Date: Fri, 4 Apr 2003 21:46:57 EST
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: The Castaway Hotel-book 6, chapter 13

Legal Notice:
The following story contains descriptions of graphic sexual acts.
The story is a work of fiction and has no basis in reality.

Don't read this story if:
**You're not 18 or over,
**If it is illegal to read this type of material where you live,
**Or if you don't want to read about gay/bi people in love or having sex.

The author retains copyright to this story.  Placing this story on a
website or reproducing this story for distribution without the author's
permission is a violation of that copyright.  Legal action will be taken
against violators.

I wish to extend my thank you to Ed for his editorial assistance with this
chapter, and to Art for proofreading it for me.

E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other 'constructive'
comments or advice may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com.

                *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

Although the boys in these stories have unprotected sex, I strongly urge
all of you out there to be smart and protect yourselves from various
sexually transmitted diseases by using condoms when having intercourse.

                *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

The Castaway Hotel-Book 6-by BW (Young-Friends).  Copyright 2000 by billwstories
Chapter 13 - Mixed messages.                      October 2002

Here was another envelope from the Genelex Corporation, which gave me an
eerie feeling of deja-vu.  I ripped it open, hoping this letter would give
me the information I wanted to see, just as their last letter had revealed
the pimp was not Cody's father.  I began to read it excitedly.

"The samples you provided were run through the Genelex testing procedures,
and it has been determined that there is 0% chance that donor A is the
father of donor B.  These results were verified, using a secondary testing
procedure."

It was the standard form letter they used for paternity cases, but this
time it wasn't the information I wanted to see.  How could this guy not be
Cody's father?  Cody's mother had only left two names, and now neither of
these men had turned out to be biologically connected to her son.  This was
a major setback, and it also meant that now there was probably no way we'd
be able to find a blood-relative who could donate cells to him.  I couldn't
help but wonder, what we were going to do next?

I went back to the house and told Jake I had to run a quick errand, but I
didn't reveal the contents of the letter to him, not yet.  I grabbed a set
of keys, hopped in the Grand Am, and took off.  I raced down to Cody's
oncologist's office, to see what he might suggest we do next.  I told the
receptionist I needed to talk to the doctor, as soon as possible, so she
told me to have a seat, until the doctor was available.  That took about
twenty minutes, twenty minutes of pure agony for me.  Finally I was led
back to his office, but I was like a horse in the starting gate, waiting
for him to join me.

"What's the emergency, Josh?" the doctor asked, as he entered the room.  I
was somewhat startled by the sound of his voice, as I had been lost deep in
thought and hadn't heard him enter the room.  I turned to him now, and
responded.

"I've received the paternity test results back in the mail, and neither guy
turned out to be Cody's father.  What are we going to do next?"

He looked at me thoughtfully.  "That is a setback, but it's not the end of
the world," he tried to reassure me.  "There are other procedures we can
follow now."

"Like what?" I asked, wanting to know more.  "What do suggest we do next?"

"You did tell me your boys and you were willing to donate various cells,
right?"

"Absolutely, if we can."

"Then I think it's best we take that option next.  I'll set up appointments
for the testing, to see if any of you are a match to Cody.  Would tomorrow
be okay for you?"

"Yes, that would be fine, but do the boys have to be a minimum age to
donate?"

"They would need to be at least 18, if they wanted to be part of the
national registry, but younger donors have been used, when they were
related to the patient.  Even though your boys are not blood related, I'd
be willing to test and use any of them who are willing."

"That's fantastic news, and I'm sure the boys will be eager to help.  I
think the younger ones would have felt slighted if they couldn't at least
be tested."

"Then we'll make sure that all who want to be tested are tested.  Do you
know how many I should set this up for?"

"I'm not sure yet, at least not until I ask them when I get home, though I
would guess it would be all of them.  I'll go home and poll them, to see
who wants to be tested, and then I'll call you back, to give you the number
of how many want to be included.  As I said, I'm pretty sure it will be
most of them, if not all.  Is there anything else you'll need from us or
anything else we should do?"

"That's it for now, but I'll also forward Cody's file to the National Donor
Registry, to see if they have a donor.  We're at a point where we can't
afford to waste any more time, and I need to find as donor as quickly as
possible, so we can get those cells into Cody's body.  Possibly I should
have notified the national registry before, but we all thought one of those
two guys would have been the father, and that would have most likely
resulted in an excellent match.  I apologize for dropping the ball on that
one."

"It wasn't your fault.  We led you to believe that, as we believed it too."

"No matter, I'll notify the national registry now.  That way we'll have an
option, in case no one in the family matches."

"That's great, and we'll let you decide which would be best.  I'll get
backk with you shortly, about the number of my boys who wish to be tested.
I appreciate everything you're doing for him, Doctor, and thanks for all
your help.

I went home, explained everything to Jake, and I told him I wanted to have
a meeting with the other boys, without Cody being around.  Jake told me
he'd tell Cody he wished to take him out alone for a while, so the two of
them could spend a little quality time together, and that should give us
time to do what we needed to do.  He was emphatic when he told me to make
sure I included him in on the list of those to be tested, and I knew this
meant a great deal to him, as well.  He told me he'd take Cody to the mall,
to distract him, and he'd allow him to select a 'welcome to the family'
gift, from him.  I told him that was an excellent idea, and I appreciated
his assistance.

After Jake and Cody left, I called the boys together for the meeting.  I
filled them in briefly about what had happened with the paternity testing,
and that neither guy turned out to be Cody's biological father.  After
that, I informed them about the testing for compatibility, making sure to
tell them everything it entailed, so they understood it completely before
they committed themselves to anything like that.  Once I felt they were
sufficiently informed, I asked them to raise their hand, if they might be
willing to do this for their newest brother.  I didn't have to wait long
for the answer to that question, as all of their hands shot into the air at
once, almost like a precision drill team.  Even though I had expected this
sort of response, I didn't expect them to react so quickly, or in such a
show of unconditional support.  It was really a joy to witness, and it made
me even prouder of each and every one of them.

When we finished our little meeting, I went and phoned the doctor, letting
him know how many were going to be tested.  I think he was quite amazed by
the number I gave him, but he told me that should increase the chances that
one of us might be a match, and he said he'd make sure the hospital lab was
ready for us.  He also mentioned that he wished all his patients had this
kind of support, but he said there were too many who went through things
like this alone, or with minimal family support.  Although I knew in my
mind that was true, my heart ached for all those who found themselves in
such a situation.

When I finished my conversation with the doctor, I phoned all the boys in
college, to let them know what was going on here.  It also gave me an
opportunity to see if they might want to get tested too, as I didn't want
them to feel left out of this opportunity.  When they said they did, I told
them to contact the local Red Cross unit in their area, to see what they'd
need to do to be tested.  I informed them they'd probably have to set it up
to get tested for the national registry, but that would also make them
available to Cody too, as the registry was running a matching process for
Cody.  That way they might be able to donate to him, without having to miss
classes and come home to do it.

When Cody came back with Jake, I took him aside, and I explained everything
to him, as well.  I began by telling him that neither of those men were his
father, though he wondered how that could be.  "My mom said it had to be
one of them, didn't she?  How could she have been wrong?  She had to know
who my father was, didn't she?"

At this point I began to think that maybe Cody wasn't completely aware of
all of the details concerning his mother's past.  That was probably just as
well, and might spare him from the pain he might feel if he learned his
mother was a prostitute.  Now I had to think quickly, to keep this illusion
in place.  "People can make mistakes or forget things over time.  They
might also tell people something they're not sure about, just to make them
feel better.  I'm not sure if your mother did any of those things, but
obviously the information she left you was flawed in some way.  She
probably didn't mean to mislead you, and she may have believed it herself.
Anyway, now we have to deal with the truth, as we know it now.  Are you
okay with that?"

"Yeah, sure.  I've gone this long without knowing who my father is, so I
guess it really isn't that big of a deal any more.  Besides, I've got you
for my dad now, so I don't need anyone else."  Now he looked up at me,
giving me that grin that showed a mixture of love and appreciation.  God,
you can't realize how that made me feel at that point.  I pulled him to me,
and hugged him as hard as I dared.

"I'm glad you feel that way," I told him, "because you're definitely loved
here.  I want you to know that every one of your brothers has volunteered
to be tested tomorrow, to see if he is a match.  They all want to be able
to donate to you, and I think that's pretty special in itself.  However, I
also want you to know, it was completely each boy's idea to be tested, and
no one was forced into doing this.  There was no pressure put on them, and
they had the option to say no, but they wanted to do this for you, because
they love you as a brother.  Jake and I love you too, and we're going to be
tested also."

Cody began to tear up.  "What's wrong?" I asked him.  He looked at me with
an expression I couldn't quite read.

"It's just that I've never had people who would do anything like this for
me before.  It's just so different here, and I'm just so happy.  I know you
love me, and I know everyone else does too, and sometimes thinking about
that just makes me cry."  He paused for a second.  "That doesn't make me a
wimp, does it?"

"Heck, no.  It just makes you human.  A very sensitive and caring human
being, at that," I answered him, and he did look a little relieved after my
response.

Once I felt that he was ready to continue, we talked about his situation a
bit longer, talking not only about him, our family, and his disease, but
also the types of things that might happen in the future.  He was very
attentive and remained quite calm, no matter how serious the situation
seemed, and I was quite impressed by the level of maturity and acceptance
he exhibited.  He was truly one of a kind.

The next morning, Jake and I loaded everyone into the vehicles and drove
the boys to the hospital.  I think the staff at the lab was surprised at
how young some of the boys were, as they were used to the requirement that
registry donors had to be between 18 and 60 years of age.  The staff was
prepared for a large group to come in for testing, but they expected it to
be a community group, or maybe even a bunch of people who worked at the
same place.  They certainly weren't expecting a family, especially a family
that included such young members, but the staff was soon informed by their
supervisor that this had all been okayed by the doctor, and everyone was to
be tested.  Now they began to perform their duties, taking the boys, one at
a time, into a separate area to draw blood.

It didn't really take very long to run everyone through this procedure, and
soon we were on our way, able to go on with our daily routines.  We were
told that they would rush the analysis portion of the matching process, and
the doctor would be informed if anyone were a match.  I thanked the staff
for their kindness and efficiency, and then I took my group of boys off to
school, before I returned to my office.  Now I just had to wait until we
got these results back, but hopefully there would be at least one eligible
donor from among us.

I had been busily working in my office for most of the day, when my
secretary told me I had a call from one of the teachers.  She asked me if I
wished to take it, or if I wanted her to take a message, so I could return
the call later.  I told her I could spare a few minutes, so I'd take the
call.  I picked up the receiver and said 'hello'.

"Mr. Currie, this is Ann Baxter.  I'm the art teacher at the middle
school."

"Hello, Ann.  It's nice to hear from you.  What may I do for you?"

"I have something to bring to your attention.  It's school related, but it
also affects you personally, so I wanted to speak to you in person first."

"Now that you've piqued my curiosity, what is this about?"

"It's about some artwork I'd like to enter in the area competition, and my
question concerns a particular piece done by your son Andrew."

I was caught off guard by this comment, because Andrew hadn't said anything
about submitting any artwork for judging.  "I'm surprised to learn this,
because Andrew hasn't mentioned anything like this, but what is the
problem?"

"Andrew has completed two pictures, which I think are worthy of being
entered, and the first is a watercolor of what I assume to be your home,
and the area around it.  The other is the one I felt I must speak to you
about, after discussing this with Andrew.  He has drawn a charcoal sketch
of one of his brothers, but he said he didn't know if it would be a good
idea to send this one in for competition.  In fact, he told me to just
enter the first picture, but not the portrait.  He wouldn't explain his
action, so I thought I'd call you to discuss this, and see if you had any
insight into why he might not want the second picture entered too."

By now I was even more puzzled than before.  "Do you know which boy the
portrait is of?" I asked her, hoping that might clarify things.

"Yes, he said it was of his brother Cody," she explained.  Now the pieces
of this puzzle began to fall into place.

"I now think I understand what his problem is.  Cody is ill.  He has
leukemia.  We all went to be tested this morning, to see if any of us were
a match, so we could donate cells to him.  I think Andrew might be
concerned about Cody's feelings, especially with everything else he is
going through at this point."

"If you think it is a problem, then I just won't enter that piece."

"I'm not saying no, and I'm glad you brought this to my attention.  Let me
take the opportunity to talk this over with Andrew and Cody tonight at
home, and I'll call you back tomorrow, to let you know what we've decided."

"I appreciate that," she responded, "but you don't have to take time out of
your busy schedule to notify me.  You could just have Andrew tell me,
sometime during the day.  I'm not turning them over to the committee for
three more days, but I wanted to check this out with you first.  I really
think the portrait has a chance to be awarded a ribbon."

"That's nice to know.  I'm really glad you called me, and I want to thank
you again for doing that.  I'll talk it over with both boys this evening,
and one of us will let you know our decision."

After hanging up with her, I thought about this for a few more seconds.  I
knew Andrew had some artistic talent, as I've seen other things he had
drawn, and I remembered seeing him studying Cody, though at the time I
thought it was merely curiosity about Cody and his disease.  Now I realize
that he was probably studying Cody's features, so he could draw that
portrait.  Now I wondered why he selected Cody, out of all the other boys.
I guess I would discover all that later, when I spoke to him about this
matter.

Before dinner, I had a chance to pull Andrew aside, and I filled him in
about what I already knew.  He looked surprised that his teacher had called
me, to tell me about his decision, and I think he probably felt that once
he told his teacher not to enter the portrait, that would be the end of it.
Carefully I tried to dig beneath the surface, to see what was up.

"Your teacher said the likeness was of one of your brothers.  Would you
mind telling me which one it is of?"

He glanced at me, out of the corner of his eye.  "It's Cody," he said,
dryly.

"Ah, and why did you happen to choose him?"

He looked down at this point, like he didn't want to answer this question.
I thought I might need to reassure him, before he answered.  "Andrew, I'm
not going to be upset or anything like that.  I just want to know why you
drew a picture of Cody.  That's all."

"But the reason might make you mad," he replied, and I could hear the
concern in his voice.

"No, it won't.  Whatever your reason for choosing him, I'm sure it was a
good one, it's just that I'm curious as to what it was."

He didn't responded immediately, and I could tell he was thinking about
what he should do.  Finally he relented and responded.  "It's because
Cody's sick," he blurted out.

"Okay, I think I'm beginning to see now.  So you chose him because of his
illness, but was there anything more than that?"

"Kind of."  Again his head was down, and he appeared to be guarded with his
words.

"And what else made you decide to use Cody as your model?"  Once more he
hesitated, so I tried to reassure him a little more.  "Andrew, you can be
honest with me.  You should know that by now."

"I do, but even I might get upset, if someone else said this."

"Well, I won't get upset, so please tell me."

"It's because if Cody got worse, and his looks changed, or if something
worse happened to him, I would always be able to remember what he looked
like now."  He began to cry, as he finished telling me this.  I pulled him
to me and hugged him to my chest.

"There's nothing wrong with that reason, and I think it's a very good one."

"But it's like I'm saying Cody's not going to get better.  I don't want
anyone to think that I'm saying something bad is going to happen to him.  I
want him to get better, I really do, but it's just that I'm afraid he
won't."

"That's okay, Andrew.  I think we're all worried about that, and I think it
was a nice gesture on your part to draw a picture of him."

He looked up at me with those tear-filled eyes, and I reached out and
brushed some of the moisture away.  "I just don't want it to be like it was
with Brent," he told me, as he buried his face in my chest.  "It's just
that most of the time I can't remember what Brent looked like," he
continued, his voice slightly muffled by being against my shirt, "and I
don't want that to happen with Cody too."

There it was - the final piece of the mystery.  Andrew was afraid something
bad was going to happen to Cody, and he didn't want to forget him, the way
his memory seemed to do with Brent.  "I think that was excellent reasoning,
and a wonderful gesture on your part.  I also think you should let your
teacher enter that picture in the art fair too."

He looked up at me, and the expression told me he still didn't think I was
right.  "Daddy, don't you think Cody will figure out why I drew his
picture, if it gets entered in the art fair?"

"What if we sit down and explain to him that you drew a picture of him, so
you'd always remember what he looked like now, and we don't have to say
anything more.  I don't think that will upset him or be a problem."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am."

"Will you do this with me...help me tell him, that is?"

"Of course I will.  Do you want me to get him, or will you?"

"I'll go get him, but you wait here."

I told him I would, and Andrew rushed off to find Cody.  Soon he came
dragging Cody back to where I was waiting, so I could help him get through
this awkward moment.  Cody was confused as to why he had been brought here,
and Andrew had only told him that he needed to come with him.  Reading the
confusion on his face, I decided to get directly to the point, so we could
get through this.

"Cody, Andrew drew a picture of you, and his art teacher wants to enter it
in the area art fair.  It's just that Andrew thinks you might have a
problem with that.  Would you?"

Now Cody looked surprised.  "He drew a picture of me?" he asked,
astonished.  I nodded my head, and Andrew looked a bit sheepish, as Cody
stared at him.

"Wow, that's really neat!" Cody exclaimed.  "And your teacher wants to
enter it in the art fair?  That's awesome.  Hey, maybe my picture will win
you a prize," he continued, much to Andrew's surprise and delight.  "I am
really handsome," he added, "so I'll bet you'll win first prize."

Now the two boys were looking at each other, beaming from ear to ear.  I
think Andrew's fears had been laid to rest.  "So you don't mind?" Andrew
asked him.

"Mind?  No way.  This is excellent.  I might become famous, like Mona
Lisa."  Cody hesitated for a second, before he added an afterthought.  "And
you would too," he continued, almost as an apology to Andrew, for leaving
him out, "because you drew it.  Can I see it?"

"It's at school, in the art room," Andrew told him.  "But I'll show it to
you tomorrow, if you want.  You can go with me when I tell the teacher she
can use it for the art fair."

"Awesome.  I can't wait."

Now the two boys took off, side-by-side, as Cody wanted to go tell everyone
else what Andrew had done, and how they were both going to be famous now.
I chuckled to myself, as I considered how another crisis had been diverted.
However, this did give me more insight into Andrew, as well, and I guess
maybe I'll have to look for a picture of Brent for him, one that he can
keep.  I guess I just took it for granted that he was a sensitive and
caring young man, but I just forgot how sometimes that trait can also show
up in other ways, such as in deep concern for others' welfare, or remorse
over a loss or setback.  I guess I'll have to stay a little more in tune
with his feelings, in the future.

A couple of days later I heard back from the doctor.  "Josh, the lab has
finished the tests, but I'm sorry to tell you that neither you or any of
the boys is a match with Cody."

"Damn, I was hoping that at least one of us would be.  What do we do now?"

"Now we wait to hear back from the national registry.  I expect to hear
from them anytime now, and I'm sure they'll have a match."

"I certainly hope so.  We're running out of options."

"Josh, this is not the time to give up hope.  A donor will turn up.  I'm
sure of that.  In the meantime, just keep positive and try not to let Cody
read any disappointment in your expression or demeanor."

"I'll try not to, Doc, and thanks for calling.  Even though it wasn't what
I wanted to hear, I needed to know that"

"Sure thing, and hang in there."

"Okay, I will."  Now I had to inform the rest of the family.  I got them
all together, so I could do this at one time.

"Boys, I just talked to the doctor, and the test results are in.
Unfortunately, none of us is a match with Cody."  I saw everyone's face
drop, everyone's except Cody.  He was still flashing us that cute little
grin of his.

"That's okay," he told us, reading our disappointment.  "The doctor will
come up with someone, but thanks for trying to help."  Now I wondered if
anything could ever get this kid down, but I decided it best that I support
his position, at this particular moment.

"Cody's right about that.  The doctor has already sent Cody's file into the
national registry, and we should be hearing back from them shortly.  There
are many people who are signed up with them, and I'm sure there will me
multiple matches.  They're probably just trying to make sure which one
matches the best, and we'll get word from them just as soon as they figure
which donor is the closest match.  I wouldn't be surprised to hear from
them at any second."  Just as I said that, the phone rang, and all the boys
gave me this quizzical look, as if they were asking if I could read the
future or something.  Sammy was the closest to the phone, so he answered
it.

"Hello, Currie residence.  This is Sammy."  There was a pause.  "Yes, he
is.  Just one second."  He turned toward me.  "Dad, it's for you."  He
reached the phone out to me.

"Hello, this is Josh Currie."

"Josh, it's Steve.  I just wanted to check in to see if you'd heard
anything about Cody's situation."

"Oh, hi, Steve," I said, and I saw the boys release a collective sigh.
"We've heard that none of us was a match, but we're just waiting to hear
from the doctor.  He told me he'd call when the national registry comes up
with a match."  As you noticed, I tried to put a positive spin on this,
letting Cody and the rest of the boys know that I didn't wonder IF they'd
find a match, just WHEN the match would be found.

"Just let me know when you hear anything, all right?  Mary and I are both
concerned."

"I know you both are, Steve.  That's why you're such a good friend, and
also a great uncle to all the boys.  You'll be among the first I contact,
when we hear anything."

"Thanks, Josh, and we'll say a couple of extra prayers for Cody too."

"We appreciate that, Stave.  So long."

When I hung up, I didn't need to explain that call to the boys.  They could
pretty much piece it together for themselves.  However, Pat was the one who
broke the silence.

"Damn, Dad, I think we were all beginning to think you were psychic or
something.  You just said we'd hear from the doctor, and the phone rang.
That was almost scary, but it would have really been spooky if it has been
the doctor's office calling."  The boys all snickered.

"I might be good, but I don't have those kinds of powers.  Otherwise, we'd
never have to worry about anything.  If that had been the doctor's office
calling, it would have been just a coincidence."  I smiled at the boys,
when the phone rang again.  This time Cole answered it.

"Hello, this is Cole Currie."  His expression changed, and he looked toward
me.  "Dad, it's the doctor's office calling."

                  *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

If you have enjoyed reading this story, you will find other stories by me
by clicking on the Nifty author link and scrolling down to "BW".  This will
give you the links for everything I have posted there.

E-mails may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com.