Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:26:50 -0500 (EST)
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Next Generation, chapter 33

The Castaway Hotel: Next Generation - by BW
Copyright 2011 by billwstories
Chapter 33 -- Making Plans.

We were now into April and Easter was fast approaching.
Danny, Brandon and Kevin were putting a great deal of
thought, time and effort into exactly what they wanted to
do with the school and bank buildings, as well as how
much they felt they'd be able to offer.  When Danny finally
met with the superintendent and school board, he learned
the district was indeed considering a consolidation
proposal, but no formal decision had been made on it yet.
However, they also confirmed that if the plan were
adopted, the school he had mentioned would most likely
be placed on the market.

Next, Danny asked if they'd be willing to provide him with
a copy of the blueprints of the building.  He told them that
by having them he'd be able to determine if this building
would be feasible for doing what he intended.  If so, it
would also allow him to have plans developed, so he could
get a head start on the project.  This way, if the building
did go on the market, he'd know whether or not he could
make an offer.

After discussing Danny's proposal briefly, the board
members concurred that they saw no problem with doing
this and agreed to give him what he wanted.  Once they
agreed to that, Danny asked what price they might be
thinking of asking for the property, if it did come up for
sale.  After some whispered discussion, they told him they
couldn't give him a specific price, but they did give him a
ballpark figure.  Danny thanked them and then agreed to
return and pick up the copies of the blueprints three days
later.

Once he got the blueprints of the building, Danny
overnighted them to Jay, who was eager to determine if
the property could effectively be converted to meet
Danny's goals.  Jay was familiar with what would need to
be considered when laying out medical and dental offices,
but he also talked extensively with Danny and Brandon to
see what they specifically had in mind.  In the end, Jay
concluded the building could be adapted to serve the
purpose they wanted, so now the boys only had to wait for
the school district to make their final decision.

Kevin had also gone to look at the bank and asked Jay if
he'd also be willing to help him adapt that building for his
purposes, in case he decided to buy it.  Jay said he would
and told Kevin to forward him those blueprints too.  After
procuring a copy of those items, he forwarded them to
Jay, who began his preliminary sketches for that location.

During the second full week of April, I also received a call
asking me to inform Danny and Brandon that their family
portraits were ready for them.  Once they had picked them
up from the photographer's studio, they took them over to
the frame shop to have them all put into nice frames,
including my set.  When they picked them up, a couple of
days later, they all looked fantastic.

Since the wall size photo had been done in an antique
looking wooden frame, we found a spot for it in the foyer,
where everyone could see it.  Danny, Brandon and I then
took our personal sets of the three proofs they'd chosen
and hung them on a wall in our bedrooms.  We were both
pleased with how they looked.

Around this same time, Jesse had also come up with an
idea he was pursuing.  Since I'd prodded him to start
thinking about his future, he came up with something he
thought he'd like to do.

"I'm thinking about becoming a radiologist," Jesse told me
one evening.  "I've talked to Danny about this and looked
up a whole bunch of information about it online.  I've even
talked to my guidance counselor about this.  It not only
sounds interesting, but it also helps people and I can make
a decent living doing it.  Danny even said by the time I
graduate, he might be able to give me a job at the health
center, once he's able to arrange for the equipment
necessary to have a diagnostic and imaging department."

"Wow!  That would be awesome and you'd be able to work
with your brother," I said.

"Yes, he said he might not be able to put the equipment in
right away, but he should be able to have something set up
by the time I graduate," Jesse added.  "If that happens, I'll
be able to do x-rays, sonograms, mammograms, MRIs, CT
and PET scans and Danny said the majority of the
practices at the center would be able to utilize my
services."

I was impressed by the amount of research he'd done on
this and that he had conferred with Danny about it too.
I'm glad now that I had urged him to start thinking about
his future.

Since we were now into April, Elliot's tennis practices had
moved outdoors.  Hayden and he had both made the JV
squad and were going to play singles, but they were also
going to team up as doubles partners.  One day, Elliot
came up to me, so he could ask me a question concerning
this.

"Papa, I know my dads are going to be working most of the
times that I have tennis matches," Elliot began, "but I was
wondering if you might be willing to come watch me play
sometimes."

"I certainly will," I agreed, "and I know both Danny and
Brandon are planning to be there as often as they can.
We're all looking forward to watching you play.  Who
knows, maybe someday you'll play at Wimbledon."

"I'm nowhere near that good," Elliot confessed, "but I
would like it if you came to watch me."

"I'm looking forward to it and I know your fathers are
too," I confirmed.

This seemed to make Elliot happy and I really was looking
forward to watching him play.  In fact, I'm planning on
taking Joshie along with me, since he has proven he's
interested in sports and loves playing tennis against the
others on the Wii.  This might end up giving him another
outlet to burn off some of his excess energy, if he
discovers it's something he's interested in.

That weekend, Elliot spent Friday night and Saturday at
Hayden's house again.  The boys were becoming thicker
than thieves, but I knew they weren't up to anything
sinister.  They would go out running, practice their tennis
and do other things while they were together.  They had
quickly become friends and totally reveled in the time
they got to spend with each other.

When he got home, Elliot reminded me that he had a
home match on Tuesday and wanted to know if I'd be
there.  I told him I would and I'd bring Joshie with me, but
his fathers wouldn't be able to make it this time.  I did
assure him that they would make some of his other
matches, but they couldn't finagle this particular match
into their schedules.  Now that they knew when his future
matches were, they were going to arrange for time off so
they could attend, which seemed to make Elliot happy.

When Tuesday came around, I bundled Joshie up, after he
returned home from school with his fathers.   It was still a
little chilly out, so I made sure that Joshie was dressed
warmly enough that he wouldn't get sick, and then we
went down to the high school.

"Where are we going, Papa," my little man wanted to
know.

"We're going down to watch Elliot play tennis," I advised
him.

"Can I play too?" Joshie asked, almost as soon as I'd
finished my sentence.

"I'm sorry, little man, but you won't be able to do that this
time.  Today, it's only something the older boys will be
allowed to do," I answered.  "It's not like playing the Wii
game at home.  You'll see and maybe you'll like it too.
Then when you get older, maybe you'll want to play on the
tennis team too."

We situated ourselves outside of the fence where Elliot
would be playing, but we could also watch Hayden's match
from there as well.  Although I was enjoying the action, I
knew Joshie was only intent on watching Elliot.  Joshie
seemed to be quite interested in what was going on, but I
think some things were confusing him.  That became
obvious when he asked me a question.

"Why do they keep saying 'love,' Papa?" Joshie wondered.
"Do the boys love each other?"

I couldn't help but to chuckle slightly.

"No, little man," I answered.  "Saying love is just the way
they say zero in tennis.  It means the one player hasn't
scored any points."

"Then why don't they just say zero?" Joshie demanded.

"I know it's confusing, but it's because tennis is a very old
game and that's how they did things way back when it
started," I explained.

Joshie may have accepted my explanation, but I could tell
by the way he looked at me that he still thought it was
stupid.  I'm not sure I disagreed with him either, because
the scoring system does make it confusing for beginners
and non-players to understand.  I mean, why do they score
fifteen points the first two times they score, but then only
ten point the third time?  I mean the love, 15, 30, 40
game progression can baffle more than just a few casual
observers.

I was pleased when both boys won their singles matches,
but they didn't do nearly as well in doubles.  In fact, their
attempt was almost comical.  It very quickly became
obvious that both Elliot and Hayden were extremely
aggressive, so much so that they might even be considered
ball-hogs.  If the idea of dividing the court in half had even
occurred to them, they weren't very good at putting it
into practice.

Whenever a ball was hit anywhere between them, they
would both go for it.  On more than one occasion this led
to them bumping into one another, hitting the other's
racket or just interfering with the other's swing.  The
worst time was when they actually ran into each other and
then tumbled onto the hard court.  They suffered a few
bruises and scrapes in that incident and I even saw a
trickle of blood on Elliot's knee and Hayden's shin.

"What the heck did you think you were doing?" Hayden
screamed, as he was getting up.

"The ball was on my side, not yours," Elliot screamed
back.  "This was your fault, not mine!"

"No!  That ball was on my side of the court," Hayden
challenged.

"Was not!" Elliot screamed back, and then he bent over
and looked at his knee.

"Was too and you should have stayed on your own side,"
Hayden disagreed, and then two boys began to glare at
each other.

After hearing the snickers from the spectators, the boys
must have realized how silly their outburst was and they
both burst out laughing.  They then apologized to one
another for their comments, before continuing the match.
I'm definitely glad they were able to work out this little
misunderstanding, but I hope it doesn't take them very
long before they get a better feel for the court, so nothing
like it happens again.

I was a little surprised that on the way home Elliot hadn't
asked me what I thought of the match or for my take on
how well he had played.  He may have been afraid of the
answer I'd give him, but I decided to tell him anyway.

"You looked good in your singles match," I told him.  I
could see him grimace after I'd said it.

"Yeah, but we really sucked at doubles," he confirmed.
"That was a complete disaster, especially when Hayden
and I knocked each other over."

"That was a problem, but you really didn't play that
badly," I told him.  "It's just that doubles takes a whole
different mindset, since you have a partner to help you
out.  You boys just need to come up with a way to
determine how you want to split up the court and who will
be responsible for which types of shots."

"Yeah, but I guess we don't know how to do that," he
sighed, despondent.

"Maybe it would help if you watch other doubles players
and take notes on how they do it," I suggested.  "I don't
mean to do this with just the other guys on your team
either.  Watch matches on TV or look up some videos of
doubles matches and see how they do things.  I think it
will help you two out a lot."

"You might be right and we can do that," Elliot replied.
"Thanks.  Maybe I'll invite Hayden over again this
weekend, and see if there are any matches on TV or we
can look up videos online.  I'm sure they must have some
there."

"It sounds like a good idea to me," I told him.  "Just make
sure you also clear it with your fathers, before you ask
Hayden over."

"I will and thanks again, Papa," Elliot told me, before he
raced into the house and went up to his room.

Hayden's parents happily allowed their son to spend
Friday night and Saturday with us, as long as he returned
home Saturday night.  Sunday was Palm Sunday and they
wanted him to attend services with them, which we could
all understand.  Danny and Brandon quickly agreed to
their request, so Hayden came home with Elliot Friday,
after school.

The boys spent much of their time, both Friday night and
Saturday morning, looking up this information.  They
found videos on ehow.com, tennisexpress.com and
youtube.com that went over the rules and tactics of
doubles play.  While watching these, they agreed about
how they would split up the court, but they also agreed to
have one of them play the net and the other would stay
back a bit, so they wouldn't bump into one another or
hinder the other's shot.  Now, they just had to work this
into the way they played and, hopefully, their efforts
would turn out better.

Saturday afternoon, the boys went to the tennis court to
practice, but unfortunately they weren't able to find
anyone with whom they could practice playing doubles
against.  Therefore, they merely ended up playing each
other, while hoping they could work the kinks out of their
doubles game at practice the following week.

That night, they took Hayden home and he thanked
Danny and Brandon for letting him stay over.  Hayden
then told Elliot he'd see him on Monday and told him that
he looked forward to ironing out their doubles problems at
practice.  They both seemed optimistic about this, so I
hope things work out as easily.

On Palm Sunday, we all went to church together and I
found myself having to explain to Joshie about the palm
leaves that adorned the altar.  He had asked Trey, since
Dion was seated with the choir, but when his Poppy didn't
give him what he thought was a satisfactory response, he
turned to me.

"Papa what is that green stuff up there?" he wanted to
know.

"Joshie, those are leaves from a palm tree," I explained.
"One time, when Jesus traveled to Jerusalem riding a
donkey, the people greeted him by placing palm leaves on
the ground in front of the donkey.  The leaves are there to
help us remember."

"So he didn't have a car?" Joshie wondered.

"No, little man, it happened before there were cars and
people had to ride horses and donkeys to get places," I
told him.

"So they didn't have roads either?" he asked next.  "Is
that why they had to put the leaves in front of his
donkey?"

"There weren't as many roads then, but there were some,"
I answered, "but they put the palm leaves down to show
him respect.  They were trying to let him know that they
thought he was a very important person and that's one
way they did it."

This must have sufficed, because Joshie didn't ask any
more questions about it.  I just hope he understood what I
was saying and that it was beginning to make sense to
him.

During the following week, Elliot would return home every
evening and tell us how Hayden and he were working hard
to solve their doubles problem.  He also reminded us that
he had another match on Thursday, which his fathers,
Joshie and I would all be attending.  Brandon had arranged
his day so he had no patients after 3:00 and Danny took a
half-day off from work so he could be there.  Elliot seemed
pleased that they had worked it so they could watch him
play and I could sense he was determined to do well,
because they were going to be there.

Once again, I was able to find us a good spot from where
we could watch Elliot play.  Shortly after the match began,
Joshie was busy informing Danny and Brandon that love
meant zero, not that the boys loved each other.  Danny
and Brandon smiled and thanked him for clearing that up
and then we watched the boys play and cheered them on.

Today, Elliot won his singles match again, but Hayden lost
a very close and hard fought contest.  When it came to
their doubles play, they did much better, but it still wasn't
perfect.  The problem this time was that they were both
trying so hard not to cross into the other's side of the
court that they would occasionally let a ball go without
either of them swinging at it.  I'm sure they'll work this
out too, but unfortunately they still lost the match.

I think Elliot was more chagrinned about this, because
they had lost the match when his fathers were watching.
We all told them they had played well, even if they hadn't
won all of the matches.  I also pointed out that they
showed considerable improvement over their previous
doubles effort and my comment appeared to embarrass
Elliot.  When I asked him about it later, I explained that I
had meant what I said as a compliment.

"I know that's what you meant, but I'm sure my dads got
the implication," Elliot reasoned.  "If we got beat like that
today, and it wasn't even very close, then they must have
figured out that the way we played in our first match must
have been absolutely terrible."

I could see where he was coming from, although I told him
I thought his fathers wouldn't judge his play so harshly.
Elliot said he hoped that was so, but he expected his
fathers' ability to judge talent and athletic prowess would
be more astute than that.

The next day was Good Friday and the boys had the day
off from school.  Therefore, I took everyone who was
available at the time to attend services with me at church.
It wasn't a long or drawn out service, but the pastor did
cover the basics.  His sermon gave sufficient details to
remind us about why this day was so important to those of
us who adhere to the Christian faith.  Of course, it was a
somber and sobering experience.

After the service, we went home and waited for the arrival
of the other family members who were going to be joining
us for Easter.  I knew Jay was coming home with Ricky
this time, because Jay wanted to go over what he had
done on the architectural plans with Danny, Brandon and
Kevin.  Ricky was also picking up Graham and Sammy on
his way, because he was carpooling with them again.
Frankie and his girlfriend were also going to be driving in
to join us, since Frankie had this weekend off.  Pat was
also coming in from Pittsburgh, and he was going to be
bringing Duck and his girlfriend with him.  Regrettably,
Mark wouldn't be with us for this holiday, because he was
going to spend it with his girlfriend's family this year.
That, of course, didn't sit well with Susan.

The various vehicles began pulling in shortly after we
arrived home and continued showing up for the next
couple of hours.  It was good to see them again, but having
the family with us was what made the holiday even more
special.

"Dad, come look at the plans Jay brought with him,"
Brandon yelled to me, a little while after Jay arrived.  "He
brought the plans for both the health center and the
pharmacy."

I went in to see what Brandon was talking about and they
eagerly showed me the new blueprints Jay had just given
them.  It was immediately apparent that Jay had spent
quite a bit of time on these plans and had taken into
account every detail that Danny, Brandon and Kevin had
mentioned.  I was impressed by what I saw.

Starting with the health center, Jay had worked it so
there would be ten suites of medical offices and he'd
turned the school's old main office into a very nice dental
suite for Brandon and his soon-to-be business partner.  Jay
also managed to work in smaller offices, which were meant
for a child psychologist, speech therapist and physical
therapist's practice.  Jay had turned the two coaches
offices into a workable office for the physical therapists
and the old gym storage room into a storage area where
they could keep their equipment.  He planned for the
therapists to wheel their apparatus out and then use the
gymnasium to work with their patients.  Once they'd
finished work for the day, they would then move their
equipment back into the storage area, so the gym could be
used for other activities.

Danny then showed me that Jay had turned the two-story
addition into facilities that each of the offices would be
able to utilize.  First, there would be two elevators added
to the exterior of the structure, one for patients and the
other for freight and to move gurneys.  Jay also worked in
two operating rooms, which could be used for emergency
and outpatient procedures, along with a recovery area and
a small employee lounge, all on the upper level.  The
second floor would also contain a laboratory, which would
be independently run and would bill the offices separately
for the services they were asked to perform.

Jay had designated a large part of the lower floor to be
turned into an area that would be used as a diagnostic and
imaging department.  However, it would remain vacant
until Danny had secured the necessary funding to
purchase the required equipment.  This area was divided
into several smaller rooms, each with adjustable doorways,
so the appropriate equipment could be installed and then
used there.

Jay also told Danny that he could turn the library into
either another medical suite or they could possibly use it
as a daycare.  The daycare could be used by the employees
or by parents who had no other option but to bring their
other children in with them, when they brought another
child in for treatment.  By turning this area into a daycare
center, it would become another of those intangible extra
and beneficial services that would help to attract both
patients and prospective employees.

Jay also planned to turn the kitchen area into a snack bar,
which could also be utilized by both the employees and
patients.  Danny would be able to rent this space out to an
independent businessman, to help his bottom line.  There
would be an additional door through which others could
come in to utilize this service.  The old cafeteria would
then be set up with either booths or tables and chairs, so
their patrons would be able to sit down and enjoy their
purchases.

"Damn, this looks fantastic and it appears as if Jay has
covered all the bases," I told them, once I'd seen the
plans.  "It looks absolutely incredible and I think I might
want to invest in this with you, not just have the
Castaway Foundation make a donation.  Do you know
what types of practices you want to include in this health
center?"

"I do, Dad," Danny answered.  "I'm just trying to line up
someone for each of the different specialties I'd like to see
included."

"Do you mind sharing what you have in mind?" I asked
next, since I was really interested in what he was doing.

"Only if you promise not to get bored with all the details,"
Danny joked.

"Not at all," I agreed.  "I'm not only impressed, but I'm
eager to see how all of this is going to fit together."

"Well, besides a pediatric office for me and the dental
office for Brandon, there are several other offices I want to
include," Danny began.  "The ones I absolutely want to be
in there is an OBGYN office and I want them to have a
fertility expert on their staff as well.  I know this will
appear to be a little strange in a children's center, but I
feel that pre-natal care is important to have in there as
well."

I definitely concurred with his statement.

"I'd also like to see a hematology-oncology practice, to
deal with blood diseases and childhood cancer," Danny
continued.  "I also see the need for an endocrinology and
diabetic practice to deal with growth and hormonal
problems, as well as juvenile diabetes."

"That all sounds good so far," I agreed.  "Is that it?"

"Not by a long-shot," Danny acknowledged.  "I also want
someone specializing in allergies, immunology and
rheumatology and I'd like another practice that deals with
asthma, pulmonology issues and cystic fibrosis.  I think
lung diseases are far too frequent in the young, so I'd like
a specialist who has in-depth knowledge of the underlying
issues."

"Again, it sounds very good and I hope you can find
someone for each of those specialties," I told him.
"Anything else?"

"Yes, there are a few more I want included on the staff,"
Danny confessed.  "I also would like to include an
otolaryngologist, which you used to call an ear, nose and
throat doctor, plus an orthopedic specialist.  That practice
might come in handy with Elliot in the house.  I also
would like a pediatric surgeon, who can handle the
intricate operations that the rest of us feel would be better
off handled by a specialist.  I think that covers it, but I'd
also be open to having a cardiologist who deals with
childhood heart disorders and a gastroenterologist who
can not only deal with internal problems, but can also
address childhood eating disorders."

"That sounds like quite a shopping list and I hope you find
people to fill all of those slots," I told him.

"It's actually been easier than I thought it would be so
far," Danny answered.  "I already have people who've told
me they're interested in filling at least half of those spots,
so there aren't that many more slots that I still need to
recruit."

"That certainly sounds great and I pray the school goes on
sale and you're able to buy it," I agreed.  "I'd hate to see
all of this planning and hard work go to waste, not to
mention what a great loss it would be to the community at
large."

"Thanks, Dad.  That really makes me feel good," Danny
confessed.

"Now look at what Jay has set up for me," Kevin stated,
with great excitement.  "Everything works out perfectly.
Jay was able to arrange the pharmacy counter so I can
utilize both the vault and the drive-thru window."

"That's fantastic, because I remember you mentioned both
of those things were important to you," I concurred.
"How about the rest of the area and the sales floor?"

"Jay's got that all worked out too," Kevin told me.  "He
has three cash registers up front and one at the pharmacy
counter, plus numerous shelves for the merchandise.  He's
even left a corner open in the back where I can put the
larger display items.  I couldn't be any more pleased by
what he's done."

"Then I think you both owe Jay a big thank you for doing
this," I told them, so they both immediately thanked their
benefactor.

"I'll take your thanks, but I owed you at least that much,"
Jay replied.  "I don't know what I would have done or how
I would have turned out if you guys hadn't been there for
me when I was younger.  Hell, I even ended up choosing
my career because of things I saw and became interested
in when you took me on vacation with you.  Besides, since
this will help other families with children, I feel honored
that you let me help out."

I think we were all touched by Jay's reply and the
sincerity with which it was offered.  Even though we may
have helped him when he was younger, he also helped us.
I think Ricky needed Jay, just as much as Jay needed our
family.