That is why his brain
activity has started going off the charts.  This is great news Nell."

       "It is?  I thought you would be worried about it," she said as they
left the room behind the nurses' station.

       "Not in the least, because it means that he is waking up.  More
importantly is the fact that this shows that he has not lost his gift.  I
need a syringe."  Mike told her with an almost joyful expression on his
face.  Nurse Rodgers opened a cabinet under the counter in the station and
handed him a packaged syringe.

       "Well I would have never believed you if you had told me, but I
heard him.  I thought maybe we all were having some sort of delusion or
something."  She told him as they headed back to Rodie's room.  Mike
stopped just before they got to the door.

       "Look, he can sense your thoughts, mood, and feelings as well as
communicate with his mind.  So do not go near him if you are in a bad mood
because he has enough problems to deal with already.  Also, you do not have
to think your answers to him, just talk to him like you would any other
patient.  And remember, he is still a 10-year-old child, even with his
abilities, so do not treat him any different than you would treat any other
child.  His mother Cathy, has some ability also, that is where he got his
ability.  She can communicate better with him than we can.  Therefore, when
she tells you something like he is in pain, that he is upset, you listen to
her.  Understood?"  Mike said to her.

       "Yes doctor, I will take care of our special little patient myself
personally."  She told him.

       "Oh, one more thing, don't speak about his abilities to others
unless they discover it by accident.  People in the past have shunned him
because of his abilities.  When you think about it, it is unsettling for
some people to know that nothing is hidden from him.  However, right now he
needs to concentrate all of his strength on recovering, and not have to
worry about the strangers around him.  Once he wakes up more I will
introduce you to him so that he can sense that he can trust you."  Mike
told her, and she promised to keep quiet.  With that, Mike went into the
room while she waited by the door as before.

       "Dr. Mike is here Rodie, and he is going to give you some medicine
that will help the pain.  It will make you go to sleep too."  Cathy said to
Rodie and everyone saw him squeeze her hand again.

       "It hurts Dr. Mike"

       "I know Bright Eyes, I know.  This should help then I want you to
rest so you will get better.  I want you to promise me that you will not be
exhausting yourself trying to talk to us, because I know that it is taking
all your strength just to talk right now."  Mike said to Rodie as he filled
the syringe.

       "I promise Dr. Mike, but I am scared."  Rodie said to him and Mike
could feel Rodie's loneliness and fear.

       "I know you are Bright Eyes, but your head and neck have been hurt
very bad.  I almost lost you more than once.  I know that you are scared
and lonely, but trust me on this Bright Eyes.  I promise that you will
never be alone, one of us will always be here beside you so you will never
be alone.  You are getting better, but right now it is too soon for you to
be exhausting yourself.  Go back to sleep and rest now, and you can talk to
us later."  Mike said to Rodie just as he would if Rodie were awake.

       "I trust you Dr. Mike, but something is wrong...it is hard for me to
breathe and it hurts too."  Rodie told them.  Mike looked over at Nell and
borrowed her stethoscope.  He moved to the other side of Rodie and listened
to his chest.  He could hear the wheezing as Rodie breathed as well as the
rattle of mucus in his lungs.  He checked the tracheal tube and the
Respirator hoses, and noticed some swelling and discoloration to Rodie's
neck in the area around the tracheal tube.

       "You are right Bright Eyes, something is wrong.  Nell I need a chest
x-ray done on him.  Also, change the Respirator because I think it is
causing a URI.  Cathy is Rodie allergic to any antibiotics."  Mike asked
her.

       "Yes, Penicillin," she told him.

       "Alright, Nell start him on Levaquin and Keflex every 4 hours, and
stagger them starting with the Keflex.  Also, give him some Guaifenex with
60 mgs of Pseudophed through his feeding tube to help clear his lungs.  He
will need chest therapy and suction his throat ever 30 minutes because he
is unable to swallow or cough right now."  Mike instructed her as he
unsnapped the side of Rodie's pajama shirt.  He then pressed the
stethoscope onto his chest to listen again.

       "That's cold Dr. Mike," Rodie said when Mike pressed the stethoscope
to his bare chest.

       "Sorry Bright Eyes but that is a good sign, now can you tell me how
your head and neck feel?  Your neck should hurt because I had to fix one of
the bones in it."  Mike asked him as he continued to exam Rodie.


       "It hurts all over Dr. Mike, and it is hard to think right now."
Rodie told them while making them feel what he meant.  Jim understood
immediately what was happening with Rodie.

       "I know what is wrong Mike.  Move over so I can see him when I talk
to him ok," Jim told Mike who looked at him for a moment then took a step
to the side.

       "All right love, can you hear me?"  Jim said to Rodie's still form.

       "I hear you Jim, but I can't see you.  I wish you were holding me
right now cause then I wouldn't be scared."  Rodie said in response, and
everyone in the room could feel his fear, and longing as well as his love
for Jim.

       "I know you do my love, and I feel the same way right now.  Now
listen to me, remember when I got after you for taking my pain away?"  Jim
said to him.

       "Yeah, you told me not to do it anymore cause it would hurt me."
Rodie told them all.

       "Very good, well now I know why you are hurting so badly.  Somehow
your talent got turned on like a light switch, and the pain you are feeling
is from all of us.  So I want you to concentrate really hard, and see if
you can turn it off again.  Right now it is draining your strength because
you are carrying all of our burdens as well as your own.  You won't hurt as
much then."  Jim told him while he watched Rodie's face.  Jim watched and
saw Rodie's eyes move more rapidly while his heart rate and brain activity
went ballistic.  This went on for almost a minute, and Jim was about to
tell him to stop when his own pain increased two fold.  Mark grunted as his
own pain increased and it took a few moments to catch his breath while he
adjusted to the new level of discomfort.  Jim was able to shoulder the pain
off to one side in his head.  He then saw Rodie's face relax as he released
his unexpected burden.

       It still took Rodie another few minutes to adjust since he was no
longer drawing the others pain.  Jim was going to speak to him again when
he saw Rodie's eyes flutter, and then open about halfway.  Cathy gasped as
she saw this and then she was up leaning over him so he could see her.

       "Hi mommy," was all they heard in their heads.

       "Oh honey, you don't know how happy you just made me."  Cathy said
to him as her tears spilled over her eyelids again.  One tear dropped and
landed on his cheek.  Cathy watched as Rodie's eyes filled and his tears
started to slide down the sides of his small face.

       "I thought he killed Mark.  I tried to tell him to kill me and leave
him alone and then he shot Mark...and I wanted to die mommy.  I wanted to
die," he thought to them all as his tears became a steady stream.  Cathy
heard a strangled cry and looked over just in time to see Mark standing up
and start to walk towards her.  She was about to stop him, but then she
looked at Rodie again and she changed her mind.

       Rodie watched his mother turn away and then look back at him for a
moment before stepping out of his view.  Then Mark's face came into view
and he was crying too.  His arm and shoulder were in a cast and Cathy was
holding up his arm so it would not hurt so badly.  Mark leaned over and
kissed Rodie on his nose.

       "I felt the same way too, Rodie.  When I saw you stop fighting, I
just wanted him to kill me so you could live."  He said as he used his left
hand to gently brush away Rodie's tears.

       "I love you Mark and I always will.  I won't cry if you won't,"
Rodie said to them as he looked into Mark's face.  Mark nodded and wiped
away his own tears before wiping away Rodie's.

       "I love you too, Bright Eyes.  Now do what Dr. Mike tells you so you
get well again, for me ok."  He told Rodie before kissing him on the lips
then rubbing his nose against Rodie's nose.  A small smile appeared on
Rodie's face when he did this.

       "I promise.  You go get well too, for me."  Rodie thought to all of
them.  The monitor that displayed his vital signs surged at that moment.
Mark nodded his head and Cathy helped him back to his own bed, and helped
him get comfortable.  Then she had him push his button twice for his pain
medicine.  Once he did this she returned to Rodie's side.

       "I told you that he was here and going to be all right.  Now you
rest, and let Mike help you." She said to him before repeating what Mark
had done, kissing him then rubbing her nose against his.

       "Ok mommy," he thought back.

       Mike then inserted the needle into the IV port just under the bag.
It took a few seconds for the medicine to enter his arm and start taking
effect.  After a couple of minutes Rodie spoke again.

       "I'm sleepy now."

       "I know honey, it's the medicine.  Go to sleep now ok.  I will be
right here with you."  Cathy told him as she held his small hand.

       "I love you Mommy."

       "I love you to honey.  We all do," she said.  Rodie's heart rate and
brain activity monitors returned to normal as his eyes closed and he
slipped off to sleep.  Cathy stood up, leaned over, and kissed his forehead
before gently folding his arm across his chest and pulling the covers up to
his neck. She straightened up and gazed at him as another tear trekked its
way down her face.  Cathy then turned to Mike and hugged him.

       "Thank you Mike, for giving me my baby back."  She told him.

       "We all love him too Cathy.  Now he will sleep for a while from that
shot, so I want you to go get something to eat, then get some rest
yourself.  You understand me," Mike said to her.

       "I will Mike, but I want to sit with him for a little while longer
ok.  I promise to do as you say."  She told him once she let go of him.

       "You better, I don't want to have to turn you over my knee and spank
you!"  He said while wagging his finger at her.  They both laughed, and
Mike left the room.  Cathy moved to the other side of the bed and sat in
the chair between Rodie's bed and Jim's bed.  Jim lowered the head of his
bed until he could see her by just turning his head.

       "He is still not out of the woods yet, but I think he is going to be
fine," Jim said to her.  Cathy thought for a moment then agreed with him.
"You will have to take care of him because I won't be here to help."

       "I know, but I will have some help.  I think you know already," she
said to him.

       "About John?  Yes, I know.  I have known since we met him on the
beach.  I was just waiting for you to realize it is all."  Jim told her.
"Just don't jump right in now and expect Rodie to go along with it.  Take
your time, because he needs to be concentrating all of his efforts on
getting well.  Another thing to think about is Mark.  You know how they
feel towards each other now.  If you and John do get together, that is
really going to cause problems with both of them."

       "I know, and I haven't decided yet as to how far I am willing to go
yet.  I guess it will depend on how they feel about it.  If Rodie does want
to be with Mark, then I will just remain friends with John.  My biggest
problem will be explaining to Rodie about you.  I know that he has not said
it, but I have sensed it from him that he was hoping we would get
together."  Cathy said to him as she watched Rodie sleep.

       "Well I explained that to him and I believe he understood.  I think
we should all play it by ear, and deal with these problems when the time
comes."  Jim told her as he reached over and took her hand giving it a
small squeeze.

       "I think you are right as usual.  Why couldn't you have been a
woman?"  Cathy said to him.

       "I think it is because my hairy legs look like shit in high heels."
Jim answered with a grin.  They both laughed at the thought of Jim in high
heels.

       "Look Cathy, when Rodie wakes up again, I will to talk to him.  I
can't put off my surgery any longer because it's been over 10 days now.
Not if I want to continue walking.  I know it will be hard for him with me
not here with him, but I have to get the prosthetics replaced.  I have
already told Eddie what to do, and he is making the arraignments right now.
The remodeling will be done before Rodie comes home and I think that you
will like what will be done.  So I am going to stay until he fully
understands the situation then I am going to have my surgery."  Jim told
her with a serious expression.

       "I understand Jim, and I think Rodie will be ok with it because he
can feel your pain.  He loves you that much Jim, and no matter what I
decide to do, I could never take him away from you.  To see him happy and
being what he is, a 10-year-old boy, and you do not know how much that
means to me.  He is happy for the first time in his life, and he never has
to hide anything around all of you.  All because of you Jim.  Therefore,
John will have to be willing to share our lives with you because if he is
not, then there will be no `us' then."  She said to Jim with tears in her
eyes.

       "I know Cathy, I really do understand.  What you don't know is what
he has done for me.  Eddie knows, so even if you tried, you could not get
rid of me."  Jim told her.  "Now go get something to eat and get some rest.
Eddie brought you a change of clothes, I'm guessing they will clash
horribly, but it's the thought that counts.  The nurse said that you could
use the shower in the room as long as you don't use any perfume.  I'm going
to hit this button here until I'm zonked, as Rodie would say, and take a
nap."

       Cathy nodded her head, then stood up and kissed Jim.  She went over
to the overnight bag Eddie brought her and looked inside.  There was a
flower print top along with a pair of khaki slacks.

       "You are wrong, Eddie has good fashion sense.  Would you mind
holding off on zonking out until I get back.  I'm going to go down to the
cafeteria and get something to eat."  She asked Jim, and he nodded his
head.  Cathy left and headed for the elevator.  She knew that she could not
decide on many of the things she told Jim until Rodie was fully awake and
recovering.  However, she felt better about the future now than she had in
a long time.


End Chapter 1.

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