Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2012 19:13:51 -0400
From: crazy4u <rnielsen47@gmail.com>
Subject: The Lernier Family Chapter 17, GM Relationships

Comments on the story are appreciated and may be addressed to the author,
Russ Nielsen (rnielsen47@gmail.com).  To read more of my stories, you can
find them at my story site - http://www.saskboystories.blogspot.com/

All the usual disclaimers apply. This is a work of pure fiction. Any
similarities to persons living or dead are coincidental. If it is illegal
to read this where you live, don't read it. If you are under legal age
where you live, don't read it.

This story contains descriptions of consensual sexual contact between adult
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Please contribute to Nifty so we can continue to enjoy these stories!

*** ***

Chapter Seventeen – Josh at the Pool

Todd asked, "Have you finalized the purchase of your new house in
St. Catharine?"

"No, we have to return to St. Catharines in a few weeks to sign the
paperwork.  We will be staying with Aunt Hannah for a while as we get
things organized.  We want to get the house remodeled before we move into
it," I said.

Todd smiled, "You must be happy that Rick finally gave in to you."

"I am happy about getting the house in St. Catharines but I am not happy
that we are still basically where we have been for years," I said looking
over at my handsome friend.  Todd wore bright blue Speedos that stood out
in sharp contrast to the dark tan of his skin.  He looked like a Norse god
with his long flowing blond hair and dark blue eyes.  I could see why Zach
was so attached to Todd given his perfectly sculpted body.

Todd's eyes twinkled with merriment as he laughed and said, "You are
starting to drool, Glenn."

I looked into Todd's eyes and laughed as well, "I can't help admiring how
beautiful you are."

"The feeling is mutual, Glenn," Todd said with a wicked grin.  He looked me
over placing a finger on his chin as if in deep thought and started to
enumerate what he saw.  "Hmmm...bright white Speedos, extra tight, showing
off your nice ass and leaving no doubt that you are well hung," he paused
and rubbed his crotch before continuing.  "Let's see...the bright white of
the swimsuit against deeply tanned perfectly smooth skin, a lean and
well-muscled swimmer's body, a rakish grin with a small dimple in the left
cheek, a small pert nose, strikingly beautiful grey-blue eyes, dark brown
eyebrows and short blond hair, combed so it sticks straight up.  I think
you qualify as wet dream material for any gay man who lays eyes on you!"

I was blushing by the time he finished, "Thanks Todd.  Now you have gone
and embarrassed me!"

Todd laughed, "I love to see you blush, Glenn.  It adds to your charm and
beauty.  I hope you never change!'

We were interrupted by Cameron who had joined us as we sat on the edge of
the kiddie pool watching the children splashing in the water.

Cameron looked at us and announced, "We are pretending to be whales.  Watch
me!"  He scampered off and splashed into the water.  We watched as Cameron
and Skye were entertaining JJ and Josh by pretending to be whales and
letting them ride on their backs in the water as they scooted around in the
shallow water.

Then they decided that twins needed to pretend to be whales, too.  The boys
chased each other around putting their faces in the water and then lifting
their legs in the air and bringing them down so the water splashed
everywhere.  JJ looked over at me and shouted, "Daddy, we have whale fins."

Skye corrected him, "JJ, they are called flukes not fins."

JJ looked at Skye and then shouted to me, "I have flukes."  He demonstrated
them for me by putting his face in the water and lifting his feet out of
water and splashing with them in the water.

Todd said, "I am glad they are enjoying themselves."

I agreed, "I am, too."  I watched Josh go under the water but he didn't
lift his legs out of the water as before.  I looked closer and saw that his
legs weren't moving normally and that his arms seemed to be jerking
sporadically.  It hit me like a lightning bolt that Josh was having a
seizure.  I jumped up and grabbed Josh around the waist, pulling him out of
the water.  As his body continued seizing, I held him face down to let the
water drain out of his mouth and nose.  I turned to Todd, "Call 911.  Josh
is having a seizure."  I turned Josh sideways and laid him across my lap.
I checked to make sure his airway was clear and that he was breathing.
Much to my relief, he seemed to be breathing okay; however, his limbs kept
flailing about uncontrollably.  His eyes rolled back in his head showing
the whites of his eyes.  Then he went totally rigid in my arms as if he was
being stretched by some unseen force.

 Todd ran over yelling at the lifeguard who jumped down from his station
and ran over to us.  The young man looked scared as he approached us.  I
said, "My son started having a seizure in the pool.  He is still having
convulsions."

The lifeguard signaled to another lifeguard to call 911.  A couple of
minutes later, we heard the sirens and the paramedics arrived on the scene.
I looked up and saw that it was my neighbor, Barry.

Barry asked, "What happened?"

I related what had happened.  "How long was he under the water?" Barry
asked.

"I am not sure but it wasn't more than a minute or two," I replied.

Barry asked, "How long has he been seizing?"

"It's been about 5 or 6 minutes now," I said.  "It's a good thing you
arrived so quickly."

Barry nodded his head and relayed the information he had gathered about
Josh's condition to the emergency room doctor.  Barry turned to me, "We
need to transport him as soon as possible.  Since he was in the water when
it happened, there may be damage to his brain due to lack of oxygen."

I nodded my head numbly as I processed what he had just told me, "I don't
think he was underwater long enough to cause that kind of damage."

Barry put his hand on my arm, "Let's hope you are right, Glenn.  Please let
me take him from you while you get your clothes on.  We will wait for you
in the ambulance."  I looked into Barry's eyes for a moment.  Seeing my
anxiety, he said, "I promise to take good care of him.  Be quick though."

I nodded my head and relinquished Josh into Barry's arms.  Barry laid him
on the stretcher the paramedics had carried into the pool area.  The
lifeguards were holding back the crowd of onlookers back so the paramedics
could do their work.  I looked over at Todd who was comforting JJ, Cameron
and Skye.  I got up and walked over to them.  "Can you take the boys home?"

Todd nodded his head, "Yes, I will take care of everything.  You go ahead
with Josh in the ambulance.  I will take Kyle, David and Ashley home to
their grandmother's as well."

I leaned over and gave Todd a quick kiss on the lips, "I love you, Todd."

Todd smiled up at me and said, "I know."

I grabbed my stuff and walked through the crowd and into the men's changing
room.  I quickly pulled on a pair of dark blue board short over my Speedos.
Fortunately, I hadn't been in the pool yet so they were dry.  Next, I
pulled on white tank top and pushed my feet into my black flip flops.  I
trotted out the door and over to the ambulance.  Barry held the door open
for me and I climbed inside.  He climbed in beside me and closed the door.
We were soon under way with sirens blaring and lights flashing.

Barry put his arm around my shoulders, "Glenn, I am sure he will be
alright.  The doctors are acting out of an abundance of caution because he
started seizing while he was under water."

I nodded my head as I reach over to hold Josh's hand.  Josh was still
rigid.  I stroked his face with my other hand.  As if by magic, Josh's body
suddenly relaxed and he went limp.

Barry said, "Let me check his pulse."  I released Josh's hand and made room
for Barry to work.  He smiled, "I think he is through the worst of it now."
He picked up the radio and called the hospital to relay the new condition
of his patient.  When he was finished, he watched Glenn gently stroking his
son's hair.  He was struck by how much they looked alike.  He had always
noted how much the two boys looked like their fathers but it was especially
apparent to him at close range.  He asked, "May I ask you a personal
question?"  Barry watched as the expression of love and extreme concern
quickly change to one of suspicion.  It truly looked like a solid brick
wall had been raised between them in less time than it takes to blink your
eyes.

I responded, "You can ask but I can't promise to give you an answer."  I
heard the hardness in my voice and tried to soften it as I said, "I am
sorry, Barry, I didn't mean that to sound so harsh.  Go ahead and ask you
question."

"Are you the boy's natural father?  He looks so much like you," Barry
asked.

I looked at Barry for what seemed a long time before I answered, "I don't
normally discuss such things with strangers, Barry.  Are you asking for
medical purposes or purely out of curiosity?"

Barry looked like I had punched him in the face.  He quickly recovered and
said, "I am sorry for asking.  I shouldn't have tried to pry into your
personal life."

I reached over and touched his arm, "Barry, you have to understand that
Rick and I have been through so much because of people who hate gays.  They
have tried to take our children from us more than once.  As a result, I
don't trust anyone.  In particular, I don't trust county employees because
they have done the most damage to our family.  I know that you have come to
our rescue twice now but that doesn't change the fact that you work for the
very governmental entity that tried to take our children from us based on
someone else's religious beliefs."

Barry nodded his head in understanding.  "I am sorry that you have been
treated so shabbily."

"Shabby doesn't even begin to describe the way we have been treated," I
said harshly.

Barry flinched at the sound of my voice.  "I am sorry, Glenn."

I could see that he was being sincere.  "Barry, you have to see it from our
perspective.  We have learned from sad experience that so called
"Christians" are our worst enemies.  You and your family attend church
every Sunday do you not?"

Barry nodded his head, wondering where Glenn was heading with his question
about his religious activities, "Yes, we do."

"We have seen your family decked out in their Sunday best as you have
headed off to your church services.  You have a very good looking family,
Barry," I said.

"Thank you, Glenn.  We try to teach our children to treat everyone with
respect," Barry said.

"I think that is admirable.  However, many times those good intentions or
teachings don't translate into reality.  Does your church approve of gays?"
I asked.

Barry looked away from me, "No, they don't.  The church teaches us that it
is a great sin to be a homosexual."

"Exactly!  That is what is taught by most "Christian" churches.  In fact,
many of them advocate violence against gays even to the point of committing
murder," I said.

"Our church teaches us to respect the rights of others," Barry said.

"Does that include allowing gays to be married?" I asked.

"No, it doesn't," Barry said.  This time he looked into my eyes as he said
it.

"Does your church encourage you to take actions against gays and gay
rights?" I asked.

Barry looked away from me, again, "Yes, it does."

"Now do you understand why I don't trust you or anyone else who professes
to be a "Christian" or belongs to any other religious denomination that
promotes anti-gay activities among its members?" I asked.

Barry nodded his head.  Fortunately for Barry, we arrived at the emergency
room and we didn't have time for any more discussion.  The paramedics took
Josh inside and I followed them.  While they were getting Josh comfortable,
I pulled out my cell phone and rang Rick, "Rick, I am at the emergency room
at the Mount Vernon Hospital."

Rick asked, "How is Josh?"

"I don't know.  He hasn't regained consciousness since his seizure started
at the pool," I responded.

"I will be there in about 30 minutes," Rick responded, his worry apparent
in his voice.

"Okay, drive carefully, sweetheart.  Josh and I will be fine until you get
here," I said.

"Love you," Rick said.

"Love you, too," I responded and ended the call.

Next, a nurse showed up with a clipboard full of paperwork.  She said,
"Mr. Lernier, we need you to complete these forms."

I nodded my head, "I understand."  I spent the next few minutes filling in
the forms she handed me.  One form was about Josh's medical history another
was the health insurance paperwork.  I reflected on how quick the hospital
was to make sure they got paid.  The rest of the papers dealt this
permission to disclose information for their purposes.  Afterwards, she
came back into the emergency room to retrieve the clipboard.

She smiled, "Thank you.  Dr. Bingham will be in shortly."

I sat down next to Josh's bed and took his hand.  I looked into JJ's face
and saw the traces of a smile playing around the corners of his lips.  I
was glad he was resting but it had me worried that he hadn't recovered
consciousness since the seizure.

Dr. Bingham came and introduced himself.  "Hi, I'm Dr. Bingham.  You must
be this boy's father."

"Yes, I am," I said.

"Were you with your son when the seizure started?" he asked.

"Yes, I was," I replied.

"Can you tell me a little bit about what happened?" he asked.

I recounted what had happened at the pool.  "Josh has had a seizure once
before," I said.

Dr. Bingham nodded his head, "Yes, I found that in our records.  That
happened only a few weeks ago."

I nodded my head, "Yes but I thought the seizure was brought on by a high
fever.  He hasn't been running a temperature today."

"Was he overheated in any way?" Dr. Bingham asked.

"I don't think so.  It was hot but he was splashing in the pool with the
rest of the children," I said.

"It's possible that the difference in temperature could have caused the
onset of his seizure," Dr. Bingham said.  He started checking Josh's vital
signs.  When he put his stethoscope on Josh's bare chest to listen to his
heartbeat, Josh's eyes fluttered open.  Dr. Bingham said, "Hello, little
guy.  We are glad you are awake."

Josh looked around with his eyes wide with fear.  I said, "Josh, Daddy's
right here."

His eyes focused on me and he said, "Daddy."

I don't know how he managed to pack so much into that one word but it hit
me like a freight train.  Josh climbed out of the bed and onto my lap.  I
smoothed the hair on his forehead and said, "Everything is okay, Josh.  You
had a seizure at the pool."

Josh said, "I was being a whale Daddy."

"I know, sweetheart.  You were doing a great job, Joshua," I said.  "You
scared Daddy when you started having a seizure in the pool."

Josh looked up at me and asked, "Why are we here?"

"We need to make sure you are okay because you were under the water for a
minute or so before I pulled you out of the pool," I explained.

"Can we go home now?" Josh asked.

"We have to wait until Dad gets here," I said.

Dr. Bingham's eyebrows rose in surprise, "You are the boy's father, aren't
you?"

"Yes, I am.  My husband will be here in a few minutes," I said.

Dr. Bingham smiled, "I am glad to finally meet a married gay couple raising
a family.  I can't wait to meet your husband."

His positive attitude towards us was so refreshing that I couldn't help but
smile back at him, "Like I said, he will be here shortly."

Dr. Bingham looked at Josh and asked, "Josh, can I listen to your heart?"

Josh shrunk away from Dr. Bingham and clung to me as if his very life
depended on it.  I hugged him and kissed the top of his head.  "Josh it's
okay to let the doctor check your heartbeat."

He shook his head and wouldn't let Dr. Bingham touch him.  Dr. Bingham
handed me his stethoscope and suggested, "Why don't you put the scope on
his chest?  You can pass it to me after he's comfortable with you doing
it."

I nodded my head in agreement.  I took the stethoscope from Dr. Bingham and
demonstrated how it worked for Josh.  "It won't hurt you one bit.  May
Dr. Bingham listen to your heart?"

Josh nodded his head and turned around in my arms so Dr. Bingham could put
the stethoscope on his chest.  Dr. Bingham asked, "Can you take a deep
breath for me, Josh?"

Josh smiled and nodded.  He took a deep breath and puffed out his cheeks as
he exhaled.  Dr. Bingham looked at Josh and said, "You are a natural, Josh.
I am glad you know exactly what to do."

Josh's smile grew wider as he seemed to warm up to Dr. Bingham.  "I am
pretty good at swimming like a whale."

"That is pretty impressive.  I am glad to know you can swim like a whale,"
Dr. Bingham said.  "I am going to look inside your ears and then your nose.
Is that okay, Josh?"

Josh turned to look at me, "It's okay, Josh," I said with a reassuring
smile.

Josh nodded his head and said, "I'm ready."

Dr. Bingham checked his nose and ears and then said, "Josh, I am going to
ask you to look at my finger and I want you to follow it with your eyes.
Remember not to turn your head.  Use only your eyes."  Josh nodded his head
in understanding.  Dr. Bingham proceeded to have him follow his finger with
his eyes and then he asked, "Josh, how many finger am I holding up?"

Josh replied, "Two."

"Okay, how many now?" Dr. Bingham asked.

"Four," Josh said.

Dr. Bingham said, "Josh appears to be fine but I would like to have another
MRI done of his head so we can compare it to the one done a few weeks ago.
Our assumption was that the seizures were caused by a high fever.  The one
today could have been caused by Josh becoming overheated at the pool.  I
think that taking a second look might reveal something we missed last time.
I can't promise that we have any more answers than we do now but it will
give us something to compare against the last MRI and we can note any
changes."

"I am okay with having the MRI," I said.  "I would like to wait and see
what my husband says about it."

Dr. Bingham nodded his head, "I can go ahead and order the MRI while we
wait for him to arrive.  If you don't agree to have the MRI done, we can
always cancel it."

As Dr. Bingham started to leave, the nurse appeared with Rick.  Dr. Bingham
looked up at Rick and smiled.  He shook Rick's hand and said, "I am
Dr. Bingham, Mr. Lernier."

Rick said, "Nice to meet you.  How is Josh?"

Dr. Bingham gave Rick a quick summary and then asked if he would agree to
have an MRI done of Josh's head.  Rick said, "I'm okay with that.  How long
will it take?"

Dr. Bingham said, "The MRI won't take long but given how busy we are I
would guess another hour or so."

"Can we schedule an appoint to return another time?" Rick asked.

"Sure.  I can write you a prescription for the MRI and you can schedule it
for tomorrow.  However, I would recommend we get it done now since Josh is
just recovering from the seizure," Dr. Bingham said.

I looked up at Rick and said, "Let's get it done now.  Todd dropped the
children off with the Mrs. Reed and he took JJ home with him."

Rick thought for a moment and then nodded his head, "Okay, Dr. Bingham.
Let's get it done.  Is there any way we can move things along?"

Dr. Bingham said, "Yes, but you know as well as I do that things can get
hectic around here if we have severe injuries arrive.  I can't promise you
that you won't have to wait for a few hours."

Rick sighed in resignation, "Okay.  I guess we will settle in for a bit of
a wait."

Dr. Bingham left and Rick asked me to relate to me everything that had
happened to Josh.  When I was finished, I said, "Thank you for taking off
of work to be here with me and Josh."

Rick smiled and leaned over to give me a kiss on the lips.  "Nothing would
have kept me away."

Josh took the opportunity to put his arms around Rick's neck and said, "Hug
me, Dad."

Rick lifted Josh off of my lap and wrapped his arms around our little boy.
He said, "How is my little buddy?"

"I am just fine, Dad.  Did you know that I can be a whale?" Josh asked his
father.

"No, I didn't know you could be a whale.  Why don't you tell me more about
what it's like to be a whale?" Rick asked his son.

Josh proceeded to expound upon the virtues of being a whale.  He had just
finished talking when the nurse arrived.  "It's time for your MRI, Josh."
She looked at me and asked, "Are you going to accompany Josh?"

I looked at Rick, who shrugged his shoulders.  I asked, "Josh, who do you
want to go with you to get an MRI?"

Josh said, "I want both you and Dad to come with me."

"Is that okay?" I asked the nurse.

She smiled, "Of course, you both are welcome to come with Josh."

We followed her into the depths of the hospital.  Rick assisted the nurse
while she prepped Josh.  Josh said, "This machine is noisy.  I remember it
from last time."

She laughed, "You are right, Joshua.  It can be very noisy but it won't
hurt you."

Josh looked at her and said, "I know.  It didn't hurt me last time."

Rick asked, "We will be just over there, okay?"

Josh said, "Okay."

We stepped out of the room and waited.  A few minutes later, the nurse
opened the door.  Josh came out and lifted his arms up to Rick who picked
him up.  We followed the nurse back to the emergency room where we met
Dr. Bingham, again.  He said, "We will call you with the results of the
MRI.  Here are some instructions about what to watch for just in case Josh
starts to have another seizure or exhibits any odd behaviors over the next
few days.  You are good to go."

"Thanks, Dr. Bingham," I said.

We left the ER and headed for home.  Rick reached over and put his hand on
my thigh, "How are you doing, Babe?"

"I am fine, now," I said smiling at my husband.  "I am just glad Josh is
okay."

Rick squeezed my leg reassuringly, "So am I.  I was pretty worried when
Todd called me with the news.  He told me not to worry since you were
watching Josh pretty closely and pulled him out of the water as soon as he
went under."

"It was a good thing Todd and I were right there when it happened," I said.
"I am still worried about Josh.  I think he is okay but we have to watch
him even more now than we did before today's events because we don't know
when he will have a seizure again."

Rick nodded, "That is so true.  I thought the seizure Josh had a few weeks
ago was a fluke.  Now, I am thinking it is more like what your sister had
when she was his age."

"I agree.  I think we should take him to see the pediatrician about it.
There might be some medication or therapy we could get for Josh to help
him," I said.

Rick looked in the rearview mirror and saw that Josh had fallen asleep in
his car seat.  "Josh is out."

"I am glad he's asleep.  He has to be exhausted from all the excitement.  I
know I am," I said.

"I think I know just the thing to take care of my sweetheart," Rick said
giving me a wickedly provocative look that sent shivers of anticipation
down my spine.

I responded with a grin of my own, "As long as it includes a special
engagement in our bedroom, I am all for it!"

Rick nodded his head and then proceeded to tell me about his day.  I love
listening to the details of Rick's work life.  It helps me stay connected
to him.  I have come to know his co-workers through his eyes as well as the
type of work he does.  Most of all, I make sure he knows that I am
interested in everything about him no matter how mundane it might be.

I waved to our new guard, Jimmy, as we passed through the gate and pulled
the car into the garage.  I got out of the car and then opened the back
door to unbuckle Josh.  I picked him up and laid his head on my shoulder.

When we entered the house, we were mobbed by three young boys.  JJ looked
up at us and asked, "Is Joshy okay?"

"Yes, JJ, your brother is just fine.  He just fell asleep in the car that's
all," I said.

Cameron asked, "Can we wake him up now?  We want to play army and we need
him to help us set up the battlefield."

"How about we wait a bit before we wake him up?" Rick asked.

"Okay, but not too long," Cameron agreed.

Skye said, "Our Dads are making dinner.  They said to send you into the
kitchen."

Rick ruffled Skye's hair and said, "Okay, sport.  We will join them in the
kitchen."

The three boys ran off into the play room; leaving us to make our way into
the kitchen.  Todd looked up from the table where he was chopping
vegetables.  He asked, "How is Josh?"

"He is okay," I responded.  "Thanks for taking care of the children for
me."

"Not a problem!  That is what family does for family," Todd said with a
smile.

Zach turned off the stove and removed the skillet from the burner before he
turned to greet us.  "Hey guys!  I hear you had a little excitement today!"

"Yes, we did," I said.

"What happened after you got to the hospital?" he asked.

I related everything that went on at the hospital.  I sat down opposite
Todd with Josh on my lap.  Josh opened his eyes and asked, "May I have
cookies and milk?"

I looked at Rick who nodded his head in approval, "Okay, but only one
cookie because Uncle Zach and Uncle Todd have dinner cooking and we will be
eating soon."

Zach retrieved the milk and poured a glass for Josh.  He handed the milk
and one homemade chocolate chip cookie to Josh both of which disappeared as
if by magic!  When he was done, Josh looked up at me and asked, "May I go
play, now?"

"Sure but you have to wipe off the milk mustache first," I said with a
smile.

Josh wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and announced, "There!  All
gone!"

"Okay, little buddy, you can go play until dinnertime," I said.

As soon as Josh disappeared from the kitchen, Todd said, "There is a
message from you lawyer on the answering machine.  He called while we were
at the pool."

Rick and I looked at each other and then back to Todd.  "I wonder what has
happened now," Rick said.  He stood up and walked over to the answering
machine and hit the button to play the messages.

We listened closely to the message and then looked at Todd and Zach.  I
asked, "What do you think about that?"

Todd and Zach looked just as surprised as I felt.  I looked at Rick who had
a frown on his face.  "What are you thinking, Babe?"

Rick said, "I think we have them running scared.  That's what I think.  The
fact that we were illegally held at the Canadian border for hours when we
returned from our trip to St. Catharines due to falsified reports filed by
their social worker must have caused the county to rethink their position.
It took quite a while to get the mess cleared up that Fairfax Child
Protective Services created.  It was pretty demeaning to be handcuffed and
held in a jail cell like common criminals.  It was even more traumatic for
the twins since they were separated from us and placed in protective
custody.  We have asked that criminal charges be filed against the social
workers involved in the creation of falsified reports to Child Protective
Services in addition to our civil lawsuit against the county."

"The whole situation is really ugly," I said.  "If I were the county, I
would look to settle as quickly as possible."

"I think that is what this is all about," Rick said.

"I wouldn't let them off too easily if I were you," Zach said.  "They could
just as easily renege on any agreement they make with you."

"I am aware of that," Rick said with a slight edge to his voice.

"I am just pointing out the obvious," Zach said.  "I don't want to see you
hurt in any way."

Rick looked over at me, "I guess I will need to take off tomorrow so we can
visit with our lawyer about this whole thing."

I nodded my head, "Yes, we need to find out what they are offering us to
settle our court case against them."

Todd said, "I will take care of the children while you two are gone."

I looked at Todd and smiled, "You are the best!"

Todd grinned, "I know it."

Zach leaned over and kissed Todd, "We all know you are the best!"

Rick laughed and said, "I believe Zach chose very well."

Zach winked at Todd and said, "I did choose wisely when I married Todd."

Rick walked over and stood behind me.  He put his hands on my shoulders and
started to massage my neck and shoulders.  I leaned into his hands as he
kneaded my tired and aching muscles.  "I love you, Rick," I murmured as I
closed my eyes and let myself enjoy the feel of his hands on my skin.  When
I was completely relaxed, Rick reach forward and ran his hands down inside
of my tank top and tweaked my nipples causing me to moan in pleasure.  I
opened my eyes and saw Zach and Todd had left us alone.  I was so lost in
my enjoyment of Rick's massage that I didn't even hear them leave.

Rick pulled his hands out of my shirt and reached down to pull it over my
head.  He then took my hands and pulled me to my feet.  He looked deeply
into my eyes and said, "I love you, Glenn."  He kissed me and then he led
me upstairs to our bedroom where he showed me how much he loved me!

*** ***

We were enjoying the heavenly bliss that making love always leaves us when
we heard a knock on our door.  I kissed Rick and then reached down to pull
up the sheets over us.  "Come in!" I called out.

The door opened and Josh walked in.  He came over to our bed and climbed up
next to me.  His deep blue eyes looked into mine as he said, "I am tired
Daddy.  Can I take a nap with you?"

I ruffled his blond hair and said, "Sure, sweetheart."  I pulled back the
sheet to let him in.  He snuggled up next my chest and laid his head on my
arm.  Rick spooned up next to me and wrapped his arms around both of us.

*** ***

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I heard someone talking to me.  I opened
my eyes and saw Todd standing over us with a camera in his hand.  He
grinned, "I snapped a picture of you three sleeping.  It was just too
adorable to pass up.  It's time for to eat.  Dinner is on the table waiting
for you."

I smiled and said, "Thanks for letting us take a nap, Todd.  I owe you big
time."

Todd smiled, "I am sure you will have plenty of opportunities to pay me
back.  Don't take too long making your way to the dinner table.  Cameron
and Skye are absolutely ravenous."

I woke Josh first and gave him a kiss on the cheek.  "Time for dinner,
Josh."

He opened his eyes and stretched his arms as he yawned.  "Okay, Daddy."

He clambered down off of the bed and was out the door as if following the
pied piper.  I rolled over and faced Rick who was already awake, "Are you
ready to get up?" I asked.

Rick smiled, "I am hungry if that is what you are asking."

"Okay, let's go," I said.  I kissed him on the lips and then got out of
bed.  I turned to help Rick get up and pulled on our clothes.  We made our
way to the kitchen to find a delicious meal waiting for us.  Todd had made
our favorite: Baked Ziti with garlic bread and a green salad.

I looked at Todd and said, "Thank you for taking such good care of us,
Todd."

"You are welcome.  Please take a seat," he said.

Rick and I sat down across from Zach and Todd with a set of twins on each
side of us.  I said, "I will say grace."  We reached out and held hands
with person next to us on either side.  I said, "God, we thank you for
saving Josh today.  We are also thankful for everyone who helped us today.
We are grateful for our food and ask a blessing on it, Amen."

Everyone said, "Amen."

I said, "I am glad that Josh is still with us.  I am especially grateful
that Todd and I were watching the boys playing their games or I am afraid
things would have turned out very differently."

Todd agreed, "Yes, we were very fortunate today."

*** ***

After the boys were bathed and dressed in their pajamas, we read stories
with them and then we took them upstairs to bed.  Rick and I knelt down
beside their beds with them to listen to their prayers.  We both had tears
in our eyes as we heard JJ say, "God, thank you for saving my brother.  He
is my best friend and I really need him to be with me.  Watch over him and
keep him safe.  Bless Dad and Daddy so they can help you watch over us.
Oh, and thank you for Uncle Zach, Uncle Todd, Cameron and Skye.  They are
part of my family, too.  Bless all of us so we can be together forever.
Amen"

Josh hugged his brother and then he said his prayers.  We kissed them both
on the cheek and gave them a hug before we tucked them into their beds.
Rick said, "Good night, boys.  We will see you in the morning."

"Good night Dad and Daddy," they chorused.

I turned on the monitor before I turned out the light.  We walked across
the hall to our bedroom and I turned on the received so we could hear them
across the hall.

We heard them talking to each other.  Rick was about to return to their
bedroom and tell them to be quiet when I put a hand on his arm and a finger
to my lips.

Josh said, "I saw an angel today, JJ.  He was standing next to me when
Daddy pulled me out of the water."

JJ responded, "I know.  I saw him, too."

Josh asked in amazement, "You saw him?"

"Yes, I did.  He smiled at me and said, "Josh will be alright."  I knew
then that you would be okay," JJ said.

They continued talking to each other as I looked into Rick eyes.  I said,
"Todd said someone was watching over us today.  Now we know for sure that
it was true."

Rick pulled me into his arms and held me tight.  He said, "We have been
truly blessed today."

*** ***