Date: Wed, 8 Feb 2012 03:41:16 -0500 (EST)
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Next Generation, chapter 44

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

Chapter 44 -- A Tragedy Averted.

I arrived at the hospital Thursday evening and went
directly to the main desk, to ask where Frankie was
currently located.  After I gave the lady Frankie's name
and told her what he was in for, she informed me they had
just moved him from recovery into a room.  She gave me
the room number and directions for how to get there, so I
set out for the elevator she indicated I would need to take.

When I got up to the correct floor, I went in the direction
the sign indicated I'd need to go in order to get to
Frankie's room.  I stopped at the nurse's station on the
way by, so I could inquire about his condition.  The nurse
on duty asked if I was related, and when I told her I was
his father, she told me she'd have the doctor come out
and fill me in concerning his status.  About three minutes
later, the doctor approached my location.

"Mr. Currie, I'm pleased to advise you that your son is no
longer in danger," the doctor announced.  "I think his
quick thinking is what saved his life or I might have
different news to share with you now."

"I haven't heard anything about what happened, except
he'd been shot in the femoral artery," I replied.

"I'm afraid I don't know much about how it happened,"
the doctor explained, "but I can inform you as to what the
emergency crew told me when they brought your son in.
They said that when they reached the scene, your son had
removed his tie and used that in conjunction with his
baton to make a tourniquet.  He then tightened it around
his leg to cut off the flow of blood, so he didn't end up
dying out on the interstate.  Since the femoral artery is a
major blood supplier, I can tell you that if he hadn't
reacted so quickly and appropriately, it would have only
taken minutes before he would have lost enough blood to
cost him his life."

"I didn't know that," I told him.  "Thank you for the
information, Doctor, and thank you for everything you've
done for him."

"It was my pleasure," he responded.  "I hear he's a hero
for making the stop in the first place, although I wasn't
told any of the specifics about it.  However, I do know the
nurse has called the local State Police barracks to report
that your son is out of surgery and out of danger.  She also
told them you've arrived, so I think someone might be
coming by here before long to fill you in about what
happened."

"Thank you for the information, Doctor.  May I go in to
see my son now?" I asked.

"Certainly, but he won't be conscious for a while yet," he
advised me.  "It will be another half hour or so before the
effects of the anesthesia wears off completely.  After that,
he may still be a little groggy and incoherent, but it
should clear up fairly quickly."

The doctor then left and I went in to see Frankie.  He had
some tubes sticking in him, but he didn't look too bad.
Hopefully, he'll come to in a bit and I'll be able to let him
know I'm here.  In the meantime, I sat beside him, held
his hand and began to talk to him.  I wasn't sure if he
could hear me, but I wanted to let him know he was no
longer alone.

A short time later, a gentleman in a gray State Police
uniform entered the room.  He quickly walked over to me
and extended his hand.

"We spoke earlier, on the phone," he began.  "I'm Captain
Seth Dalton.  I'm in charge of your son's troop."

"It's nice to meet you, sir," I replied, as I shook his hand.
"Can you tell me anything about how this happened?"

"I certainly can, but let me start off by telling you that
your son's actions might have helped to prevent the loss
of many lives in a terrorist attack," he began.  "Let me
give you the details, so you can appreciate what your son
did."

"Yes, I would appreciate you doing that," I agreed.

"Frank was patrolling I-78 at the time and radioed in to
report a suspicious vehicle and run a license check,"
Captain Dalton continued.  "He saw what appeared to be a
moving van with the U-Haul logo on, but Frank reported it
didn't look like an authorized vehicle.  He said there had
been some kind of poster applied to the vehicle, instead of
being painted on, and a large section of the corner of this
temporary logo was beginning to peel off and was flapping
in the wind.  When the license check was run, it came
back that the plates had been reported stolen off of a real
U-Haul vehicle."

"But surely that situation doesn't sound very dangerous,"
I observed.

"You'd be surprised," the Captain replied, "because a truck
like that could be used to transport any number of things,
including drugs and illegal aliens.  They obviously stole
the license from a real U-Haul vehicle hoping that it
wouldn't be discovered right away and the could get by
with the deception."

"I can see that now, but the types of uses you've just
mentioned would never have crossed my mind," I replied.
"I would have just thought that someone was using an
unregistered or stolen vehicle to move with."

"Unfortunately, that wasn't the case," he confirmed.
"Once this information came back, Frank radioed that he
was going to stop the vehicle.  He activated the dash cam
and turned on the cruiser's lights and siren, as he
attempted to pull the truck over.  Once the truck was
stopped on the side of the road, Frank pulled in behind
them and got out of his cruiser.  As he began to approach
the other vehicle, the driver got out of the cab of the
truck and started toward him.  Frank immediately told
him to keep his hands where he could see them and get
back in the truck.

"As he was watching the driver," the Captain continued,
"Frank told the emergency crew that he noticed
movement on the other side of the truck.  When he
glanced in that direction, he spotted a second occupant
coming around the rear of the vehicle.  Frankie then
pulled his weapon and focused on that person briefly, to
make sure he wasn't planning to attack and didn't have a
weapon.  When Frank focused on him, the driver must
have pulled a gun from somewhere and started shooting.
Frank immediately returned fire, but he was hit in the leg
during this exchange and dropped to the ground.  At this
point, the two suspects jumped back into the truck and
took off."

"I'm glad they didn't try to finished him off," I observed.

"I believe they were hoping to get away and I'm fairly
positive they knew a manhunt for them would only
intensify if they'd killed a police officer," Captain Dalton
observed.

"Why did they feel they had to start shooting in the first
place?" I wondered.  "Were they transporting drugs or was
the truck a large bomb, like the one used in Oklahoma
City?"

"It was neither of those things, but the vehicle contained
a threat just the same," the Captain confirmed.  "Anyway,
Frank fired at the vehicle as it was leaving and punctured
both tires on the left rear side.  The truck continued on,
even though it had two flat tires, and left Frank alone,
lying on the ground in front of his cruiser.  Frank then
used his shoulder radio to report that shots had been fired
and an officer was down.  Then, he took off his tie and
used that, along with his baton, to stop the bleeding until
we could get an emergency vehicle to take care of him.
They arrived a few minutes later."

"I'm glad they got to him quickly," I agreed.  "That
probably saved his life."

"The doctor says Frank saved his own life with his quick
wits," Captain Dalton confessed.  "And his same quick
thinking also helped us capture the two men and prevent
them from carrying out their plot.  Since we already had
the license number, vehicle description and knew what
route the truck was on, we dispatched several other
cruisers in pursuit.  The truck was forced to pull onto the
shoulder a couple of miles down the road, because the rear
tires had completely shredded and they were driving on
the rims.  The men were trying to replace the shredded
outer tire with one they were taking off the other side, so
they could continue on with their mission.

"Upon arriving at the scene, the other officers quickly
surrounded the vehicle and used their cruisers for cover,"
he continued.  "The suspects opened fire and tried to
shoot their way out again, so my men fired back.  One
suspect was killed and the other was seriously wounded.
Once they'd been subdued, one of the officers opened the
cargo door to the vehicle and discovered why they didn't
want to be stopped.  It was filled with all kinds of
weapons, including numerous rocket launchers.

"We suspect they were heading to New York City to carry
out a terrorist attack," Captain Dalton added.  "It's
possible they were planning to shoot down something,
with those weapons, but whether it was for planes, ships
or trains we don't know.  They might have even had some
other target in mind, possibly a bridge or tunnel, the
Statue of Liberty or even the stock exchange.  Whatever
they were planning, Frank's keen instincts and quick
actions probably averted a major disaster."

"Wow, I didn't realize the details surrounding how he'd
been shot," I confirmed, "but I'm certainly proud of what
he did."

"You should also be aware that he'll probably receive a
citation for his heroic actions," the Captain replied.  "He
is one of my best men, even though he hasn't been on the
force very long.  His military background has served him
well though and I suspect he might even get a promotion
out of this.  After all, he is the major topic of discussion
amongst all my superiors."

This left me totally flabbergasted, but I still managed to
keep my wits about me long enough to shake hands with
him again before he left.  Prior to taking off, Captain
Dalton also informed me he would swing by from time to
time, so he could see how Frankie was doing.  I thought
that was very considerate of him and told him so.

Now that I had time to consider everything I'd been told, I
was even more impressed by Frankie's accomplishments.
Don't take me wrong, I'm still very concerned about him
and wondered if more things like this were going to keep
happening in the future, if he stayed on the force.  I know
he's performing a vital service for the state and nation,
but I don't know how many more circumstances like this I
can take.  I've lost two sons over the past few years and
I'm not sure if I'll be able to deal with losing another.

As these thoughts were going through my mind, Frankie
was slowing starting to regain consciousness.  He was
groaning lightly, his eyes were beginning to flicker open
and he turned his head slightly to one side.  I moved over
to him and spoke.

"Frankie, you're going to be fine and I'm here for you," I
told him.

I don't think he understood what I'd said, because it
appeared as if he was still confused and his eyes weren't
focusing yet.  Concerned, I went out to get a nurse to
come in and see if she could help.

"He's starting to come around, but it's going to take
time," she informed me.  "Let me give him something to
help out."

She then went out for a few moments and then came back
carrying a syringe.  She injected whatever was in it into
his IV tube and then disappeared again.  A few minutes
later, Frankie started to shake off the lingering effects of
the anesthetic.

"Dad?" I heard him ask, groggily.

"Yes, Frankie, it's me," I assured him.  "How are you
feeling?"

"Confused," he responded.  "I vaguely remember being
shot and some guys taking off in a truck, but it's all kind
of fuzzy."

"Yes, they had to sedate you, so they could patch you up,"
I confirmed.

"Yeah, I remember I got hit in the leg and had to stop the
bleeding," he confessed.  "Did they get the guy who shot
me?"

"Yes, they killed one of the men and the other was badly
wounded," I informed him.  "Your troop commander
thinks you foiled a terrorist plot when you pulled the
truck over."

"Really?" Frankie asked.  "I knew something wasn't quite
right, but I wasn't sure what.  Damn, I'm glad I trusted my
gut and called in the plate number.  I could have easily
just passed them by, but I got suspicious when I saw the
logo peeling off the truck.  I just called in the plate
number to be sure and it came back stolen.  I didn't think
the situation was going to go so badly or I would have
called for back-up."

"Maybe you should start playing it a little safer then," I
suggested.  "I don't know if I can handle you getting
injured like this again."

"Dad, I wasn't being reckless," Frankie insisted.  "I just
thought maybe they were hauling stolen merchandise or
maybe using the truck in some sort of scam, but I never
thought it would be anything that would erupt in gunfire."

"Well, I guess it was filled with weapons, including some
rocket launchers," I advised him.  "Your Captain said they
suspect the men were heading to New York to pull off
some kind of terrorist attack."

"Holy shit!" Frankie exclaimed.  "That would explain a few
things.  I immediately suspected the driver was trying to
hide his identity, because he was wearing a ball cap pulled
low and had reflective sun glasses on.  When the second
guy came around the other side of the truck, he looked as
if he might be wearing a wig and false beard.  I didn't get a
chance to study him for very long, before the driver
started shooting."

"Other than you getting shot, it turned out pretty well," I
confessed.  "Your Captain thinks highly of you and told
me you'll probably get a citation for this, and maybe even
a promotion.  I'm extremely proud of you, but I'm just
worried that one of these days it won't turn out quite this
well."

"I promise to be more careful from now on, Dad, but I
really love this job and don't want to give it up," Frankie
responded.  "If I get in the B.C.I., then it won't be as
dangerous, so I'll just have to hang in there until then."

Since I knew he really did like being a trooper, I accepted
his promise to be more careful in the future and left it at
that.  I stayed at his bedside and filled him in about the
other things going on at home, until I saw he was getting
tired.  At that point, I told him to get some rest and I'd
check into a motel and be back in the morning.  He
thanked me for being here with him and then I went to
find a place to stay.  I did check in with the nurses again
before I left and gave them my cell number.  They told me
not to worry and that Frankie is going to be fine, as they
sent me on my way to get some rest.  Since I had their
assurance, I left the hospital and went to find a motel
close by.

As soon as I checked into a room, I called Jake, so I could
fill him in about everything.  We talked for nearly an hour,
as I told him what I'd learned and answered all of his
questions.  During this time, Jake also helped to keep me
calm and grounded, so I didn't let my fears grow out of
proportion.  I desperately needed that at this point and I
was glad he has such a calming effect on me.  I also knew
he could fill everyone else in about what had happened as
well, without panicking anyone.  This knowledge not only
prevented me from worrying about everyone back home,
but our little chat also helped me relax enough so I was
able to get some rest.

Frankie was doing much better when I arrived at the
hospital the next morning.  He told me the doctor wanted
him to stay there over the weekend, for observation.  The
doctor wanted to make certain the patch job held and
there was no sign of infection.  I told Frankie that was
great and informed him I'd stay with him the following
week, so I could help out until he was able to do things on
his own.  He insisted that wasn't necessary, probably
because he knew we were supposed to go on vacation next
week, but I told him I was staying with him, whether he
liked it or not -- and that was an order.

Frankie just laughed at my little joke and assured me the
army and the state police had taught him to follow orders
from his superiors and never question them.  He then
added that since I outranked him in the family, he'd do as
I commanded, even if he thought I was being overly
protective.  I told him that was a father's prerogative and I
was glad he wasn't fighting me on this one.

We spent the day chatting and watching television in his
room.  Frankie was in very good spirits, although still in a
little bit of pain, but the nurses took care of that with
some medication.  I only left his bedside to go eat and to
use the toilet.

Before I left for the evening though, his troop commander
came by again to see how Frankie was doing.  They
chatted for a while about the stop and what happened
afterward, and Captain Dalton filled him in about what
homeland security and the F.B.I. thought was going on.
After they were filled in about what the State Police had
discovered in the truck, they had their own observations
to share.

>From the information the Captain had received back from
federal officials, he discovered the two men belonged to an
anti-government militia and the F.B.I. suspected they
were trying to carry out a terrorist attack and make it
appear as if al Qaida or other Muslim jihadists were
responsible.  They thought this because when the other
officers searched the truck, they discovered grease paint,
wigs, false beards and mustaches that could be used to
make the men appear to be from an Arab country.  They
suspect the men were trying to make the government look
bad and bring down the current administration by making
it appear as if they had been asleep at the wheel and
allowed another attack on American soil.

Frankie was amazed by this news, but thrilled that he had
played a part in stopping it.  After they discussed this
further, Captain Dalton left, but not before telling Frankie
how proud he was of what he'd accomplished.  I thought
that was a very nice touch.

Shortly after he left, I got a call on my cell phone from
Jake.  Since I couldn't answer it in Frankie's room,
because cell phones are prohibited, I went out to find a
pay phone.  When I located one, I called him back to find
out what he wanted.  He told me he and the others were
just entering Allentown and asked for direction to the
hospital and for Frankie's room number.  Once I'd given
him that information, he said they would see us shortly.

When they arrived, Frankie was glad to see each of them,
but insisted they shouldn't have come all this way to see
him.  He said he'd be fine, but the others said they
wouldn't have dreamt of not coming and being here for
him.  They even snuck Joshie in to see him and he went
over to his uncle and tried to make him feel better.

"Are you sick, Uncle Frankie?" Joshie asked.

"Yes, something like that," Frankie agreed.

"Will you feel better soon?" Joshie asked next.

"I'm already feeling better, now that you're here," Frankie
assured him.

I could see Joshie's little chest puff out, since he thought
he might have made his uncle feel better.  Once their
conversation had ended, we filled the rest of them in
about the information Captain Dalton had shared with us.

"Damn, Frankie the hero," Trey stated.  "I always knew
you had it in you."

"After the rough start we had, I'm glad you're willing to
give me that much credit," Frankie acknowledged.  I think
Trey's comment had made him feel very good.

"Everyone else will be here tomorrow," Jake informed us.
"Jordan and Nicky's parents will be coming and they'll
pick the boys up here, but everyone wanted to see you too
and let you know they hoped you'd recover quickly."

"They don't have to do that," Frankie insisted.  "I know
you were all supposed to go on vacation next week."

"We decided we might do a few things, but we'd rather be
here for you," Jake replied.  "Hell, we didn't even know
you were a hero then, so now we have something to
celebrate, as well as trying to make sure you get better
soon."

I think Frankie was a little embarrassed by this news, but
he did enjoy talking to everyone.  We all stayed in with
him until visiting hours ended, and then we told Frankie
we'd see him again in the morning.  After that, I led
everyone over to the motel I was staying at.  Jake would
be staying with me, but we got everyone else a room and
then they all went to settle in, clean up and go to bed.

Before we turned in though, I called Michael, Marie,
Elizabeth and Robert to let them know about Frankie's
condition and to give them directions.  They each thanked
me and said they'd see us tomorrow, and I apologized that
our vacation plans had run into this glitch.  They all told
me not to worry about it and they were just glad Frankie
was okay, before we hung up.

The rest of the family showed up the next day and we took
turns going in to see Frankie.  There were just far too
many of us to go in at one time, but the hospital staff did
find it amazing, and maybe even humorous, as to what a
large group there was.

In between our shifts in with Frankie, we also discussed
the vacation plans.  I told the others there was no way I
would be going with them, but I hoped the rest of them
would take advantage of the reservations and the plans I'd
made.  Eventually, I talked Jake into going with them too,
although he had wanted to stay with me, but I told him to
do this for the others, especially the kids.  I even
emphasized that he worked hard and needed to relax on
his vacation and not baby-sit with Frankie and me, so he
finally relented and agreed to go.

Everyone stayed in Allentown until Monday morning,
because they were going to be staying at the house with us
during that time anyway and didn't have any other plans
until Monday.  Before they left, I said goodbye to each one
and thanked them for coming together as a family to
support Frankie.  They each said they'd never consider
doing anything else and reiterated that's what family was
for.  I couldn't agree with them more.

After they took off, I went to the hospital and stayed with
Frankie until the doctor came in and released him.  I then
drove him over to his apartment and helped him get
comfortable.  I was surprised that Frankie wanted to get
up and do so much on his own, even though I told him I
would wait on him and take care of everything for the rest
of my time there.  He just stated that it wasn't necessary
and he didn't like feeling like an invalid.  I just hoped he
didn't break his stitches or do any further damage than
what had already occurred.

Some of his co-workers stopped by from time to time to
see how he was doing and a couple of them got his car
keys from him and went back to the station house to get
his car.  It had been at the barracks since he signed out
the cruiser on Thursday, and although they returned the
cruiser after he had been taken to the hospital, they didn't
have his keys to bring his car here.  Therefore, they
happily did that for him now.  He wouldn't be able to drive
for a while, but at least he'd have his wheels when he was
able to get out of his apartment again.

Before the end of the week, Captain Dalton showed up
again and told Frankie there would indeed be a formal
ceremony to honor and award him with a citation.  It
would be a joint ceremony, since the federal government
wanted to do something for him too.  I think that came as
a total shock to both of us and we wondered what that
would possibly entail.

Captain Dalton told us this probably wouldn't happen for a
month or more, since there was a lot to do to plan an
event of this nature.  He did assure me though, that our
family would be included, along with some of Frankie's co-
workers and some notable state and federal officials.  It
appeared as if this was going to be a much larger event
than I had first suspected.  I merely thought it was
something they would do at the troop barracks, possibly
with some reporters on hand, but it appeared they might
be planning to make a much larger event out of this.

On their way back from vacation, the others stopped back
to check up on Frankie again, before they returned to
their homes.  I thought it was extremely thoughtful that
they did this and Frankie was eager to show them that he
was on the mend and would be back at work again, just as
soon as he could get the doctor to release him for duty.  I
think we all wondered if he might be pushing this a little,
but Frankie was adamant.  He was eager to get back to
work.

When Michael, Marie, Elizabeth and Robert left, along with
their families, we gave them a nice send off.  I also told
them I was sorry that I hadn't been able to join them on
their vacation, but they assured me they understood.
They also told me that they'd had a wonderful time and
appreciated all the work I had done to make it so
enjoyable for them.

As the rest of us prepared to return home, we said goodbye
to Frankie and went out to our vehicles.  That's when
Elliot announced that he wanted to ride back with me.
Since his fathers hadn't gone on this vacation, because
they had to work, he decided to go tag along with me, so I
wouldn't be driving back alone.  Jesse and Joshie quickly
decided they wanted to join me too and the others rode
home with Jake in the Suburban.

On the way back, the boys filled me in about everything
they'd done on vacation, although I was well aware of what
was planned.  After all, I was the one who made all of the
arrangements.  That didn't seem to matter to them
though, and they eagerly recounted everything they had
done.  They told me that even though they'd had a great
time, Jesse and Elliot insisted they'd had more fun with
me in Cleveland.  I wasn't sure if they were just telling me
this to make me feel better or if it was the truth.  Maybe
I'll never know which is correct.

When we arrived at the house, I was in for another
surprise.  Danny and Brandon quickly announced that
Noah's mother had succumbed to the cancer the previous
Wednesday and they were just waiting for us to come back
before they brought him here to live with us.

They had contacted Aunt Sally even before his mother had
passed away and explained the situation to her.  Danny
and Brandon did this because they realized Social Services
would need to take custody of Noah first and then Aunt
Sally could make certain they were assigned as his foster
parents.  They needed to do it this way, because Noah's
mother didn't have an opportunity to arrange for the legal
transference of custody of her son to Danny and Brandon
before she died.  I believe including Aunt Sally in on this,
since she's the director of D.S.S., was a very wise move on
Danny and Brandon's part.

Since they hadn't discussed this with the boys yet, we
called Elliot and Jesse into the room with us.  We thought
we should break the news to them first, before Noah
suddenly showed up one evening.

"We called you in here because we have something we'd
like to discuss with you," Danny began.  "While you guys
were on vacation, we met a boy whose father died a couple
of years ago and his mother passed away a few days ago.
He doesn't have anyone else to take care of him and we
were thinking he might like to be part of our family.  What
would you think of that?"

For a minute or so neither of them said a word, but then
Jesse broke the silence.

"Would he be my brother or Elliot's?" he wondered.

"He would be Elliot's brother," Danny admitted.  "Elliot,
what do you think about this?"

"It will take some getting used to," he responded.  "I've
never had to share parents before, but I guess I'll just have
to adjust.  You took me in when I didn't have anyone else,
so it would be selfish of me to hog you guys for myself
when this boy needs you too."

"We're glad you feel that way," Brandon told him.  "His
name is Noah and he's eleven-years old.  Does that make
you feel any differently about doing this?"

"Nope.  It might be fun having a little brother," Elliot
stated.  "Jesse can give me some pointers."

"Yeah, and he's close to Joshie's age too, so maybe they'll hit
it off as well," Jesse offered.  "That way, if he isn't interested
in what we're doing, he'll still have someone else to hang
out with."

"That would be good," Brandon added.

Brandon then quickly went over some of the background
information on Noah and brought the boys up to date on
what he's been through.  They also asked Jesse and Elliot
if they'd mind helping him cope with what's happened,
since they both had suffered a similar loss.  Jesse said
he'd do what he could, but Elliot was more reluctant.

"I don't know what I'll be able to do," he admitted.  "I still
have trouble talking about what happened and if I dwell on
it too much then I have those stupid nightmares."

"We certainly wouldn't want you to do anything that
might upset you or cause you to have bad dreams again,"
Danny told him.  "Just do what you're comfortable with,
but if you begin to feel the need to excuse yourself, try to
make certain Noah knows you're not upset with him."

"Okay.  I think I can do that," Elliot agreed.

Once that had been cleared up, Danny and Brandon
announced they wanted to bring Noah home with them
tomorrow evening, if that was okay with the rest of us.
Once we gave them our approval, Danny quickly called his
oncologist friend and gave him the good news.

Now that this had been taken care of, they filled Dion,
Trey and Joshie in about Noah's anticipated arrival too.
Danny and Brandon watered the information down for
Joshie first and then sent him off to find Elliot and Jesse,
before telling Dion and Trey the detailed information.
Everyone seemed to be fine with this news.

After that, we grabbed a quick bite to eat and then sat
down to chat for a while, before we went to bed.  Elliot and
Jesse were quite eager to tell Danny and Brandon about
their vacation, and then Danny and Brandon filled us in
about what else had happened while we'd been gone.
Kevin was thrilled with how things were going at the
pharmacy and he'd had a fairly good first couple of weeks.
Not only that, but most of the offices at the health center
had opened, except for Danny's, so things were going
fairly well there too.  Not only that, but some of the other
funding has been approved and started to roll in, so Danny
was ordering the equipment needed for the lab.  He plans
to open it up in a couple of weeks, so things seemed to be
going quite well and I hoped this trend continued.

Eventually, everyone began to head off to his bedroom,
but Jesse was surprised when Elliot showed up in his room
instead.  Elliot looked a little down as he walked over and
wrapped his arms tightly around Jesse.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Jesse asked, as he rubbed
Elliot's back soothingly.

"I miss Nicky," Elliot admitted.

"Yeah, I miss them too," Jesse comforted, "but we'll see
them again soon."

"I told him I loved him," Elliot confessed.

"Wow!  How did that go?" Jesse asked.

"He said he's not gay, but he didn't get upset or anything
and it didn't change anything between us," Elliot stated.
"I've just felt a little down about it and needed a hug is
all."

"I'm sorry, buddy.  I know you like him a lot.  When did
you tell him?" Jesse inquired.

"When we were in Cleveland," Elliot confirmed.

"That was weeks ago!" Jesse replied, confused.  "How
come you didn't tell me sooner?"

"I didn't want to talk about it while they were still with
us," Elliot explained.

"I understand," Jesse commiserated.  "It will be ok
though.  I didn't notice any difference in how you guys got
along while we were on vacation and I'm sure you'll find a
nice guy.  Even better, it will be one who lives here in
town."

"Yeah, Nicky really is great and he didn't treat me any
differently after I told him how I felt," Elliot stated.
"When they left, he hugged me and said it would always be
our little secret."

"See, I told you he was a great guy," Jesse concurred.  "Do
you feel better now?"

"Yeah, I'll be ok, but can I sleep with you tonight?" Elliot
asked.

"Sure, I'd like the company," Jesse agreed, with a smile.

Elliot snuggled close to Jesse and Jesse wrapped his
strong arms around him.  He was genuinely sorry that
things hadn't worked out between his nephews, because
he thought they would have made an adorable couple, but
he was proud of both of them.  He was proud of Elliot for
finding the courage to tell Nicky how he felt and he was
proud of Nicky for being so considerate of Elliot's feelings
and not letting the situation cloud their friendship.  Jesse
knew that in time Elliot would find someone special.