Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:11:36 -0500 (EST)
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Next Generation, chapter 34

The Castaway Hotel: Next Generation - by BW
Copyright 2011 by billwstories

Chapter 34 -- Easter Blessings.

Shortly before noon on Saturday, the O'Haras arrived to
celebrate Easter with us.  Since Patrick had realized he'd
have to work all day Friday and didn't want to travel tired,
he'd booked a flight for early Saturday morning.  Now,
they arrived refreshed and ready to spend time with their
son's family.

Danny, Brandon and Elliot were all overjoyed to see them
again and greeted them warmly as they came through the
door.  Brandon also thanked his parents for making this
trip, because he knew they were primarily doing this so
they could spend more time with their grandson.  He was
glad they were all getting along so well and marveling at
the deep love they already had for Elliot.

Throughout the rest of Easter weekend, the boys showed
the blueprints Jay had developed to all of their brothers,
and anyone else who was interested.  Eagerly, Danny,
Brandon and Kevin explained all of the different areas
within those plans and described the intricacies of what
they wanted to accomplish in each section.  The trio did
admit they hadn't been able to put a purchase offer in on
the buildings yet, but stated they would, once the school
district decided what they were going to do.  I just pray
things don't go awry now, because everything is looking
super.

The O'Haras were also very interested in this endeavor
and pleased that both boys were going to have their own
practices.  Just think, a doctor and a dentist in the family,
along with a wonderful grandson.  They didn't think their
lives could get any better.

On Saturday afternoon, Graham came up to me and asked
if we could speak alone.  I agreed, so we went to my
bedroom and shut the door.

"What's up?" I asked, once we were by ourselves.

"I saw something earlier and wanted to tell you first, to
see what you think I should do next," he began.

>From the look on his face, I knew he wasn't talking about
a normal occurrence.  I suspected this might have
something to do with his gift.

"I take it this must have to do with your special ability?" I
asked, to be certain.

He merely nodded his head in response.  From the
troubled look on his face, I wasn't sure if this was good
news or not, so I listened to what he had to say.

"When I was in the foyer earlier, I saw something," he
explained.  "It was nothing bad, but I just don't know how
to handle it, since it has to do with Elliot."

I was somewhat surprised that he mentioned this had to
do with Elliot, but maybe I should have expected it.  After
all, each of the boys' families that had passed had
managed to make contact with us sooner or later.  Why
should Elliot's family react any differently?

"I take it this means you saw one of his family members?"
I asked.

"Yes, I'm getting used to seeing loved ones trying to send
messages to me or just hanging around in the area, but
this one kind of stood out," Graham confirmed.  "I wasn't
sure who the man was, but he kept standing near Elliot, so
I, of course, suspected it had something to do with him.
That's why I went up to Elliot's room, so I could look at
the photos he's got in there.  Doing this let me know the
guy I am seeing is Elliot's father."

Since Graham paused, I tried to urge him to continue his
story.

"And what was he doing?" I pressed.

"At first he just stood near Elliot and smiled at him,"
Graham told me.  "Once in a while he would point at Elliot
and give me a 'thumbs up' sign.  Then a little while later,
when Elliot was standing in front of the family photo with
Danny, Brandon and him, the guy held out a bouquet of
roses.  I think he was doing this to show me that he
approves of Elliot's new family."

"So what's your problem?" I asked.

"Dad, you know how some people react when I tell them
about what I see," he confessed.  "I don't want to freak
Elliot out already, because I don't really know him that
well.  I mean, how do you think he'll react when I tell him
I see dead people?  What do you think I should do?"

I thought about this for a couple of minutes before I
answered him.  I thought about Elliot's situation and how
he'd reacted to other situations, before I made up my
mind.

"Let me go get Elliot, Danny and Brandon," I suggested.
"I'll bring them all in here and we'll tell them together.
That way they'll all know what you've seen and Danny and
Brandon will be here to help with Elliot, in case he takes
this badly.  No matter what else we do, I think he has the
right to know that you've seen his father and he's giving
positive signs.  This might even help Elliot a little, if he
knows he still has his father's support."

After I finished telling Graham this, I went out and found
Danny and Brandon first.  Once we were alone, I gave
them a very brief explanation of what Graham had seen
and told them my opinion about what I thought we should
do next.  I also advised them that this was their decision,
but that was how I would handle it.  They, in turn, went
and found Elliot and brought him to my room, where we
were all squeezed in together.  Once everyone was inside,
Danny shut the door and Elliot looked around at who was
in there.  Suddenly, his complexion began to lose color
and he appeared absolutely terrified.

"Calm down, you didn't do anything wrong," Brandon
immediately told him, after noticing his reaction.  "It's
just that Graham has something to tell you and we wanted
to be here with you when it happened.  You know Graham.
Right?"

Elliot nodded, but was nervously glancing from one face to
another.  He wasn't sure what was up, but he obviously
had a feeling it wasn't good.

"Elliot, has anyone told you about my special ability?"
Graham asked him next.

"You mean that you can sometimes tell when something
bad is going to happen," Elliot stated.  "Jesse told me a
little about that."

"That's a part of it," Graham confirmed, "but I can also
see things that the rest of you can't."

"Like what?" Elliot demanded.

"This may sound very strange to you," Graham continued,
"but I can often see people who have died.  In the past,
I've been able to see some of my brothers' parents who
were no longer alive and Dad's wife.  They appeared to me
so I could tell their sons that they were happy about their
current situation and would continue to look out for them.
They gave me small signs that they were grateful their
sons had a new home and were pleased with how their
lives were turning out."

Elliot was starting to go pale again, so Brandon had him
sit on the bed.  After a few seconds, the color began to
return to his face and he looked up at Graham again.

"Does this mean you've seen my dad?" he wanted to
know.

After a very slight pause, Graham answered.

"Yes, I've seen him a couple of times today," he admitted.
"I wasn't sure who he was at first, so I went up to your
room to look at your photos.  Once I'd done that, I was
convinced it was your father."

"What did he want?" Elliot demanded.  "What did he tell
you?"

"When I first saw him, he was standing behind you in the
foyer," Graham explained.  "He had a huge smile on his
face and was giving you a 'thumbs up' sign.  This means
he's pleased with what he's seeing and he's very happy for
you."

Elliot looked relieved and glanced at his fathers quickly.
Once he'd done that, he turned back and looked at
Graham.

"So he knows I'm living here and he's okay with it?" Elliot
pressed.

"I would say that's what he wanted me to let you know,"
Graham confirmed.

"And he's okay that I have gay parents now?" Elliot
continued.

"I would have to say he is," Graham answered.  "The
second time I saw him, you were standing by your family
portrait in the foyer.  Your dad was standing next to you,
looking up at that photo and holding out a bouquet of red
roses.  This would indicate that he fully supports your new
family and is very happy for you."

Suddenly, Elliot slumped forward.  We thought he was
about to fall off the bed, so Danny and Brandon grabbed a
hold of his arms and sat down beside him on the bed.
Elliot, however, was merely leaning forward, so he could
rest his elbows on his knees.  Then, he placed his hands
on his face and began to weep, very softly.

We decided not to interfere and allowed him to do this.
We merely observed his actions and waited a few minutes
for him to regain control of his emotions.  None of us said
a word during this time, although Danny and Brandon
maintained physical contact with him.  They did this to
let him know he wasn't alone, while they allowed him to
work things out for himself.  They continued to rub his
back and stroke his arm, while we waited for him to speak
to us again.

"So he's really okay with this?" Elliot asked again, seeking
confirmation.

"It certainly appears that way," Graham agreed.  "He
seems to be pleased with your new situation, but he is also
very proud of you.  I could tell by the way he was looking
at you and how his chest seemed to be puffed out with
pride."

This news caused Elliot to sob again and this continued
for a few more seconds.  Once again, we didn't interfere
and gave him time to absorb this information.

"I'm so glad you saw him," Elliot agreed.  "I know he loved
me and wanted what was best for me, so I figured he'd be
satisfied that I was here, along as I was happy.  It's just
nice to know he really does approve and is proud of me."

"I think he's more than proud of you," Graham concurred,
"and thrilled that you're doing so well.  He also seems very
happy that you were able to get everything that was
important to you from the house.  When I went up to your
room to check out the photos, he went with me.  He swept
his arms around the room, which I felt indicated to me
that he was pleased you'd kept your bedroom set.  He also
pointed to a picture of you at your piano, which I think
meant he is also glad you kept the piano as well.  He even
pointed at a picture of Uncle Mark in the foyer and gave a
two thumbs up signal, so I think this was meant to
indicate that he's also very pleased with how Mark is
taking care of the money he left you."

"Damn, he let you know all that?" Elliot remarked,
surprised.  "I guess I'm really glad you have this gift,
because now I'm not so worried that I couldn't keep all of
his other things.  I was afraid he might be sad about that,
but I guess he's not."

"No, I think he's extremely pleased by everything he's
learned and seen so far," Graham confirmed.

Once we ended this little session, the rest of the day went
pretty smoothly.  After we left my room, Elliot went to
share the good news with Jesse, but Danny and Brandon
were never far from his side.  One or the other was always
somewhere nearby, in case Elliot suddenly had trouble
dealing with this information again, but that didn't
happen.  I guess in a way, it was a relief for him to know
that his father saw and approved of his new life and was
satisfied with the decisions he had made up to this point.
Graham's revelation had also helped to validate the things
Danny and Brandon had told him about what his father
would have wanted for him.  It also let him know that he
didn't have to worry about his father being disappointed
that he hadn't been able to keep everything.  I think that
has remained one of Elliot's major concerns.

Elliot also shared this news with the O'Haras, since he was
eager to tell them that his dad approved of his new life.  I
think this made Patrick and Brenda breathe a sigh of relief
as well, since this meant that Elliot had absolutely no
qualms about being part of their family.

After having a very relaxing afternoon and evening, Elliot
and Jesse slept together that night and we found out the
next morning that he'd slept very well.  I think Graham's
visions had helped to take another big load off Elliot's
mind.

On Sunday, we all gathered together and went to church
as a family.  Once we returned home, Jake and I put the
finishing touches on a huge Easter meal, with two large
hams, and then enjoyed being together with the family
once again.

Jay and his parents joined us as well and everyone was
eager to tell Jay and the Curtises how remarkable his
blueprints were.  They wanted to be certain that his
parents were aware of what a terrific job he had done.  The
Curtises were nearly bursting with pride as they listened
to everyone's comments and assured us they were well
aware of what an amazing son they had.

As we were about to sit down, Ricky asked if he might
speak.  I was a little surprised by his request, since he
hadn't mentioned wanting to do this before, but I allowed
him to have the floor.  Slowly, he rose from his chair.

"I'd like to apologize to all of you for the way I acted back
at Christmas," he began.  "Someone pulled a few jokes on
me and I responded like a jackass.  I guess I really
deserved what was done to me, after all of the things I've
done to the rest of you over the years."

His brothers were all nodding their heads vigorously in
agreement.  Ricky merely smiled at their antics.

"Anyway, whoever pulled that crap on me was really
inventive, and maybe even a genius," Ricky added.  "I
know I never thought of pranks that were anywhere near
as good as those.  I have to admit, I first suspected
Andrew, after what he did the last time, but now I don't
think he was the one who did it.  Whoever it was though,
my hat is off to you and I hope you accept my apology for
acting so crazy."

Ricky bowed slightly and imitated taking off a hat.  I think
the other boys were slightly surprised at this new Ricky
and maybe even wondered if he was only trying to find out
whom it was, so he could get back at him.  However, I
think his obvious sincerity convinced them this was not
the case.

As we ate our meal, we had a good time recalling the
pranks Ricky had just mentioned.  After all, Jay and his
parents hadn't been with us during that time and we
didn't want them to feel we were leaving them in the dark
about this.  In the end, we all had another good laugh at
Ricky's expense.

Once dinner was over, Jake and I asked everyone to
remain seated for a moment, while we went to get
something.  When we returned, we were carrying two
cakes, one with a '3' and '0' lit on top, while the other had
a '3' and '4' with flames attached.

"Happy belated birthday, Mark, and happy early birthday,
Duck," we shouted, as we set the appropriate cake in front
of each individual.  Mark had turned 30 on April 2nd and
Duck would be turning 34 on May 3rd.  I think both boys
were amazed we had remembered this and thanked us for
the surprise.  We then sang 'Happy Birthday' to them and
passed out the cake.  It was a nice way to complete the
meal.

Shortly after we finished dinner, some of the others began
to return to their homes.  Many of the boys still had to
make long drives back to where they lived, because they
were required to work the next day.  Understanding their
circumstance, we bid them farewell and sent them on
their way, after they promised to drive safely.  It had truly
been a fantastic day.

However, before Ricky left, Elliot approached him.  Jesse
was standing behind him, as backup and for support.  After
summoning the courage, Elliot spoke.

"I was the one who pulled those pranks on you," he
admitted.

"You?  No way!" Ricky exclaimed.

"It was me," Elliot confirmed, "although I did need Jesse's
help with some of the stuff.  Otherwise, it would have
taken too long to do it before you woke up.  Besides, I
wouldn't have been able to find the things I needed to pull
it off, unless Jesse showed me where that stuff was kept.
Jesse can confirm my story, if you don't believe me."

Jesse was nodding his head vigorously, in support of what
Elliot was saying.

"Why?" was all Ricky responded.

"To get even with you for what you did to me at
Thanksgiving," Elliot admitted and Ricky grinned.

"Then I did have it coming," Ricky agreed.  "But how did
you come up with those pranks?  They were simply
genius."

"All of those things were pranks some of the other guys at
my old boarding school had pulled on some of the others,"
Elliot confessed.  "I thought they were good, so I just kind
of borrowed them."

"Well, I'll admit I was impressed, but at least now I know
who to watch out for in the future," Ricky teased.

The boys had a good laugh and then they rejoined the rest
of us.  Over the next hour, most of our remaining guests
left.  After Ricky, Jay, Graham and Sammy pulled out of
the driveway, Jesse and Elliot went upstairs to their
rooms.  It had truly been a fantastic day, but now they
wanted some time alone.

April was now nearly over and we wondered if the month
held anything more in store for us.  That question was
answered on the Wednesday after Easter.  It just happened
to be Dustin's birthday, April 27th and we had just gotten
back from taking Dustin out for his birthday.  A short time
after we arrived at the house, Danny got a call from the
superintendent of the school district he had been in
contact with about the possible sale of the building.

"Dr. Currie, I am calling to tell you that our school district
will be selling the property you were inquiring about," he
began.  "The school board ratified the consolidation plan
last evening and also established a price for the building
and grounds.  Are you still interested?"

"I am," Danny assured him.

Once Danny heard the amount, he reaffirmed his intent.
That's when the Superintendent told him that the board
was willing to accept his offer, if he agreed to their price.
They said they'd rather sell the property for his endeavor,
since his proposal would benefit children and continue the
legacy the school had started.  They would rather do this
than have the property used for other purposes.  Danny
thanked him for their consideration and expressed his
desire to proceed in a way to substantiate their trust.

Danny then quickly negotiated a slight reduction in the
asking price, which would be equivalent to half of the
percentage a realtor would charge, if the district had to
list the property for sale.  This way the district would
actually end up with slightly more money, but Danny
would end up paying less.  After thinking about it, the
superintendent told him he thought that was a fair offer,
but he'd have to get the board's approval on it first.  He
then advised Danny that he'd call him back to confirm the
sale, once he secured the board's approval.

After Danny got off the phone, he called Kevin and told
him that it looked as if the deal was a go.  If the district
didn't accept his initial proposal, Danny was willing to
increase his offer to the full asking price, so he would
finalize this deal, one way or the other.  Therefore, he
advised Kevin to start negotiations on the property he was
interested in and then they could go to the bank together
to arrange for mortgages on both places.  Needless to say,
Danny, Brandon and Kevin were walking on Cloud Nine for
the rest of the evening.  It looked as if things were still
moving in the right direction.

That night, Jake and I were watching the late night news
and noticed that the south was being hit by a wave of
tornados.  The storms touched down in Mississippi,
Alabama and Georgia, caused a great deal of damage and
had taken many lives.  Suddenly, we began to worry about
Nick and Shannon.  They live in a suburb of Atlanta and
we were concerned that they might be in the path of these
storms.  Jake called to warn them and make sure they
were all right, but he couldn't get through.  We didn't
know if the phone service had been interrupted or if too
many other people were trying to reach loved ones and
had temporarily overwhelmed the system.  Either way, we
had to go to bed without hearing from them.

Since Jake leaves for work so early, I told him I'd call the
boys and then let him know the minute I reached them.  I
finally got an answer, a little after 7:00.

"Damn, I was really worried about you guys," I told
Shannon.  "Did you get hit by those tornados?"

"No.  Luckily, they were to the north and west of us," he
told me.  "We've seen some reports on the news and there
has been considerable damage where they touched down,
but we didn't get hit."

"I'm glad to hear that and your father will be too," I told
him.

We talked for a couple more minutes, but then he had to
leave to go to work.  As soon as we hung up, I called Jake
and let him know the boys were fine.  He was very
relieved.

That evening, we watched the news and saw how
devastating those storms were, so I'm glad they didn't go
near where the boys live.  This was one time that God was
on our side.

The following Monday night, I was still up when the
President made an announcement that Osama bin Laden
had been killed by U.S. forces.  I immediately ran around
the house and told the others who were still up and I
would fill in the rest in the morning.  We were all happy
and excited that he had been made to pay for his crimes,
even if it took nearly ten years to do that, and I knew that
much more news would be coming out about this the next
day.  I wanted to see the proof, but I don't think they'd
have announced this if they weren't positive they'd gotten
the right man.

Two days later, on Wednesday, Danny heard from the
superintendent of schools again.  The board of education
had agreed to accept his offer on the school.  After giving
Danny the good news, he also told him the district would
not need a month to move everything out, as they first
anticipated.  He said it would probably only take a week to
ten days after school was out before Danny could take
possession, since the teachers and staff were packing and
moving a lot of items already.  Danny thanked him for the
information and told him that would help out a lot.

Before he hung up, the Superintendent also gave Danny
the name and phone number of a general contractor the
district often used.  He assured Danny that the
contractor's rates were reasonable and his work was
excellent.  The Superintendent also informed him that the
contractor has also done renovations at hospitals and
other medical facilities, so he is already familiar with the
requirements Danny would have, in order to make this
happen.  This information sounded great, so Danny
thanked him again and told the Superintendent he'd bring
the contracts to be signed and advise him about a closing
date, just as soon as he'd secured the financing.

Danny now called Kevin again, once his call with the
Superintendent ended, but this time he explained to his
brother that this was now a done deal.  He would be having
Uncle Steve draw up the appropriate papers, so he and the
school officials could sign them.  He suggested that Kevin
should now do the same thing with the bank building.
They also agreed to go to the bank's main office the
following week, once Kevin's offer was accepted and
Danny had the signed purchase agreement in his hand, so
they could start the paperwork for the mortgages.

Once he finished talking to Kevin, Danny then called the
general contractor whose name the Superintendent had
given him.  Danny explained what was happening and what
he would need.  He also told him the location of the
property and the time frame for when the work would
most likely begin.

"You're in luck," the contractor replied.  "I recently
prepared my crew for another job, but I just got word that
the project has temporarily been put on hold.  The
company hiring me to renovate one of its manufacturing
facilities has run into some financial problems, due to the
slow economic recovery.  The company says they may still
go ahead with their plan, but if they do they'll have to
postpone it until early next year.  They admitted that
there is also a chance that they may be forced to
consolidate plants and close the location I was going to
work on, rather than renovate it, but they're trying hard
to avoid that option.

"I was just bemoaning the situation with my wife," the
contractor continued, "but this will work out perfectly for
both of us.  I'll be able to do your job and I won't have to
lay off my crew.  I was really worried about that, so I think
your timing is ideal for each of us."

Danny also told him about the pharmacy and agreed to
meet him, so he could give him the plans for both places.
Then, the contractor could give them an estimate on the
cost.  If they agreed on a price, then the contractor said
he could begin work just as soon as Danny and Kevin had
the deeds.  The contractor also said he'd have estimates
for the work on both places within a few days after he
received the blueprints and then Danny could decide if he
wanted to hire his company.

Danny also talked to some of his contacts about the other
possible funding sources.  Danny was looking for ways to
get equipment for the laboratory, as well as for the
diagnostic and imaging center.  Danny had decided he
wanted to personally set up both facilities, staff them and
then oversee the operation, so he could profit from their
work as well.  That would be an additional source of
income to help make certain this venture was sustainable.

His contacts also agreed to help him file the necessary
forms for the appropriate grants and the other funding
sources to help make this possible.  They would get
everything together and then meet with him to help fill
the forms out, so he could sign each one and send them
in.  Much of this funding was what some would refer to as
'free money,' which was offered by the government and
other organizations to entice individuals to set up health
related businesses in non-metropolitan areas.  What could
be better than that?