Date: Fri, 05 Nov 1999 19:16:05 -0500
From: Charlie <charlieje@mindspring.com>
Subject: Andy-18 (Young-Friends)

            XVIII Charlie's Recovery

"But... I don't understand!" Charlie said as they all discussed what had
happened. "How could they make a mistake like that?"
"Easy enough." Dennis said bitterly, "Fisher had two biopsies that day, and
he got the reports mixed up. Of course he'd already decided you had
cancer, so when he looked at the report and it confirmed his findings, he
didn't bother to check the name."
"And he didn't tell anybody?"
"He didn't notice till Dr. Petrie called his attention to it. Then he ordered
Dr. Petrie to keep his mouth shut. He said that he'd tell us, but he never
did."

"But... all that chemotherapy... why did I have to take that?"
"You didn't, Charlie. There was no reason, other than Dr. Fisher couldn't
stop it because questions would be asked."
"But it was killing me! Do you think he was tryin' to murder me?"
"No, son, I don't think he was trying. But he was ready to let you die rather
than allow his mistakes to be exposed."

Charlie sat and mulled these facts in his head. He was sitting on the edge of
an examination table in the office of Dr's Malone and Leer, Carlo Meoli's
doctors. It was a week after the incident at the hospital and Charlie had
been improving steadily. The doctors wanted to check him thoroughly to
determine if there was any permanent damage, except the obvious. He had
been here all day, clad only in the white boxers that Andy found so
charming. "So John... er... Dr. Petrie didn't really do anything wrong, did
he?"
"Yes and no. He should have made sure we were told the truth, but he'd
been ordered not to and reassigned to keep him away from us. But still he
has to bear some of the responsibility. They could have killed you, Charlie!"
"They were well on their way to doing just that." Dr. Leer interjected, "The
dosage you were getting was far too strong for the size of your body. You
were getting the full adult dose; and on a constant drip like that, your body
never had a chance to rest."

"Just to put your mind at ease," Dr. Malone added, "The surgery would
probably have to be performed anyway. According to the lab reports, they
had a lot of bruising, a lot of scarring. You must have suffered terribly,
Charlie!"
"Don't matter now." he answered, "Cause I don't have pain any more an' I
don't have to wear diapers, day or night!"
"But Charlie," Karen said, "You had us convinced you LIKED wearing
diapers!"
"I did, Mom. If you were constantly afraid you were gonna wet your pants,
wouldn't you wear 'em?"
"I suppose so, but I'm not a twelve year old boy."
"Don't matter. We do what we gotta do, Mom."
"But what about Andy? You said you loved having him change you."

Charlie turned as red as a fire truck. He grinned sheepishly and said "I guess
we're just gonna have to find some other way to have fun." Dennis and
Karen both looked at him sharply. "Like what?" Karen said, "Are you
trying to tell us something, son?"
"No Mom, just kidding. But you already know that we've... well... had fun
before. An' I do love him an awful lot, an' he saved my life too. Man what
a kewl brother! He hasn't even been my brother for a year yet an' already I
can't even remember when he wasn't here, and he's saved my life! We're
special, Mom. Andy and I are special, an' that's really all I know."
"You certainly are!" Karen agreed. "You're special as individuals, and as a
pair you're, as you would say, AWESOME!"

"What's even more awesome," Dr. Malone said, "Is that you don't seem to
have suffered any ill effects from your ordeal. We've checked you out
pretty thoroughly Charlie, and you're fine! You've lost a ton of weight, but
you're starting to gain again. Your blood count is a little on the low side,
but that's coming up too. In a month or so you should be fine."
"A month or so?" Charlie echoed, panic in his voice, "But I gotta get at the
planting! We're already behind, and I have to get to it!"
"Covered." Dennis said, "The neighbors have all pitched in, and the
planting is ahead of schedule."
"But... they didn't know..."
"Charlie, it's done! Believe it or not, you're not the only one who knows
how to plant our crops!"
"I know Dad," Charlie giggled, "An' I really do appreciate it. I just want to
make sure it's done right."

"There's no need to come back for another month." Dr. Malone said as he
took Charlie's blood pressure again, "Then you can come in and we'll get
you started on hormone therapy."
"Hormone therapy?" Charlie questioned, "What's that?"
"Your body is not making any testosterone, and never will now. With the
threat of cancer you would not be given any; but now there's no reason not
to. With biweekly hormone shots, you will probably go ahead into puberty
more or less on schedule."
"You mean, hair and changing voice and all that?"
"Yes, and growing too. You'll grow very slowly without those hormones to
give your body a little kickstart."

Charlie went silent. He looked at himself in the mirror across the room. He
looked at his parents, chatting idly with the doctors about such things as
nutrition, any special needs Charlie might have. Karen and Dennis were
both pretty handsome people in their own right, and Charlie knew it. But as
he looked back at himself in the mirror, still dressed in just his boxers, a
very slight fuzz of hair starting back on his head, he knew that he too was
no slouch in the looks department. He looked back and forth between Dr.
Malone and Dr. Leer. He thought of his beautiful soprano voice that he was
so proud of. He thought of the castrati of Italy; of the story book he'd read.
"If I take hormones," he said suddenly, "My voice will start to change,
right?"
"Probably almost instantly." Dr. Leer answered.
"How deep will it go?"
"There's no telling. Your father is a sort of baritone, but genes might not be
as influential since you'll be getting yours artificially."

"I'm not taking them." Charlie stated after another pause.
"Charlie," Dr. Leer protested, "You have to! Do you want to remain a little
boy the rest of your life?"
"Sounds good to me." he grinned, "But I won't. The Italian castrati all
grew, they just didn't grow as fast. And their voices changed too, but they
didn't change as much."
"What on earth do you know about the Italian castrati?" Dr. Malone said
curiously.
"About everything there is to know." Charlie said proudly, "At least all there
is that I can get at."
"You've just run headlong into Charlie's curiosity." Karen laughed. "He
heard the term for the first time last summer, and he didn't rest until he had
all the facts."
"Yeah!" Charlie beamed, "And now I am one! And I'm not gonna mess up
the whole thing with hormones."

The two doctors eyed Charlie, sitting defiantly in his white boxers, looking
very much the small child; they looked at the parents, sitting calmly waiting
for their son to finish. How could they not be protesting? Why weren't they
screaming at him to use common sense? "Mr. Conner," Dr. Leer said
finally, "Can't you talk to him? He has to take those hormones!"
"I don't understand why." Dennis countered, "In his position I don't know
if I'd take them either. It's not as if you can give him back his ability to
procreate, that's gone forever. We discussed this at length before the
surgery, and Charlie has been well prepared to live his life as a eunuch. The
only thing that's changed is that now he has a choice he didn't have before.
Cancer survivors do it, so why can't he?"
"But..." the doctor protested, "It's just... there's the risk of osteoporosis!"
"What in the world is that?" Dennis asked.
"Deterioration of the bones." Charlie answered, "Without hormones, there
is a theory that your bones lose calcium and become brittle. It's a common
problem in older women. They don't even know for sure that it's a problem
in men. It's only a theory. Besides, my bones are just developing and
growing. My body will adjust."

"He certainly does his homework, doesn't he?" Dr. Leer commented.
"You bet I do!" Charlie answered, "And I'm sorry, I don't mean to be a
pain, but I see no reason to take those hormones so I'm not gonna do it!"
"You heard him." Dennis shrugged. "You can try to change his mind if you
like, but I don't think I will."

"He's really adamant about that farm, isn't he?" Carlo commented as he
and Dennis talked while the doctors finished up with Charlie.
"Yes, he is. That farm is his whole life... or at least it seems that way
sometimes."
"That means my idea could meet with some opposition."
"Your idea?" Karen inquired.
"More like a proposition." Carlo became more excited. "I would like to
support voice lessons for Charlie. I think he has a terrific future as a singer,
and I would like to help develop him."
"I'm not sure I understand." Dennis said, "What's that got to do with
farming?"
"Perhaps if you could all come to dinner tonight, I will explain. I can send
the car for you, and we'll have the entire evening to discuss it. I think I have
a once in a lifetime opportunity for your son, and one in which he'll have
the last laugh."

"What do you suppose that's all about?" Karen asked as they drove home.
"I have no idea!" Dennis answered.
"What's all about?" Charlie inquired. His curiosity certainly hadn't suffered
any ill effects.
"We're coming back to town tonight." Karen explained. "Mr. Meoli has
invited us to dinner. He says he has a proposition to get you professional
voice training. He seems very excited about it."
"Voice training?" Charlie questioned, "What kinda voice training?"
"I dunno, son. But he called it a chance of a lifetime."
"When would I have time for voice training? I got the farm, and school and
church, and I gotta get back in the quartet soon as the doc'll let me."
"Uh... Charlie..." Karen stammered, "I've been meaning to talk to you
about that. I'm afraid the quartet has broken up."

Charlie looked at his mother in disbelief. "They broke up? Why?"
"A combination of things, really. Adrian was offered a job in California and
said he couldn't really turn it down, and then George was offered a
permanent job in a full time band in Nashville..."
"It's 'cause I was sick, isn't it? That's why they really broke up."
"No, Charlie! They got better offers, that's all. Of course you getting sick
didn't help any. But I'm afraid the quartet is no more."

Charlie went silent again. He didn't speak... couldn't without giving away
that he was silently crying. He had loved that band, the quartet, the
performances! And now it was gone, just like that! "Oh well," he said when
he thought his voice would hold, "I'll probably be too busy this summer
anyway, what with losing a year of school and all."
"You're planning to go to summer school?"
"Of course! That is if I can."
"You won't get any argument from us. But do you think you'll be able to
pass in just six weeks?"
"I'll never know till I try."

"Professional singing lessons?" Andy exclaimed when Charlie told him,
"What does that mean? How? Why? Where?"
"I dunno, I dunno, I dunno, I dunno!" Charlie grinned back. He had gone
out to help Andy with the chores, but Andy refused to let him do anything
but talk. "All I know," he said, "Is that you'd better hurry up or we'll be
late. That limo is coming sharp at 6."
"But why would Mr. Meoli do that? I thought he already thought you were
the best singer in the world."
"I guess we'll find out in a couple hours, that is if you let me help so we
won't be late."
"You're not helping and that's that! I'll finish in time. Now why don't you
go in and have your shower so it'll be free for me?"

                *       *       *

"I don't know why you're so nervous." Guido Pezzoni said, "What can
possibly go wrong?"
"Because they don't know you're here." Carlo answered, "They don't even
know of your existence."
"Under the circumstances I think that's best, don't you?"
"Of course! That's why I arranged it this way. But still, it might have been
better if I'd at least prepared them beforehand. When they arrive and
you're here at dinner, they're going to be suspicious."
"Why would they be suspicious? It's pretty obvious I'm from Italy. You can
tell them the truth: that I'm a friend from the old country. But my concern
is, is the boy well enough? I mean, are we rushing things?"
"He's well enough. But it's still going to take some fancy footwork to pull it
off, don't you think?"
"Perhaps; but the results will be worth it, if he is all you say he is."
"He is all that and more! You'll see!"

The two men sat sipping on a brandy in Carlo Meoli's huge den. Carlo had
ordered up the best dinner his servants could muster, had the house cleaned
so that it sparkled. He'd had a bedroom prepared for a boy, with everything
therein that a boy could possibly want: stereo system with lots of CD's, a
large screen TV and VCR, a top of the line computer with high speed
Internet connection. There was a closet full of clothes, a private telephone
line, books lining one wall, sports equipment, and an electonic keyboard
with sound system that provided recording facilities, both speakers and
earphone output.

"They should be here soon." Carlo observed, "There's just one other thing:
Don't underestimate him and don't try to con him. He'll see right through
it, guaranteed. The parents are very protective, and neither of them is stupid
either, and they are very suspicious after what happened in the past few
months."
"Not a problem, my friend. I am used to dealing with protective parents.
I'm pretty sure I can handle them."

                 *       *       *

"A suit?" Andy said as he walked into their shared bedroom, "You're
wearing a suit? Man, you're only going to dinner!"
"Mom said wear a suit." Charlie shrugged. He was wearing his new light
blue double breasted suit complete with vest, white shirt and dark blue tie,
patent leather shoes. The only thing that prevented Charlie from being
perfection personified was his bald head, with hair just beginning to return.
Andy thought to himself that he looked good enough to eat, but there was
no time for that now. But as he showered and dressed, he could hardly get
that handsome young man off his mind. Damn! he thought. He looked
almost artificial.

The big white Lincoln was quickly becoming a familiar sight in the Conner
driveway. Tonight it arrived as usual exactly on time. Andy and Charlie had
just emerged from their bedroom, both dressed to the 9's. They had
submitted to Karen's inspection and had been declared the handsomest pair
of brothers in North Carolina. They were ready, albeit a little nervous as
they all climbed into the limo.

On the way to Wilmington there wasn't much of the usual family chatter.
Each sat with their own thoughts, their own speculation about Carlo's
proposition and how it might affect them. Suddenly Charlie, without
warning, looked directly at Andy and said "Andy, have you asked Mom
yet?"
"Asked Mom what?"
"You know, you promised when I was in the hospital."
"Oh yeah! I'd forgotten."
"That mean you didn't mean it?"
"I meant it. Really, I did!"
"Well then?"

"What are you two up to now?" Karen asked with a grin. She had learned
to expect most anything when her two sons put their heads together, and it
appeared that they'd done that one more time. So it was with some
trepidation that she said "What is it you were supposed to ask me, Andy?"
"Well... uhhh... Mom, I... uhhh..."
"Come on, out with it! It can't be that bad, and now you've got my
curiosity up."
"Ok, I kinda promised Charlie I'd ask... Uhhhh Mom, can you teach me to
sing? I mean like you taught Charlie?"

Karen looked curiously at Andy. She felt somewhat guilty because it had
never even occurred to her that Andy might feel, well, left out. It had never
crossed her mind that Andy might be a good singer. But now that she'd
been forced to think about it, she realized that his spoken voice was a
beautiful soft baritone; the kind of a voice that Charlie would never have
now. Andy had often been heard singing while he worked, but his voice
was rough at best, having never been trained in any way. In her mind she
pictured her two sons singing together, and the sounds she heard in her
imagination were far from unpleasant. "Of course I will, Andy!" she said,
"I'd love to!"
"I can help too." Charlie offered, "If that's all right."
"Cool!" said Andy with a huge grin. "When can we start?"
"Let's see what Mr. Meoli has in mind first." Dennis suggested. "I have a
feeling that whatever it is might just change a lot of our plans."

"Have you ever done any singing Andy?" Karen asked.
"No ma'am, just a little bit in school. An' I kinda copied Charlie and started
singing on the tractor. Sometimes it almost feels as if the tractor's singing
along with me. But I've never had any music instruction or anything."
"Then I assume you don't read music or play an instrument?"
"No ma'am. I play the guitar a little..."
"You do?" Charlie said excitedly, "Kewl! You can teach me!"
"I only know some basic chords."
"That's more than I know. An' I always wanted to learn to play guitar. You
can teach me guitar and I can teach you to read music."
"Sounds like I'm gonna have to shop for a guitar." Dennis chuckled, "Why
does everything boil down to Daddy Dennis spending more money?"

"Daddy Dennis!" That's what Garth had called him. Andy felt a chill go
down his spine as he wondered why Dennis had used that particular
expression. Had it been just a slip of the tongue? Was Dennis in contact
with Garth? Would Garth be coming home? If he did, where would that
leave Andy?


                *       *       *

If you wish to comment on this story, please send your comments to me at
charlieje@mindspring.com