Date: Sun, 26 Feb 2012 09:24:03 -0500 (EST)
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Next Generation, chapter 53

The Castaway Hotel: Next Generation - by BW
Copyright 2011 by billwstories
Chapter 53 -- Interesting Times.

When everyone arrived home later on Wednesday, I was very surprised that it
wasn't Elliot who came home all excited.  Although he had received considerable
attention from his schoolmates about his final dive, it turned out that one of his
fathers showed up even more excited than he was.  As soon as Danny walked
through the door, he immediately let us know that he had something he wanted
to share with the rest of us.  Surprisingly, he hadn't even taken time to fill
Brandon in about this first, but he eagerly told us about his day as we began to
eat.

"I was working at my office... well, I didn't have a patient or anything at the time,
but the obstetrician from across the hall came over to speak with me," he began.
"He told me that he'd just learned that a pediatrician he knew had recently
passed away -- more precisely, the man had suffered a coronary the previous
day.

"As it turns out," Danny continued, "that pediatrician's office is only about five
miles from the health center and the two of them had several patients in
common.  The obstetrician dealt with the mothers, while the pediatrician took
care of their children.  To make a long story short, the obstetrician wants me to
go with him to the funeral home tomorrow night.  He says he'll introduce me to
the man's widow, so I can give her my business card."

"Danny, it might be a little too soon to approach her right now," I advised him.

"That's what I thought, but my friend says if I don't do it then someone else will,"
Danny replied.  "He said there are probably others who will be eager to take
advantage of this situation and will offer to buy his patient list before I have a
chance to.  He insists it's imperative that I act now, if I want a shot at acquiring
those patients."

"But she's just lost her husband," I reiterated.

"I know and losing her husband must be difficult, but his patients are still going to
need a doctor," he responded.  "I'm just going to give her my card and tell her
that I'm interested in helping her husband's patients.  I'll also tell her I'm willing to
pay her for her husband's patient list and records too.  I'll be very sensitive about
her situation and will try not to do anything to upset her.  It's just that my
obstetrician friend has convinced me that I just can't afford to pass up this
opportunity."

"I hope you know what you're doing then," I warned.

I was still skeptical about his plans, but I had stated my objections, so now it was
up to him as to how he was going to proceed.  Nothing more was said about it,
either that night or the next morning, but I was interested in seeing what he was
going to do.  He'd had all day to think about it and consider the various
viewpoints.

After dinner that evening, Danny left to meet up with his obstetrician friend, so
they could ride to the funeral home together.  It wasn't a very long ride, but
Danny spent his time trying to make certain he had decided on the best way to
handle this meeting.  By the time they got there, he hoped he was going about
this the right way.

After walking up to view the body in the casket, Danny and the obstetrician
walked over to the receiving line.

"I'm not sure if you remember me," the obstetrician told the widow, "but you're
husband and I were colleagues.  Although we had different specialties, we had
collaborated on a couple of cases, since I'd handled the births and he was going
to take care of the children once they'd been born."

"Thank you so much for coming," she replied.  "I'm not sure I recall ever meeting
you, but if you dealt with my husband, then I'm certain Oscar felt you were a very
good man."

"Thank you.  It is very kind of you to say that," the obstetrician replied.  "This is a
good friend of mine, Daniel Currie.  He's opening a pediatric office in the same
building where I just started my new practice."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Currie," she said, while extending her hand.  "Did
you know my husband too?"

"No, ma'am, but since we're in the same field, I came to pay my respects," Danny
answered.

"That's very thoughtful of you," she stated.

"I know this isn't a very good time for you, but since your husband's patients are
going to need someone to take care of them," Danny began, "I just wanted to let
you know I'm interested in doing that.  I'll be happy to pay you for your husband's
patient lists and records, so I can fill the void his passing has created.  Even if
you're not interested, I'm still glad I came to offer my sincerest condolences."

"I thank you for coming and I appreciate your offer.  It's something I might be
willing to discuss with you further, once everything settles down a little," she
agreed.

"That would be wonderful.  Let me give you my business card then," Danny
stated, as he pulled one out of his pocket.  "Just call me any time.  My office
phone number is on the card and I've written my cell number on the back, so you
can also reach me at home."

After this exchange, the two men moved on so the others waiting to speak with
her could.  When he told me about their conversation, I thought he'd done quite
well in broaching the subject with her.  Now, I just hope it also brings him some
business.

On Friday, Elliot had another swim meet, but this one was away.  It was also a
lengthy drive to get there, so we informed him that we were sorry, but we
wouldn't be able to attend this meet.  He said he understood and it was fine, but I
promised him I would go to at least one of his away meets, as soon as there was
one that wasn't too far from home.  He seemed to be fine with the situation.

Elliot didn't arrive home until quite late Friday night, but he still took time to tell us
he'd done fairly well, but he hadn't won a medal this time.  We advised him we
didn't expect him to win one each time he had a meet, but we were still proud of
him either way.  He seemed satisfied with our response.

Saturday morning, I was feeding the troops breakfast when Danny came bursting
into the kitchen to find me.

"I just got a call from the wife of the pediatrician whose calling hours I went to the
other night," he announced.  "She told me she was interested in my offer to take
care of her husband's patients and wants to talk to me about this further.  She
informed me she's going to be moving to another state in the very near future
and staying with one of her children, rather than remaining in the area and living
alone.  Before she does that, she said she'd feel better if she knew for sure that
her husband's patients are going to be taken care of."

I think we all knew where this was going, but we eagerly listened as Danny
continued on.

"She asked me if I'd be willing to meet at her husband's former office in an hour
to see what I'd be getting into.  She also advised me that her husband's staff
would meet us there, so if we reached an agreement they'll help pack up all of
his medical files so I can take them to my office.  If this works out, then I'll have
my staff start calling his patients on Monday and inform them I'll be taking over
the practice."

"Impressive," I agreed.  "I was obviously wrong when I suggested you shouldn't
go to the funeral home and confront her so soon after her husband's death.  I'm
glad you didn't listen to me, because I'm probably more sensitive and
conservative about such things than you younger guys.  I'm just pleased it
appears to be working in your favor."

"Thanks, Dad," Danny replied, "but do you think I can borrow the Suburban to do
this?  I'll be able to get a lot more in it than in my car."

"Yes, of course," I told him.  "Would you like me to go with you to help?"

"No, Brandon and I should be able to handle it," he replied.

"But don't you have to go in to work at the hospital today?" I wondered.

"Yes, but not until this afternoon," he replied.  "We should be able to get
everything done before then and I'll still have time to come back here to clean up
and change first."

"All right, but don't try to do too much," I warned him.  "Remember, you now have
two boys that are depending on you."

"I know, Dad, and I'm doing this for them, as much as for Brandon and me," he
clarified.  "By building my practice, I'll have enough money coming in to support
them the way I should and have more time to spend with them by not having to
work at the hospital too.  That's why I kind of jumped on this as quickly as I did,
even though you weren't in favor of what I was planning to do."

"I'm actually glad you did now," I confirmed.  "Here are the keys to the Suburban
and I'll keep an eye on the boys while you're gone.  Just give me a call if you
need anything."

"I will and here are the keys to my car, just in case something happens where
you'll need a vehicle," Danny said, as he handed me his keys in return.

Brandon and Danny left a few minutes later and I silently prayed that most of the
other pediatrician's patients would agree to transfer to Danny's care now.  If they
do, it might give him enough patients so he can give up his weekend job at the
hospital much sooner than anticipated.  It would be much easier on him and give
me some peace of mind, but it would also allow Danny a chance to spend his
evenings and weekends with his lover and sons.  I think that would be a major
advantage for all of us.

When Danny and Brandon arrived back home later, Danny had to hurry to get
ready to go to the hospital, so Brandon filled Jake and me in about what they'd
done.  He told us that after Danny had looked everything over, he and the widow
negotiated a price and Danny wrote her a check for the files.  Danny and he then
moved quite a few boxes filled with patient records to the Suburban and took
them over to his new office.  Danny will ask his receptionist and one of his nurses
to start calling the patients next week and advise them of the change.

It may not be much, but it is another step toward a new future for him.  I only pray
that everything works out just fine.

When Danny's receptionist and nurse began contacting the families of the
children whose records he had purchased, most of the parents weren't ready to
blindly commit themselves to a new pediatrician.  Quite a few of them said they
would be willing to give it a try and see how their children liked him first, since his
office wasn't too far away from their old pediatrician's office.  That, however, was
as far as they were willing to commit at the present time.  Danny's nurse and
receptionist assured them this would be fine, so some of the parents even set up
appointments for their children to have physicals, so they could test the waters.
This way, they and their children would be able to meet Danny and decide if this
was what they wanted to do.

As Danny put it later, this would be the same as going through an interview
process with each new patient he hoped to gain.  Regardless of this fact, he still
felt it would be worth it in the end, even if only half of the patients decided to
come with him.  That would give him a lot more patients than he currently has.

During the week, Noah had another soccer match and Elliot had two meets.  We
attended Noah's game and one of Elliot's meets, and each of them did very well.
We didn't attend Elliot's other meet, because it was at another location that is
quite far away.  In fact, since this meet was being held on Friday evening, Elliot's
team was even going to stay there overnight because of the travel distance.

Even though this meet was taking place so far away, we still feel badly when we
miss any of the boys' activities.  Although we feel guilty about not being there to
support them, the boys seem to take these minor setbacks in stride and refuse to
let it bother them.  I'm certainly glad they don't get all emotional whenever we
can't make it to one of these events.

In between these sport outings, I received some unrelated, yet very important
news.  Frankie's troop commander called to invite the family to the award
ceremony being held to honor Frankie's actions.  It is scheduled to take place
next Saturday at 2:00, outside of the Troop M Barracks, weather permitting.  If
the weather is inclement, then the ceremony will simply be moved indoors.

I called and told the rest of the family about this event, since I felt some of them
might want to attend as well.  I also advised them not to worry if they couldn't
make it, because we understood that not everyone would be able to fit this into
their schedules.  In order to make them feel a little better about it if they couldn't
attend, I informed them that I would be taking my video-recorder with me, so they
could view the events of the day later, at their convenience.  I also let them know
that I felt the news stations might cover this ceremony as well, so there is a
chance they might be able to watch at least part of the proceedings on TV.  The
only thing I'm not sure of is if the coverage will only be regional or if it will be
shared with a broader market.

All of us at home are planning to go to the ceremony, except for Danny and
Brandon.  Danny is working at the hospital on the weekend and Brandon has
appointments until noon on Saturday.  He was considering rescheduling them,
but then he had second thoughts about doing this.  Since he's rescheduled
appointments a few times before, so he could see the boys' sporting events, he
didn't want to irritate any of his patients and possibly lose their business by doing
it again.  For that reason, he opted to stay home as well.  He did, however, give
me permission to take Elliot and Noah with us, if Jake and I were agreeable.
Danny and he were willing to lift Elliot's grounding for this purpose, seeing it was
nearly the end of the month anyway.  Besides, they felt it might do the boys good
to witness their uncle receiving this very special recognition.

When Friday came, we all loaded into the Suburban and set out for Allentown.
I'd reserved rooms at the same motel we had used when we went to see Frankie
in the hospital, because I wanted us to have some time with him before this event
was held.  We will also spend Saturday night there, so we can take Frankie out to
dinner after the presentation, and then we'll return home on Sunday.

We stopped to eat on the way to Allentown, because the boys were starving, so
we didn't arrive there until quite late.  After checking into the motel, I called
Frankie to let him know we'd made it.  I also told him we were all tired and
wanted to get a good night's sleep first, but we'd be happy to meet him in the
morning and take him out for breakfast.  He agreed that would be fine and we
ended the call.

The next morning, Frankie drove over to the motel so he could direct us to a
place where he liked to eat.  It was a locally owned establishment, not one of
those chain restaurants, and it offered an interesting selection of breakfast
dishes.  We all ordered something different, and from the comments I heard
afterward, everyone thought the food was delicious and each of them seemed to
enjoy his meal.

Once we finished, Frankie took us to a park where we could sit and talk for a
while, before we headed over to the barracks.  While we were talking, Frankie
told us he thought people were making far too big of a deal out of what
happened.  He said he'd only done what he'd been trained to do and was getting
paid for, so he didn't feel he should be getting special recognition for it too.  He
was even more uncomfortable because he'd heard rumors that some pretty
important people were also going to be there today, even though he hadn't been
told whom that would include.  He also confided in us that he was actually
beginning to feel embarrassed over the fact that they were doing all of this solely
for him.

As a father should, I tried to explain to Frankie that even though he might feel a
little uncomfortable from the attention he was getting, all the indicators pointed to
the fact that he had probably saved many lives when he stopped that truck and
confronted those individuals.  I also strongly urged him to accept the idea that
what had been accomplished after he derailed their plans deserves to be
honored.  I suggested he should be willing to accept this award to recognize the
outcome, which prevented the loss of many lives, even if he didn't feel he
deserved it for his actions.  He finally agreed to do this and we drove over to his
apartment next, so he could change into his uniform.

We arrived at the State Police barracks a little early and discovered that
everything had been set up at the rear entrance to the building.  Those in charge
felt it would be too disruptive to hold the ceremony at the front entrance, so they
moved it to the opposite side of the building.  This location is very similar to the
main entrance, but this way they wouldn't interfere with the primary access to the
station.

The podium had been placed on the top landing, so everyone in attendance
could see the speakers while they made their remarks.  Chairs had been
arranged across the sidewalk and lawn for the spectators, so we took seats in
the front, where we could see everything, and got comfortable.  Frankie,
however, was required to wait inside and we were told he wouldn't come out
again until he was formally introduced.  Shortly after he left us, the reporters and
television crews began to arrive and set up their equipment, so they would be
ready to cover this event when it started.

At 2:00 sharp, the ceremony began with Captain Dalton, the troop commander,
welcoming the crowd and thanking them for coming.  After doing this, he
introduced Colonel Frank Noonan, the Commissioner of the Pennsylvania State
Police.   Colonel Noonan began his remarks by explaining the events that took
place on the day in question and followed it up by praising the actions of the
young trooper who managed to prevent a major tragedy.  He then called Frankie
to the podium, so he could present him with a citation.

After pinning a ribbon on Frankie's uniform, he handed him a plaque that had
been inscribed to recognize his accomplishment.  The Commissioner then
announced the awards were to honor Frankie for his role in stopping a group of
domestic terrorists who had been determined to commit an act of violence on
U.S. soil.  He then added that the suspect, the one who had survived the gun
battle after being cornered later, had actually confessed about what they'd
planned.  He admitted that he and his partner were heading to New York City to
shoot down commercial aircraft and then they were going to open fire on the first
responders and spectators, once they began to gather.

After hearing this, we were in total shock.  This was the first time any of us had
heard that the man who survived had confessed, so this just added weight to the
fact that Frankie deserved this recognition.  Even though Frankie also appeared
flabbergasted by this revelation, he maintained his composure, as the
Commissioner shook his hand.

As those in attendance applauded Frankie for what he'd done, I remained
focused on my son.  I couldn't help but think about all the lives he'd saved, not to
mention how extremely handsome he looked in his uniform as he held the plaque
out for all to see.  I was extremely proud of what he'd accomplished, but more
importantly I was in awe of the wonderful young man he's become.

Frankie was then asked to remain a few extra moments so some additional
photos could be taken with him and the Commissioner.  Once that had been
done, Frankie stepped off to one side, as Colonel Noonan stepped back to the
podium and introduced the next speaker.  This time it was a representative from
the Department of Homeland Security and a woman quickly emerged from
building and walked briskly toward the microphone.

After introducing herself, she informed us that she had just flown in from
Washington, D.C. solely for the purpose of presenting Frankie with the 'Public
Safety Officer Medal of Valor' from a very grateful federal government.  She
explained that this award was the civilian equivalent to the military's 'Medal of
Honor' and was presented for 'actions exhibiting exceptional courage,
extraordinary decisiveness and presence of mind, regardless of personal safety,
in an attempt to save or protect human life.'

This was obviously a great honor and Frankie received another nice round of
applause as she presented this to him.  Since he was so much taller than she
was, Frankie had to bend at the waist so she could lift the ribbon with the medal
over his head.  Once he was able stand upright again, Frankie looked slightly
embarrassed over this dual recognition, but I'm not certain if anyone else noticed
his predicament.

After she'd presented this award, the woman from Homeland Security then
offered a few observations about how Frankie's exceptional performance of duty
had prevented a major disaster.  She also told the audience that it was people
like Frankie who kept our nation safe and will eventually lead us to victory in the
war on terror.

Once she finished speaking and another round of pictures had been taken, she
stepped off to the side with Frankie.  When they did that, Colonel Noonan
returned to the podium and informed the crowd there was one final presenter.  To
our complete surprise, he then introduced New York City Mayor Michael
Bloomberg, and we watched as he walked out of the building and stepped up to
the podium.

Mayor Bloomberg began by thanking Frankie for his acute attention to detail
while performing his duty and stated that because of Frankie's actions, New York
City had been able to avoid another horrific act of violence.  He went on to state
that he believed the terrorist plan was to diminish the city's importance to the
country and leave another scar on the psyches of all Americans.  He then
presented Frankie with a Key to the City and invited Frankie and our family to join
him for another celebration, which would be held at Gracie Mansion at a future
date.

Not only was Frankie surprised by this generous offer from Mayor Bloomberg
and the additional recognition, but the rest of us were also absolutely floored by
this news.  Yes, Frankie had prevented a terrorist attack from taking place in New
York and we understood the City officials were grateful, but to make this offer on
top of everything else was truly unexpected and a bit overwhelming.  Frankie had
already received a citation from the State of Pennsylvania, a medal from the
federal government and the Key to New York City from the Mayor, but now he
was also given an invitation to attend another ceremony to honor his
accomplishment.  This was absolutely fantastic and more than any of us could
ever have anticipated.

When this ceremony concluded and more pictures had been taken, Captain
Dalton pulled Frankie aside and told him his name had been submitted for
consideration to the B.C.I.  Captain Dalton explained that a position had recently
opened up and others in positions of authority felt that Frankie's previous military
training and experience more than qualified him to have his name added to the
list.  They felt Frankie's actions had also proved he has a good eye for detail,
which is another necessary attribute.  Captain Dalton also told him that although
he didn't want to lose him as one of his troopers, he was willing to make this
sacrifice and let Frankie move on, because he felt it would be best for Frankie as
an individual and the department as a whole.

Once they'd finished their discussion, Frankie was released to deal with the
press corps.  They had been waiting patiently to interview him since the
ceremony first began and were now asking him questions, as their cameras and
microphones recorded everything he said.

During this process, they wanted to know how Frankie had spotted the terrorists
to begin with, what happened when he pulled them over, how badly he had been
wounded and if those wounds were healed now, as well as how he felt about
preventing the terrorist from being successful and what he thought of the honors
he had received today.  I thought Frankie handled the interview extremely well;
he was very articulate and showed great dignity while doing this.  I was not only
proud of what he'd done and the recognition he's received, but I was also
extremely proud of him as a person.  After a shaky start, he has certainly
developed into one terrific young man.

Once we were able to rescue Frankie and get him away from there, he wanted to
go home and get out of his uniform.  He said he'd been in it long enough and
didn't need any further attention drawn to him because he was wearing it.  We
happily gave in to his request and took him to his apartment.  It was kind of a
tight squeeze with all of us being there, but it wasn't going to be for very long,
because we were taking him out to eat in a couple of hours.

While we waited, the boys were eager to let Frankie know how proud they were
of him too.

"Uncle Frankie, that was incredible," Elliot began.  "Not only did the State Police
give you an award, but so did the federal government and the mayor of New York
City.  I'm so proud of you and I know my friends will probably ask me questions
about this, because I'm sure it's going to be all over the news."

"All the people gave things to Uncle Frankie and shook his hand," Joshie added.
"He must have been a very good boy."

"Indeed, he was," Dion assured him, as the rest of us tried to stifle our humor
over his comment.

"Yeah, Frankie," Jesse chimed in, "you're the family hero now.  I bet nobody will
badmouth the Curries after they hear about this."

"Uncle Frankie, I know I just met you," Noah added, "but I want to tell you I'm
very proud that you're my uncle too."

Damn, who could improve on that?

As it neared the time for our reservation, Frankie gave us directions on how to
get to the restaurant.  Nearly as soon as we walked in and announced our arrival,
we got an unexpected reception.  Obviously, the owner or manager had
recognized our name on the reservation list and connected it to events he had
seen on television, so we were given the royal treatments when we arrived.  After
escorting us to our table, the waiter announced he had been instructed to give us
our drinks, plus desserts after we finished eating, all compliments of the house.
He also informed us that the management and staff were honored that we had
chosen to eat at their restaurant to celebrate Frankie's accomplishments.

I can't even begin to tell you how many people stopped by our table to offer
Frankie their congratulations and thank him for doing such a wonderful job.  It's a
good thing he wasn't in uniform, if this many people recognized him without
having it on.  However, we later discovered that a couple of the employees had
been actively going around the restaurant telling the other patrons about Frankie.
Once their customers heard what he had done, they came over to let him know
how grateful they were for the difficult, and sometimes thankless, job he was
doing.

Even with the endless interruptions, we still managed to enjoy a very nice meal.  I
believe we were all eager, and even somewhat relieved, to get out of there when
we were done eating though.  I will say we can now appreciate how celebrities
and politicians must feel about getting so much attention when they're out in
public.  Too much of a good thing can definitely end up being bad, even if it is
merely too much praise and recognition.

Frankie went back to the motel with us and decided to spend the night there as
well.  He was afraid some of his neighbors might come over to congratulate him
too, once they saw him arrive home.  Therefore, he thought he'd rather avoid it, if
at all possible.

Since Dion and Trey, and Jake and I had our own rooms, it meant Frankie would
have to bunk in with the boys.  It was quickly determined that Frankie would
sleep with Noah, since he was the smallest, and Noah seemed excited to agree
to this arrangement.  I think it was a case of hero worship in full bloom, which
meant Noah was thrilled to share a bed with the super-cop he was now related
to.

The next day, we wanted to take Frankie to church with us, but he was afraid
members of the congregation would recognize him and then create a scene
similar to the one he had endured at the restaurant.  Therefore, he merely wished
to go to his place and try to remain anonymous for the rest of the day.  We could
all appreciate his feelings, so we honored his request and said farewell to him.
Before he got in his car, which he'd left at the motel when we went to the
ceremony together, I told him to take it easy and keep in touch, and then he left
for his place.  A short time later we did likewise, except we still had quite a
lengthy drive ahead of us.

That evening, we played the video of the ceremony for Danny and Brandon and
they were blown away by what they observed.  They had seen snippets of the
events on the news, but after viewing the entire footage, from start to finish, they
were even more impressed than they had been before.  In fact, Danny also
commented that while he was working at the hospital earlier several of his co-
workers had questioned him about what Frankie had done.  They told him they
had seen it on the evening news and were proud that Frankie had grown up in
our small community and had gone to school here.  I guess this means Frankie
truly is a hometown hero.