Date: Sun, 23 Apr 2006 01:18:00 -0700 (PDT)
From: Snwdemon <snwdemon@yahoo.com>
Subject: Playing the game -- Chapter 7 -- Learning the game pt. 2
Chapter 7: Learning the game -- Part 2 {M/t, M/b, 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
too 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 all, I want to thank everyone for their patience
with me. Many things have happened that seem to do nothing but prevent me
from finishing my stories. First was Simon's relapse and chemotherapy.
Then it was the holidays, and finally double pneumonia. During those
times, I have written chapters 7 thru 9, then discarded them, and rewrote
them only to trash that copy as well. I lost count of rewrite after the
8th or 9th rewrite, so as Simon says to me, I am working on the gazillionth
one. The problem is that I know where to begin, and what should happen
during this long time period, and the outcome when I finish, but its
filling in the gaps in between that have had me by my cods lately. I tried
to stay out of the hospital, but when you are already missing half a lung
along with a few other vital organs from inside you, and then pneumonia
becomes a deadly illness. Due to my extensive injuries which are the cause
of my disabilities, it has also weakened my immune system to the point
where a simple sinus infection will linger until it becomes something more
serious such as pneumonia since my body is unable to fight off the
infection. Therefore, after spending the last few weeks feeling like death
warmed over, I was finally able to finish the chapters for my stories. The
other chapters are still being proofed, but should be finished and posted
within the next seven to ten days. However, I've had to break up the
chapter titled "Learning the game" in this story into four separate
chapters due to the overall length of it which was almost 90 pages long in
MS Word. This chapter alone is almost 20 pages long, which is one of the
longest to date. The good news is that chapters 7 through 9 completes the
story aging process, completes tying the original story of Rodie's Love to
this one without killing off any of the major characters, and reveals how
everything relates to the chapter and story title too. I just want to
thank everyone for their patience. Thanks again, enjoy the ride and God
Bless. Damion.
Playing the game: Rodie's story cont.
Chapter 7: Learning the game -- Part 2
June 1, 2000
Cathy looked up once again as Jim hobbled past her again as he
paced back and forth in the waiting area. While she understood that he was
worried about Rodie, his endless pacing was beginning to wear on her own
nerves. The surgery was now going into its 8th hour even though
Dr. Goodman had told them that it should only take 4 to 6 hours. The
longer the surgery stretched past its allotted time, the more worried they
all became as to the outcome.
"Will you stop that pacing please," she finally said to him. Her
comment brought him out of his thoughts when she spoke. "You are wearing a
hole into the carpet, now sit down, and relax for a little while."
"I am sorry Cathy, but it is an old habit. I get tensed up when I
am worried, which in turn causes me to hurt more physically. Therefore, I
get up and move around to keep my muscles from knotting up and also to help
control my pain. However, if it is irritating you I will go out into the
hallway." Jim said in response to her comment. The others had all looked
at them when Cathy spoke.
"No, I didn't mean it like that. I know you are worried just as I
am right now. Sorry I snapped at you. I just can't help feeling that
something is wrong since it is taking so long is all." Cathy said in
apology to Jim. John put his arm around Cathy's shoulders to reassure her
that he was there for her. Jim was about to respond when Dr. Goodman came
into the room looking tired, and they all immediately gave him their
undivided attention.
"I am sorry that the procedure took longer than expected, but Rodie
came through it just fine. I removed the bone spur, but also discovered
some other mistakes from his first surgery which have been contributing to
Rodie's problems. I corrected them which is why the surgery took longer
than expected, but I believe that this should help Rodie recover even more
than I first predicted." Dr. Goodman explained as he sat on the edge of
the small table in the room.
"What other mistakes did you find Dr. Goodman?" Jim asked him in a
concerned voice as Cathy and John then the others moved closer to
Dr. Goodman.
"Well, I found that the discs that were repaired in the original
surgery were slightly out of alignment, and that there were some
significant calcium deposits along the fusion. But, the biggest problem
was that one of the screws used in the fusion had broken free from the bone
so that every time Rodie moved it would cause his spine to shift out of
alignment. I believe that it was this problem above everything else that
has been causing his problems. I replaced the screw, then used wires to
insure that in the future, if the screw becomes loose once more it will not
cause his spine to shift as it was doing. He will still have significant
pain if that happens, but it will not cause the weakness and paralysis that
he has been experiencing." Dr. Goodman explained to them all. The others
were now all seated around the long conference type table in the center of
the room listening as he explained what he did.
"So Rodie has been right all along about the pain and weakness he's
had," Cathy said as a look of relief and guilt showed on her face.
"Now do not go blaming yourselves for not discovering this sooner
because you wouldn't have. Just as the other doctors did not find it, you
could not have found it either since the only way to do so was to see it
happening as Rodie moved his head. The good thing is that while none of
you knew about this, Rodie did know that something was wrong and that when
he tried to move that it would be extremely painful. So like any normal
person, he moved as little as possible in order to be in as little pain as
possible. This helped because it prevented any further damage to the
nerves. If he had been forced to move then he could have made the
paralysis permanent. He is lucky that all of you trusted his judgment
instead of siding with the doctors treating him. I personally will always
take the patient's word over my test results every time since I know that
only they can feel the pain while I cannot." Dr. Goodman said to them
while looking directly at Cathy for the last part. Cathy nodded as she
absorbed this information then looked relieved before answering him.
"That is reassuring to know Dr. Goodman, but as you know already,
Rodie has the ability to let us feel what he is feeling. That is how we
knew that the doctors were wrong because we knew how much pain he was in.
However, I will admit that I was beginning to doubt myself as more and more
doctors all said the same thing. We could not risk them discovering
Rodie's talents though, and I know that is why Rodie became so depressed.
He believes that nobody will be able to help him now." Cathy told him as
her eyes filled and John handed her his handkerchief.
"I understand completely Ms. Leftwich, and I am honored that your
son chose to trust me enough to let me know what makes him so special.
Now, Rodie will still be in quite a bit of pain until everything heals.
However, I cannot see any reason for him not to immediately see
improvements once he wakes up. He should be in recovery for another twenty
minutes or so before they take him back up to his room. Normally we only
allow the parents to be with a patient in the recovery room, but I think
that we can make an exception as long as you go in groups of three. I've
got two more surgeries scheduled, but they will be relatively quick because
I knew that Rodie's surgery would take the longest amount of time. I will
see him in the morning though, so if there are no other questions?"
Dr. Goodman asked them. The others just thanked him and he left. After a
quick discussion, it was decided that Cathy, John, and Jim would go stay
with Rodie until he was moved up to his room. The mood of them all had
brightened considerably after hearing what Dr. Goodman found, and they all
hugged each other before Jim, Cathy, and John left the room with the
recovery nurse. Mikki took charge of the others and spoke to each of them
once they were alone. She explained to them what they would be needing to
do in the coming months so that Rodie could recover both emotionally as
well as physically.
Five Days Later:
Rodie was still pretty much out of it when they finally took him to
his room. He was still heavily drugged for his pain, and drifted in and
out of sleep for the rest of the day and night. For the rest of the week
he remained like this from the drugs and with Mikki keeping him in the
healing trance of sleep. Even when he was allowed to be awake, he was
still under the control of Mikki who suppressed his will. While Rodie was
able to respond and inform them about his needs such as to relieve himself
or that he was in pain; he was still in a trance like state as if he were
only half awake. Because of this control by Mikki, he was unable to
concentrate enough to focus his own will which in effect rendered him
pretty much helpless. Mikki explained the necessity for this because of
the recent events preceding the surgery. Rodie had pushed himself to his
limit, and he needed this time to recoup his strength and willpower.
Therefore, it wasn't until the fifth day after his surgery that she finally
relaxed her control and allowed him to come out of the trance. He was
still in quite a bit of pain when he woke up fully for the first time.
He was concentrating on controlling his pain when he woke up as he
gently probed the back of his head and the C-Collar with his left hand.
Jim and Cathy noticed it first, and then the others, who were stunned into
silence.
"Rodie^Å," Jim managed to say to him as he watched Rodie move his
left hand around to his face and begin to gently massage the area just
above his eyes which were screwed tightly shut.
"What Jim?" Rodie answered before he finally opened his eyes. He
looked at the surprised expression on Jim's face, and then looked over
towards his mother, but he couldn't see her because his hand was in the
way. It was then that the realization came to him that he was looking at
his own hand. His expression went from pain and irritation to surprise,
then to utter disbelief and happiness. He slowly lifted his hand until it
was held in front of his face before he closed his fingers even though this
was still hard for him to do, and then opened them up again.
"I^ÅI can move my hand." He said softly as he stared in disbelief
at his hand. Then his eyes quickly filled and his tears spilled down the
sides of his face. Next, he let his trembling hand drop down to his chest
before looking over at his right hand and lifting it up and opening and
closing it before relaxing again. He did this also with his feet and legs,
although his leg muscles were too weak to let him lift them, before looking
back at the others and his mom again and turning his attention to Jim.
With his vision blurred by his tears, he blinked a few time until he could
see Jim clearly before speaking softly. "I can move them now Jim^Åand it
doesn't hurt."
"I know my love, Dr. Goodman told us that you would be able to after
your surgery." Jim said with a smile while his own eyes watered. With his
pain forgotten, Rodie sat up and embraced Jim as his tears of happiness
flowed freely.
"He kept his promise Jim, and he fixed me," was all Rodie said
repeatedly in a choked voice into Jim's chest while softly crying too. Jim
soothed and rocked him, and then each of them came and offered their love
and support to Rodie once Jim had calmed him down. Finally, Rodie's
strength began to wane, and Cathy and Jim made him comfortable and told him
he needed to rest.
"Dr. Goodman has corrected the problems that have been preventing
you from recovering, but you are still very weak. I won't lie to you my
love, the next few months will be painful, but you will improve a little
bit each day as you make your body stronger. However, you will now have to
trust me completely, and when I say that you have done enough and need to
rest, then you will do exactly as I say without any argument. I know that
you will feel like it may not be necessary sometimes, but I know that if
you push yourself more than your body can tolerate then you will end up
injuring yourself and that will make your recovery that much longer. You
have not been able to use your body for over a year now, and it has made
you very weak. So do not get upset and fight me because I am only doing it
to help you recover as quickly as possible without causing more injuries.
So I want your promise that you will do this ok?" Jim explained to him.
"I promise Jim, just help me get better ok." Rodie said as Jim
smiled and gently wiped the tears off his face.
"I will my love, and I promise help you to get better too. Now you
rest because I can already see the strain on your face. We will all be
here for you from now on." Jim said before kissing and rubbing noses with
him making Rodie smile.
"I will, but I need to do something first Jim," Rodie told him
silently in his mind. Jim got up and moved over to the chair next to the
bed before Rodie looked over towards his mother and John. Cathy leaned
over, hugged, and kissed him and Rodie reached up with his trembling hand
and wiped away her tears as he smiled back at her. Once she straightened
up again, Rodie looked over at John. He extended his small trembling hand
towards him and John immediately took it before sitting down next to him.
"What do you need Rodie?" John asked him as he sat down. Rodie
looked away towards Jim for a moment before looking back at John.
"I need you to promise me something ok?" Rodie said in a soft,
squeaky voice.
"Anything you want, I will do my best to make it happen son," John
said with a serious face.
"Then promise me that you will marry mom and adopt me once I can
walk again Dad." Rodie asked him as his eyes filled once more.
"I promised before, and I promise to now." John said to him, and
then he looked over to Cathy and held out his hand. Cathy opened her
purse, and withdrew a folded document and handed it to John. Turning back
to Rodie, John opened the document and looked at it before showing it to
him. It was an application for adoption signed by him and Cathy along with
three other blank signature spaces.
"Once we get you home, we will all go to the courthouse and you will
have to sign here while they watch, then the Judge will sign here, and you
will be my son, and Eric and Mark will be your step-brothers," John told
him as Cathy, Mark, and Eric moved close around his bed, and they all
joined hands. Mark took hold of Rodie's right hand and John held out his
for Rodie to take with his left. This offer was the unspoken invitation
from them all for Rodie to join them in becoming a family. As fresh tears
streaked down the sides of his face, Rodie took John's hand completing the
circle and it was done. He was no longer alone, and had a family that he
could draw strength from, and turn to when he was in need. Rodie looked
over at Jim and saw him nod and smile. Then to each of the others who did
the same as he looked to each of them, because they all knew that this was
the right thing for all of them. He would always have them as part of his
extended family, but now he had a family of his own. Yet, even with this
knowledge, Rodie somehow knew in his heart that his search was not over,
and that he had not found his home.
July 2000 (One month later):
Rodie woke up in the still dark room needing to pee. He reached
over to the small table beside his hospital bed and retrieved the plastic
urinal jug. He raised the head of his bed until he was in a reclined
position before using the jug to relieve his self. Once he finished he
placed the partially filled jug on the bottom shelf of the bedside table.
He then readjusted his bed and tried to go back to sleep. While he managed
to doze for another couple of hours, he still never fully went back to
sleep. Finally, at 5:30 am he gave up, and raised the bed up into a
sitting position. His neck, shoulders, back, and legs were all knotted and
cramped, so he spent the next hour carefully doing the stretching exercises
that he had been taught to loosen up his body and relieve some of his pain.
He thought about the plans for the day, and it made him a bit sad. He
finished his stretching exercises, and felt a little better, but he was
still in pain. However, it was a dull aching pain now instead of the
sharp, stabbing, throbbing pain that he had before his corrective surgery.
While he was learning how to control his pain with Jim's help, he still
needed the pain medication in order to bring his pain level down enough so
he could handle it. It was 6:30 am when he hit the call button to summon
Nurse Judy.
Ever since the incident with Chuck, Rodie quickly became close
friends with Nurse Judy. She was also very adept at covering for his
occasional slip ups too. Besides her and Dr. Goodman, nobody knew about
his talents, so she took it upon herself and took over his care from the
other nurses so she could protect his secret. It was during the instances
when he was struggling to control his pain while the staff physical
therapists were stretching the atrophied muscles in his arms and legs; they
would talk and ask him questions that would make his concentration lapse.
It was during these lapses that Rodie made the occasional slip revealing
his talents. However, Nurse Judy was always quick to cover for him like
the time last week when he answered Jessica's question about his hair
before she asked it. He had his eyes tightly closed as she went about
stretching his groin and hamstring muscles while constantly chattering at
him. Therefore, he was half listening to her chatter while at the same
time reading her thoughts so he could make his responses as short as
possible while dealing with his pain. She was thinking about his hair and
wondering if he had always had it long or if his mother kept it that long
instead. So he told her that he had always liked his hair long before
crying out again from the pain as his muscles protested as they were
stretched. His answer had stopped Jessica's constant chatter for a moment
before his cry diverted her attention again. Judy realized his mistake and
reacted quickly by chastising her for being too rough with him. Her scorn
was enough to make Jessica completely forget about what had just happened
which was a big relief to Rodie. After his therapy ended, she told him
that he needed to be more careful around the others while she gently
massaged his legs to prevent him from cramping up. Rodie had promised her
to do better, and everything was all right between them again. He looked
out the window while he waited for her, but it was only a few minutes
before Judy knocked on his door and entered.
"Good morning sugarplum, did you sleep all right?" She said with a
big smile on her face before kissing him on the forehead and rubbing her
nose against his making him smile.
"Good morning Judy, I slept a little bit, but I couldn't go back to
sleep once I woke up." Rodie said in his soft whisper like voice.
"Rough night again, well it is probably because of the weather.
They are calling for thunderstorms in the afternoons all week. So how are
you feeling now beautiful?" She asked him while gently brushing his
stubborn lock of hair out of his face again.
"Not to good, I'm hurting pretty bad right now, and I even did my
exercises already too." He said with a small grimace as he lightly
scratched his neck just above his C-Collar brace.
"I would think so precious; you push yourself way too hard. Well
I've got your medicine here, and I know it tastes nasty, but try to choke
it down for me ok?" Judy said making him giggle after he made a gross out
face. She handed Rodie the small cup with the pain pills, and he took the
first pill and put it into his mouth. His face immediately scrunched up
from the bitter taste, and he gulped the apple juice that Judy handed him.
Even though he tried his best to swallow it fast, the pill still got stuck
in his throat making him choke until apple juice started coming out his
nose and mouth. Judy was quick to lean him forward while lightly patting
his back as she held a towel in front of him as he started coughing after
finally getting the very bitter pill down. After a couple of minutes of
coughing and heaving, Rodie was ok, but he didn't want the other pill.
"I know they are bitter honey, but Dr. Goodman said that you have
to take the pills if you want to go home today. Does this happen every
time you take them?" She asked him, and with a guilty look on his face for
causing more problems, he nodded yes. "Hey, I've got an idea that may
help. Are you willing to try it darling?" She said once she finished
cleaning Rodie up.
"I guess so^Åanything will be better than those pills. They choke
me every time, and then my throat hurts for hours afterwards. If it comes
down to taking those pills or just be in pain, I think I will choose the
pain." Rodie said to her in a hoarse, scratchy whisper. His throat burned
along with his sinus's from the stomach acid while his eyes watered.
"I know beautiful. I am the same way, and my mom taught me this
trick. It always worked for me, so let's try it and see if it will work
for you." She told him with sincerity as she dabbed his eyes with a
tissue.
"Does this mean I will be a pin cushion again?" Rodie asked her
with a trace of worry in his voice. While he never complained about
anything unless absolutely necessary, Judy had managed to get him to open
up to her enough to learn that he really disliked needles and how painfully
shy he was about a female seeing him undressed. Even though she
continuously told him to not be afraid to tell them if something bothers
him, Rodie still refused to bring attention to him self. She realized that
he would prefer to suffer in silence than to let someone know and draw
attention and possible scorn from others. That is why she would always
take extra time to question him thoroughly before proceeding with anything.
"No darling, it does not involve needles or shots of any kind.
What my mother used to do for me was to crush up the pills, then mix them
with some molasses. That's very sweet syrup, but it's really thick too.
The molasses masks the taste of the medicine, so you should be able to
swallow it much easier. So do you want to try it?" She asked him and
Rodie quickly agreed. She left the room and headed down to the cafeteria
to get some molasses. She was back in 10 minutes, and she used a pill
crusher to crush the pain pill, then she mixed the powdered medication into
the molasses. Finally, she handed the small paper cup with the molasses
mixture, and a spoon to Rodie but made him eat a handful of ice chips
first. He gave her a dubious look before eating the ice chips. Next, he
dipped out a small amount with the spoon and tasted it, and then he smiled
after he was unable to taste the bitterness of the pill at all. He quickly
finished off the remainder in the small cup before handing it back to Judy
with a big smile on his face.
"Good for you, now you don't have to be afraid to ask for your
medicine anymore. The secret is the ice, because the molasses helps hide
the bitterness, it still doesn't make it all go away. The ice numbs your
taste buds, used to detect bitter flavors, which are on the back of the
tongue so that you won't taste the bitterness that remains." She explained
to him while giving him his other medicines and watching him take them.
After taking his medication, Rodie sat quiet for a moment before his eyes
filled up as he thought about leaving.
"I'm going to miss you so much Judy. I know I promised not to cry,
but I can't help it," he told her softly as his tears flowed down his
saddened face. Judy sat on the bed and pulled him into her embrace.
"I know darling, and I will miss you, we all will miss you, but we
are happy to see you go too. We are happy because it means that we were
able to help you get better so you can go home and live as normal a life as
possible. Just like many of the other kids I've helped here, I am glad
that I could help you. However, you will always be the most special kid
that I have helped, and I will never forget you. You just remember that if
you need anything, that you can always talk to me because I am just a phone
call away. Now let's not have anymore tears because today is a good day,
and because it is the first day of your new life." She told him as she
soothed away his sadness with reasoning and love. When she let him go and
helped him wipe his face, Rodie thanked her with his mind and reminded her
that he didn't need a phone to talk to her.
"I know that it is the first day of my new life, but I wouldn't
have a new life without what you and Dr. Goodman did for me. Thank you for
saving my life. You both saved my life so I could get to this day. I
don't think that even Jim couldn't stop me from doing something bad to
myself again if you couldn't help me, and you know how I feel about him."
Rodie told her as he dried his eyes. After the incident with Chuck, Rodie
had confided in her more and more, and when she asked him about Jim, he
told her that he loved him. Judy was the first person where Rodie admitted
that he knew that he was gay, and that he loved Jim as someone would love
their girlfriend or wife although he was very careful to keep their sexual
relationship together a secret. She understood completely while guessing
the rest of what he didn't say. However, she just told him that as long as
he followed his heart, then everything would be fine. She also told him
that he should remember that he was still only 11, and to try to stay a kid
for a while longer without complicating his life with everything that came
along with sex. She explained to him that because of the events that had
led to his injury, and his struggle to recover, that it had forced him to
grow up very fast and act as an adult would. Therefore, while it was no
longer possible for him to return to being an innocent child, he could
still have fun and not worry about things just like normal kids as long as
he was careful not to reveal too much about his relationship with Jim.
"Well you are welcome sweetheart. Do you need anything else right
now?" She asked him, and Rodie told her that he was going to read for a
bit, but that he would call her if he needed something. She gave him
another hug and kissed him on the forehead before leaving to complete her
rounds. Rodie picked up his book, read for a little while, and dozed off
again before Jim arrived with Cathy, John, and Mikki. Marco and Eddie had
taken Mark and Eric home already, so it was just them to take Rodie home.
The four of them arrived at 10 am, and Rodie had been asleep for about an
hour. When they arrived, they found him asleep with the bed still raised
up almost in a sitting position. He had his book laid open on his lap, and
there was a note on the small table from the staff concerning Rodie's
breakfast. Jim sat in the chair next to the bed while Cathy sat on the bed
next to Rodie. Then she reached out and gently brushed his stubborn lock
of hair out of his face and caressed his cheek causing his eyelids to
flutter open. After blinking a few moments, he looked around at all of
them before returning his gaze to his mother and smiling.
"Hi mom," he said before kissing her and rubbing his nose against
hers as she leaned close making them both smile. "I must have fallen
asleep again," he said with a yawn.
"How are you feeling this morning sleepyhead?" She asked him as
Rodie began to collect himself by putting the marker in his book and
sitting it onto the small nightstand next to his bed. Next, he started to
stretch his arms to loosen up his cramped shoulders again.
"Better now, but I still hurt. I had a rough night," he said
sheepishly while looking away. This caused all of them to look at him with
some concern.
"Is there something wrong? Maybe we should let you stay a little
while longer so Dr. Goodman can run some more tests." Jim told him while
knowing what Rodie's reaction would be.
"No, I'm ok really. I just had trouble going to sleep, and then I
woke up real early because my neck and shoulders were all cramped up. I
want to go home, don't make me stay here^Åplease?" Rodie said in a soft
pleading voice while he looked as if he were about to cry again. Jim just
smiled at him before leaning over, and hugging and kissing him.
"I know you want to come home, I was just fooling so don't get
upset." He said as Rodie visibly relaxed. "However, if you were in that
much pain, then why didn't you ask for more pain medicine?"
"Cause its nasty tasting!" Rodie said with a gross out face as he
shuddered making them laugh.
"It's not funny though, Judy almost killed me this morning trying to
get me to choke down those pills. After I barfed and strangled on the
first one, she went and got some molasses and some ice. Then she told me
how to make it easy to take those pills. The ice numbs my taste buds and
the molasses hide most of the bitter taste so I can take the pills now
without choking." He told them all emphatically while shuddering again at
the thought of him trying to swallow the pill earlier.
"I know they are very bitter honey, and once we get home, I will ask
the doctor to change the medicine to one that is easier for you to take."
Cathy told him as she took hold of his small hand and kissed it.
"Ok mom. Um^ÅI," Rodie said before faltering. He looked around to
all of them again as he tried to find his courage before continuing. As he
looked at each one of their faces, his eyes betrayed him as they watered
once more. "I^Åum^ÅI know I have said thank you before, but I never told
you thank you for saving my life after I took all of those pills." He said
softly as his tears spilled down his face. None of them responded other
than to just smile at him with understanding. They patiently waited until
Rodie regained control and wiped his face. Then he looked at the small
digital clock on the nightstand and saw the time. He let out a cute little
"eek" as he saw how late it was.
"It's after 10? That means I missed breakfast, well at least I can
get some coffee and maybe I can get something later once we leave." He
said with a disheartened voice as he felt gnawing pangs of hunger in his
stomach.
"Oh! Judy left a note saying that she has your breakfast in the
microwave. We just need to call her and she will heat it up and bring it
to you. I will also go get you some coffee because you are very grumpy
when you don't get your coffee fix in the morning." Cathy told him, and
Rodie's face brightened up before quickly grabbing the call button. It
only took a moment before Judy's voice came across the speaker.
"What do you need darling?" She asked him.
"Food^Åfeed me," Rodie chimed with a soft giggle.
"Eat, eat, eat! That is all you boys think about nowadays. What
happened to going bananas over girls in miniskirts?" Judy responded via
the room speaker.
"I can't eat miniskirts, but you can bring me a banana too with my
breakfast, and thanks for saving it for me." Rodie said into the two way
speaker making Judy and the others roar with laughter.
"You got it sweetheart; I am nuking it as we speak." Judy said
before making a big smooching sound at him. Rodie blushed prettily when he
heard this, but he was happy now that food was on its way. Cathy left to
get him some coffee while the others chatted with him until Cathy and Judy
returned with his coffee and breakfast. Cathy and Mikki busied themselves
with packing up the few things of Rodie's while John and Jim chatted with
him as he ate eagerly. As soon as he finished, John shooed Cathy and Mikki
out of the room so they could get Rodie bathed and dressed. While they had
all seen him naked before, Rodie was still painfully shy about females
seeing him naked. Therefore, Cathy and Mikki talked with Judy while they
waited.
"Oh I am going to miss you little mother," Judy told Mikki after
hugging her. "Travis is doing so much better now that you sent us to the
right person to help him, and the stress in the house is almost gone now."
"I know my daughter, and I am glad I could help. His therapist I
sent you to is an Empath like Rodie, and she is able to sense the problems
and resolve them without having to guess at the cause. This helps Travis
because he can only think about each step when he gets to them in order to
communicate. Therefore, if he encounters a problem at step three, he
cannot go around that step in order to let you know. Now she can let you
know about the problem and find a resolution for him so he can proceed.
She has my numbers to contact me if needed, and I've written them here for
you. When you call, just speak with my assistant Talen, and he will relay
it to me. You can trust him like I do because he is my voice when I need
one. If it is a real emergency, then just call out my name and concentrate
on the need to speak with me. I will hear and respond my daughter. I have
many children, and you and your son are now part of my family, so I will
hear you when you need me." Mikki told her silently with an expression of
caring and love, and Judy just nodded before hugging her again. While Judy
did not know it yet, her son had his own special talent that would bring
joy and happiness to many people including his family and himself.
"You already have my numbers, and if you need anything at all, just
call me and I will come. You are now part of my family too, and I will
miss you as well." Cathy told her with her own tears in her eyes.
"I feel the same about all of you too. You all became part of my
family when that sweetheart son of yours touched my heart and gave me his
trust. I didn't believe at first when you told me that one of his gifts
was to make people love him. I know it is true because he has made
everyone here love him. We will miss all of you, but him the most because
of how he has touched all of us." Judy told them before they all felt
Rodie's embarrassment. He had them all linked, and it was easy to forget
this fact most of the time. "Come on, I will explain Dr. Goodman's
instructions and medications while he finishes getting ready. I hope that
he will forgive me for embarrassing him by talking about him, but he
shouldn't be eavesdropping on us girls either."
"Oh, it is ok Judy. He doesn't listen to what we say, but he does
feel what we are feeling. He just knows that we were talking about him,
and he could feel your love for him is all. However, since you are a girl,
and we are feeling all gushy about him, that is why he's embarrassed."
Cathy explained to her as she felt Judy's chagrin about Rodie. They all
laughed and then Judy started going over the discharge instructions with
Cathy and Mikki. She carefully explained each of his medications, and how
to stagger the dosages in order to achieve maximum benefit.
Back in the room, Rodie let Jim and John undress him before Jim
carried him into the small bathroom and sat him on the seat with side
rails. Then John carefully bathed him while Jim washed and dried his hair.
Once he was finished, John wrapped him in a thick towel before carrying him
back into the room while Jim straightened up everything in the bathroom.
After John had thoroughly dried him, they both helped him dress in the
clothes he would wear for the trip home. They used extra care with him
when they removed his C-Collar brace in order to put his undershirt and
t-shirt on. Jim carefully held Rodie's head stationary while John put on
his undershirt. Then they put his brace back on and made sure it was
adjusted properly so Rodie would be as comfortable as possible for the long
trip home. The last thing they did was to help him put on the leg braces
which went from his upper thighs to a stirrup that encircled his shoes.
Once they finished dressing him, Rodie looked at each of them before
speaking.
"Thanks for helping me bath and get dressed. At least today I
didn't have to be humiliated while Judy or mom bathed me." Rodie said with
gratitude to them, and they both understood how he felt.
"We understand son, and both of us are happy to assist you until you
are able to do it yourself, right Jim?" John told him before looking at
Jim for confirmation.
"Of course we are, and we will help you with anything else you need
us for too. We both understand how embarrassing it is for you when you
have to undress in front of girls, even if it is just your mom, Judy, or
Mikki. All of us men are like that, so don't go thinking that it's just
you. Once we get home though, Eric and Mark will help you too; just don't
get too carried away with each other doing other things though." Jim said
with a smile while Rodie blushed prettily as he realized what Jim was
referring to. "Now, if you are ready, let's go say goodbye so we can go
home."
Rodie said he was ready, and John picked him up and sat him into the
wheelchair while Jim collected the small suitcase and travel bags
containing all of Rodie's stuff he had collected since coming here. John
wheeled him out of the room and took him to the nurse's station where all
of the staff was waiting with Cathy and Mikki. Rodie began crying before
anyone said goodbye because they were all his friends. He managed to tell
each of them goodbye while each of them hugged and kissed him while crying
also. Rodie was by far the most lovable and special patient that they had
helped, and they were all happy to see him going home to finish recovering.
Each of them told him how special he was, and gave him some parting advice
about the things he needed to do in the future. Once they finished, Judy
and Dr. Goodman escorted Rodie down to the main entrance and waited while
John went and got the rented minivan. Then with a final hug and kiss to
Judy, Rodie had Jim carry him to the minivan and buckle him into the
captain's style seat behind the driver's seat. Cathy got into the front
passenger seat while Mikki and Jim rode in back with Rodie. Once they
left, they all could see the weariness on Rodie's face, and knew that he
needed to rest. John drove them into town to the train station there.
They waited in the van for another 40 minutes after checking in
until they were informed that they could board the train with Rodie. Jim
carried him to the passenger compartment they had reserved that had a bed
for Rodie to sleep in for the four hour trip home. Cathy and Jim got Rodie
comfortable while John returned the keys to the minivan to the rental
counter in the station. They had been allowed to board first because of
Rodie, and John joined them after returning the van. Rodie told Cathy that
he was hurting, and she told him that she would get his medicine, but he
refused because the pills always caused him to choke. However, Mikki
assured him that she would take care of it, and had him take the pills
normally with water. As he started to choke like always, Mikki triggered
his reflex that made him swallow and the pills went down fairly easily
although Rodie still had the bitter taste in his mouth and kept gagging for
a couple of minutes afterwards. As his pain eased away and the train
started moving, Rodie drifted off to sleep while the others settled down
for the long trip. When they woke him again, it was late in the afternoon
and the other passengers were disembarking.
"Where are we?" Rodie asked drowsily as he rubbed his eyes with his
hand.
"We are in Richmond, and we still have another two hour drive before
we are home." Jim told him as he helped him sit up. "John and your mother
went to get the `Gator' and we will leave once they get back. You were
really tired weren't you? I thought you were going to suck the curtains
off the window with your snoring." Jim said teasingly to him. Rodie just
frowned at him.
"I don't snore, and you sound like a bear at night yourself." Rodie
retorted making Jim chuckle. Rodie then looked around before smiling
sheepishly at Jim and Mikki before yawning and saying, "yeah^ÅI guess I am
a little tired."
After a short wait, John came in to help with their bags while Jim
scooped Rodie up into his arms and carried him off the train and to the
SUV. Once Rodie was seated in the `Gator', Jim sat beside him in the back
row seat, with Mikki in the middle seat, while Cathy rode in front with
John. Before they started, Cathy asked Rodie if he needed to use the
bathroom, and if he was hungry. Rodie said yes to both questions, and when
asked where he would like to eat, he quickly said "Waffle House." Of all
the restaurants and fast food places available, Rodie's favorite place had
always been the Waffle House.
"Waffle House it is and I already know that you want pork chops and
eggs with a Belgium waffle right?" She asked him as John carefully
maneuvered out of the parking area.
"You forgot the hash browns mom," he told her with a big smile.
"Oh that's right, you like them scattered, smothered, and covered
too." Cathy said the last part in unison with him before laughing as he
giggled. It only took a few minutes to drive to the Waffle House, and Jim
carried him inside while Cathy brought a couple of small pillows in case he
needed them. Once they got him seated comfortably, and place their orders,
Rodie leaned close to Jim and whispered that he had to go to the bathroom.
Therefore, Jim politely excused them before carrying him to the small
bathroom. Once Rodie had finished going, Jim helped him clean himself, and
then they washed their hands. Once they were finished, they returned to
the others just as the coffee was served. Cathy had Rodie take his
medication again, but told him to take it while he was eating. She also
had a small cup of blueberry syrup delivered, and she used the pill crusher
to crush up his pain pills and mixed them with the syrup. Finally, she had
a small glass of crushed ice brought, and Rodie munched on the ice for a
few minutes before taking the pill/syrup combination without any problem or
the need of Mikki's assistance. Then until their food was served, they all
drank their coffee, and chatted with Rodie. When their order was served,
they all spent the rest of the meal talking and joking with each other
while Rodie devoured his meal like a hungry dog. He finished before the
others, and within a few minutes, he was leaning against Jim dozing once
more. Everyone finished up quickly, and while Jim took care of the bill,
John and Cathy carried Rodie out and got him situated in the `Gator.'
The remaining drive home was pretty much uneventful, and Rodie slept
most of the way. He woke up when they were about 10 miles from Jim's
house. However, he was very quiet, but they all figured that he was still
sleepy. When they turned onto the road in Nags Head that would take them
to the entrance, Jim could see that Rodie stiffened up before beginning to
fidget nervously. His nervousness increased the closer they got to the
house as he looked around out the windows. When they reached the entrance
and waited for the security gate to open, Rodie's breathing had quickened
as he looked around nervously with his eyes while his whole body went
stiff. Jim reached over, took hold of his small hand, and gave him a
reassuring smile while never taking his eyes off him. Because of their
special connection, Jim knew something was wrong, and he shut out
everything else around him as he watched Rodie look around nervously while
his breathing became faster as John drove slowly up the drive. When the
house came into sight, Rodie squeezed Jim's hand so hard that his knuckles
went white. His breathing became just a rapid series of short pants while
beads of sweat quickly appeared on his forehead and trickled downward while
his eyes opened as wide as possible.
"John stop!" Jim exclaimed loudly getting everyone's attention, and
John brought the vehicle to a sudden stop about halfway between the gate
and the house. They all focused their attention on Jim, but quickly
realized that it was Rodie who was in some kind of serious distress.
"Rodie? What is wrong my love?" Jim asked him gently knowing Rodie
was on the verge of hyperventilating as he heard the labored gasps coming
from Rodie. He didn't respond other than to look around wildly as his
small chest heaved faster. Getting no response from him, Jim looked at
Mikki as she reached up and touched Rodie's head with her hands. Her face
became alarmed, and then they heard her voice in their minds clearly while
indicating the seriousness of the situation.
"John, take us away from here right now, and do not get any closer
to the house." She ordered him, and John put the vehicle in reverse and
started backing out the way he came in. Jim carefully unbuckled Rodie's
seatbelt and gently turned him until they were staring at each other.
Rodie's grip on his hand had not relaxed a bit as John backed out of the
drive stopping at the security gate.
"Which way do I go Jim?" John asked.
"To the beach house for now, just go slow until I can get through to
him." Jim answered without moving. John moved onto the road, and began
heading back the way they came, but going only 10 mph with the emergency
flashers on. The others concentrated on Jim and Rodie, and after a few
minutes, when they were almost a mile away from the house, Rodie's tears
began to slip down his face as his quick breathing became labored.
However, Jim detected a tiny hint in Rodie's eyes that whatever had control
of him was now going away.
"Rodie, can you hear me? It's ok now; we are going to the beach
house, so relax." Jim told him gently as he took hold of Rodie's free
hand. Still unable to speak yet, Rodie kept his stare locked on Jim's
face, and managed to nod his head ever so slightly in answer to Jim's
question. Seeing Jim nod in his direction, John picked up speed slowly
until they were doing 45 mph. He heard Rodie's first strangled sob once he
turned onto the main road towards the beach house. They all watched with
concern as Rodie relaxed more and more the farther away they got from the
house, then his shoulders slumped and he practically fell forward into
Jim's waiting arms.
"I've got you Bright Eyes, everything is ok; you are safe now." He
said soothingly as he pulled Rodie into his lap and hugged him protectively
as Rodie's soft sobbing increased as his body went limp in Jim's arms.
Rodie buried his face into Jim's shoulder while his small body shook from
his hiccupping and sobbing. Jim held him tenderly while he continued to
sooth him until his crying began to lessen. His soft sobs grew softer
until Rodie cried himself to sleep. By the time John reached the bridge
connecting Nags Head to the Outer Banks, Rodie was asleep in Jim's arms
with only an occasional hiccup. Jim had John pull over, and then John
helped Jim put Rodie back into his seat with his head resting on a pillow
against the window beside him.
"Jim, what happened back there?" John asked in unison with Cathy
with worried expressions on their faces.
"I don't know John, but I just knew that something was wrong, and if
we didn't get out of there that something very bad would happen to Rodie.
I could feel how nervous he was once he woke up, and he seemed to get worse
the closer we got to the house. However, as soon as the house came into
view, his nervousness turned into sheer terror. The images were going
through his mind so fast that it was all just a blur to me, but he was
seeing every one of them." Jim told them as his confusion showed clearly
on his face. After thinking quietly for a few moments, they all turned to
Mikki with questioning looks hoping she could elaborate more since she was
better at this kind of thing than any of them were.
"I know what happened to him, but I do not know what caused it yet.
Rodie was caught in a type of panic attack, and now that I think about it,
I may have caused this," she said with a guilty expression. The others
looked at her with confusion and disbelief, but did not say anything.
Mikki looked at them before returning her attention to the sleeping Rodie.
"When Rodie began having the nightmares about the attack the night
you had to kill his father in order to save him, I went and blocked those
memories by moving them to someplace tucked away in his mind so that he
could not remember them directly unless under certain circumstances. This
stopped the nightmares at the time, and allowed him to rest much better at
night while not tampering with his mind too much. Because of his abilities
which are so much like my own, I was afraid to alter things to much because
it would affect his talents. I also chose to do it this way because Rodie
would eventually have to come to terms with the events of that night,
instead of just having a complete void for that period in his memories.
Again, I do not know how it would have affected his talents if I just
deleted them, so I did as little as possible. I was going to restore them
once he had recovered more, but I must admit that I've completely forgot
about it until now. Anyway, as we got closer to the house, something
triggered those memories that I blocked, and it almost caused him to have a
mental breakdown just now. It was something like a panic attack that he
was stuck in and unable to escape, and his body reacted. He has not yet
confronted and dealt with his memories of that night, and he will have to
do that before he can go to that house. I'm sorry I put him into this
situation, but I thought it was best for him at the time so he could
recover his strength. However, he is completely exhausted right now, so
let's get him to the beach house and let him rest. Once he has rested, we
can figure out how to help him deal with this. Jim, he is going to be very
vulnerable emotionally when he wakes up because now that he has remembered,
there is no way to change it, so he has to deal with these memories now
before he can continue his recovery." Mikki explained to them, and they
all understood. They also let her know that she should not feel guilty
because they knew they would have done the same as she had.
John started moving again towards the beach house in Rodanthi. At
the same time, Cathy got onto the cell phone and called the others to
inform them of the change in plans while Jim and Mikki stayed close to
Rodie in case he woke up. When they arrived at the beach house, Jim hit
the button on his key ring to open the garage door, and John parked in one
of the two empty stalls. Once the others got out, and Cathy went up to
turn on the lights for them, Jim gently shook Rodie awake.
"We are here Bright Eyes," Jim said softly as Rodie's eyes fluttered
open. It took a few seconds before Rodie became fully aware, but once he
did, he quickly sucked in a gasp of air while his whole body tensed up.
"It is ok Rodie, you are safe. We are at the beach house so calm
down my love. I will not let anything hurt you Bright Eyes." Jim said
soothingly to him as Rodie scanned the garage with his eyes while he
tightened his grip around Jim's neck. His eyes finally stopped moving when
he saw his boogie board hanging by its tether against the wall. Jim felt
Rodie's frail body begin to tremble, and then Rodie spoke.
"Y^Åyou promise Jim?" Rodie asked in his soft piping voice that was
tinged with his fear. Jim hugged him a bit tighter and kissed his head and
forehead.
"Yes, I promise my love. You are safe here, and I will not let
anything hurt you." Jim told him as he gently lifted Rodie's head up off
his shoulder until they could see each other. Rodie's eyes were full of
tears as he listened to Jim's promise. Then Jim gently wiped his eyes and
kissed him on the nose before he allowed himself to relax a bit.
"Come on, let's go inside, and get you into something more
comfortable ok." Jim told him with a smile and Rodie managed to nod his
head slightly before resting his head on Jim's shoulder again. While his
body still trembled a bit, once Jim carried Rodie upstairs and he saw all
of the familiar things that he remembered, Rodie was able to relax fully.
Once Jim reached the top of the stairs, Rodie insisted to be put down.
John handed him his arm crutches and Rodie carefully made his way around
the living room/dining room/kitchen areas looking at everything and
remembering how he had found happiness in this place not to long ago.
While he could not walk without his leg braces and arm crutches, he was
able to walk for a short distance and to stand for about 10 minutes before
tiring. His eyes were a bit teary when he came out of the kitchen and into
the living room where the others were waiting. Moving over next to Jim who
was in the recliner, Rodie waited until Jim gently pulled him into his lap.
Rodie still remained silent for another five minutes before looking at Jim
and speaking, even after Jim had given him a quick kiss and hug.
"I'm sorry about what happened earlier Jim," Rodie said to him in
his soft whisper like voice as he looked down at his feet. Jim gave him
another little hug to reassure him, and then Rodie looked around at the
others.
"It is all right Rodie you did nothing wrong so there is no need to
apologize." Jim told him and the others agreed. "We were thinking about
waiting until after you rested before talking about it is all, but if you
want to talk now, then we are here for you."
"I don't think there is much to talk about Jim," Rodie softly as he
looked around at all of them for a moment before looking back at Jim with
tears in his eyes. "I can't go back there. I know that you remodeled and
added more rooms, but I just can't go back. The only things that I
remember from there hurt me so much, but here all I can remember is how
happy I was once I met you. I know that it is your home, but after what
happened there, it can't ever be my home now. I'm sorry Jim, and I will
understand if you are mad at me."
"I could never be mad at you over something as trivial as that. I
understand completely my love. To this day, I am still not able to return
to Byron's or my parents' home, or even my home town because it still hurts
too much. So I understand fully, and our home will be here if you want it
to be. Eddie and Marco have already moved out, so it would have been just
us, your mom and John, and Mark and Eric living there as a family.
However, since you can't go back, then we will find something good to use
the house for so that maybe one day you will be able to change all of those
bad memories into a good one." Jim said to him with complete honesty and
seriousness. After hearing this, Rodie looked over at his mother, Mikki,
and John for their thoughts and reaction. Cathy motioned for him to come
to her, but John quickly came over and lifted him up into his arms before
carrying him over to the couch with Cathy.
"You are not mad either?" Rodie asked them after John seated him
between them.
"No we are not mad at you honey. We just want you to get well, and
to be happy. Therefore, whatever it takes to make those things possible,
then we will all do. We can move into a larger condo, right John." She
told him as she hugged him gently. "However, if this place is where you
are happy, then you should stay here because we want you to be happy and we
will not be mad."
"You really mean that mom? But, I can't though^Åwhat about when you
marry John? I promised Eric that I would be his brother, so I can't break
my promise." Rodie asked her as his conflicting desires tore at his soul.
"That is simple son, I will buy the house next to this one if I need
to. Just because you will have your room here doesn't mean you will not be
a part of our family. A family is joined by love, and it is not confined
by four walls. Therefore, you can keep your promise to Eric, and still
stay here with Jim and we can all be happy. Jim, do you know who owns the
house next door?" John asked him after Rodie relaxed once his worries were
resolved.
"Yes I do," Jim said with a big smile. "You and Cathy do," he said.
All of them looked at Jim with confusion when he said this.
"How do they own it?" Rodie asked him with a slight frown on his
face. Jim just looked at him and then nodded while tapping his finger on
the side of his head. This indicated to Rodie that he could use his
talents to learn the answer for himself. Rodie's brow furrowed a bit as he
stared at Jim for a few moments. Then his expression softened into one of
loving gratitude while his eyes began to fill up once again.
"You are serious, aren't you? You will do that just for me so I can
be happy?" Rodie said as the first of his tears began to slip down his
face.
"Yes, and no my love," Jim answered him causing Rodie's brow to
furrow in confusion. "Yes I am serious, and I will do anything to make you
happy if I am able to do it. However, no, I am not doing this just so you
can be happy, but because your mother deserves to be happy also. So do
John, Mark, and Eric, and this way all of you will be happy. John, to
answer your question, Cathy and you now own the house next door because I
just gave it to you as a wedding gift. I bought the house at the same time
I bought this one. One was going to be Eddie's, and one would be mine.
However, I never found a partner to share my life until Rodie came into my
life. In addition, Eddie has always had this grandiose dream of living in
a huge house which is why we built the other house. I've been renting the
house next door to vacationers during the year. Nobody has lived in the
place in several months, but it is quite large, and has more than enough
room for all of you." Jim explained to them. John and Cathy looked at
each other, then at Rodie between them before looking back at Jim.
"We don't know what to say Jim, other than thank you. I don't think
we would refuse even if we could, but your gift enables us to all be a
family while letting Rodie be where he is happy." John said to him while
they hugged each other and sandwiched Rodie between them. Rodie managed to
squeeze himself out from between them, although it was quite clear that he
enjoyed it as much as they did. Rodie took his arm crutches and tried to
stand up, but had to have John and Cathy catch and steady him as he fell
forward. Once he was standing and balanced, he moved over to Jim and stood
in front facing him. Jim opened his arms and Rodie deliberately fell into
his embrace by letting his arm crutches fall once he let go of them. Jim
pulled him into his lap as Rodie hugged him tightly.
"Thanks for everything Jim. I love you forever," was all Rodie said
as he hugged him tightly.
"Welcome home Bright Eyes, I love you forever too." Jim told him
before he started kissing Rodie's face, eyes, and nose as he hugged him
gently to his chest. Rodie responded by kissing Jim on his lips and then
rubbing his button nose against Jim's and smiling at him as Jim brushed
away his tears.
End of Chapter 7.
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