Date: Wed, 26 May 2004 10:23:01 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: The Castaway Hotel-book 7, chapter 18

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 Emoe57 for his editorial assistance with
this chapter, and Art, the real Vinnie and John for their additional input
on each chapter.

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 7-by BW (Young-Friends).  Copyright 2004 by billwstories
Chapter 18 - More changes.                        February 2004

Ted and his Aunt Jane left Saturday, after lunch.  Although Ted was sad
that he had to go back home, I could tell he was a little hopeful that
possibly Jane could help him restore a relationship with his father.  He
made sure he came over to hug me before he left - a long, tender hug, with
his cheek resting over my heart.  When he broke the embrace, he gave me a
kiss on the lips, just an affectionate little peck, not the passionate,
open-mouth variety.  I saw Jane watching his every move, but she was
grinning as broadly as he, and I tousled his hair and smacked him playfully
on the butt when he got ready to get into her car.  That caused him to turn
and make a face at me, as he wiggled his butt in my direction, and then he
winked, smiled, and said, "I love you, Pop," before he crawled into the
passenger's seat.  As they drove away, he waved and blew kisses at us until
they were out of sight, but I knew Sammy, Graham, and I would miss him as
much as he missed us.

Now that our company had gone, the rest of us had our own things to take
care of, as the high school boys would be heading back to classes on
Monday.  The college boys had another week or two at home before they had
to return, so they wouldn't be affected, but the rest of us had to get back
into our routines.  I had the boys check to make sure their school clothes
were clean, they had their books and other things in order, including any
assignments that might be due, and I also asked them to think if there was
anything special they might need, before they returned.  While the boys
were busy doing all of that, I got my own things in order, knowing I needed
to be ready to return to work as well.

After I finished my preparations, I hopped on the computer to check my
correspondence, and discovered an email from Nick.  I opened it
immediately.


Hi Pop,

Mom and dad just left and we had a great time.  They met my host family and
I showed them around where I've been living and then we went to Sao Paulo,
but then they took me on a trip to Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia.  We had a
great time.  We went to see Maracana Stadium, which is huge.  They use it
mostly for soccer games, but they also hold concerts there too.  They say
it holds 90,000 people.

We also went to see the Statue of Christ the Redeemer, which sits atop the
Corcovado Mountains and overlooks Rio.  It's a huge statue of Christ with
his arms held out to his side, in the form of a giant cross.  We went up to
the top of the mountain to see it too, and the view was awesome.  You could
see all the beaches and everything.

We also went to see the Governor's Palace, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and
the Imperial Palace.  They were all nice, but the best part was going to
the beaches.  It's summer down here, so it was just great.  We spent a lot
of time there and I met a really cute boy one day, but I'll tell you about
that when I get back.

Oh, and thanks for all the stuff you sent.  It was really great.  Thank you
for doing that for me.

I'll be coming home in April, but I've promised mom and dad I'd come spend
the month of June with them.  I hope you don't mind.  I've had a blast
here, but I can't wait to come back there, cuz I miss all of you.

Love you all and will see you in a few months, Nick


I was pleased to hear from Nick, though I actually thought I'd be hearing
from his parents first, but they must still be on their way back home.  I
printed a copy of his email, so the boys could read it too, and then put it
on the fridge, where they would be most likely to see it, during one of
their multiple raids.

That night, Jake and I got to spend some quiet time alone, but he did ask
me how things had gone with Ted and what I thought might happen next.  I
told him I didn't know, but I hoped Ted could work things out at home, with
his Aunt Jane's help, but if he didn't, we'd go over his other options at
that time.  Jake said he understood, but expected Ted would be calling to
join us soon, as he wasn't so sure Ted wanted to work things out at home.
He said he'd been studying how Ted idolized me and watched or mirrored my
every move, so he felt Ted would want to come back, so he could be closer
to me.  Although I didn't totally agree with his conclusions, I did respect
his viewpoint and told him I'd keep that in mind.

The next morning we went off to church, as usual, and then we went out for
Sunday brunch.  We'd been home for an hour or so when the phone rang, and
then I heard the familiar, "Dad, it's for you," coming from one of the
boys, so I went to answer the phone.

"Hello."

"Uncle Pop, it's Richard!" the voice said, like I wouldn't have realized it
was Richard just from hearing the Uncle Pop.  However, I could also tell
something was wrong, because he sounded panicked, though I wasn't sure what
was wrong.

"Richard, what's the matter?"

"It's Dad, he's had a heart attack or something.  I've called 911 and we're
waiting for the ambulance now.  Mom's aide has been helping him, but I'm
going with him to the hospital.  The aide said she'd watch mom while we
were gone.  Would you meet us at the hospital?  I don't think I can do this
alone."  He was almost sobbing now.

"Yes, Richard, I'll meet you there.  Just keep calm and breathe deeply.
You don't need to hyperventilate and make matters worse.  Hang in there and
I'll see you in a few minutes."

As soon as I hung up, Jake and the others began asking questions and I told
them what I could, as I grabbed my coat, the car keys, and headed for the
door.  My mind was just whirling with a myriad of thoughts, as I considered
what was happening to Albert, along with Arlene's situation, and the worst
case scenarios for Richard.  I didn't want to be pessimistic about what was
happening, but I felt I had to work various options out in my head, so I'd
be prepared for whatever might come.  Richard would need my guidance and
advice, as this would be a very emotional time for him and he wouldn't be
thinking clearly.  I pulled into the parking lot, raced to the emergency
room, and I saw Richard pacing back and forth in the waiting room as soon
as I entered.

He saw me coming toward him and I could see the tears streaming down his
cheeks and his chest heaving, as he tried to keep from breaking down.
"He's gone," he gasped out, and then he let loose with his emotions and
began to cry.  "He had another heart attack in the ambulance and they
couldn't save him."  He was sobbing frantically now, and I was having
difficulty keeping my own emotions under control.  I just held him tight,
fearing I'd have trouble choking out my own response to him.

"I want to see him," Richard suddenly announced, catching me totally off
guard.

"Are you sure?" I asked, thinking this might not be the time for him to try
to deal with seeing his father's body and that maybe he should wait and do
this at the funeral home, when it might be easier to cope with.

"Yes, Uncle Pop.  I have to say good-bye."  I knew what he meant, having
gone through this myself, and having watched my boys go through it too, so
I gave in to his request.

"Okay, let me go check with the nurses, but you wait here, until I come
back for you.  All right?"  He nodded and I went off to set this up for
him.  We had to wait a few minutes for them to make Albert presentable, and
then they let us in.

"Do you want me to go with you," I asked Richard, "or do you want to do
this alone?"

"Will you go with me?  Please?" he asked, knowing full well I'd do whatever
he wanted.

"Yes, Richard, I will."  We went into the room where they had tried to
resuscitate Albert, and the nurses had cleaned up his body and covered with
it with a sheet, up to his chest.  Richard tentatively walked up beside the
bed and reached out to touch his father's hand.  He sat there for a moment
like that, before he began to speak.

"I already miss you, Dad," he sobbed out, "and I hope you know I love you
and always will.  Even though we've only been together a few short years,
you and mom are the most important people in my life and you've done more
for me than you can ever imagine.  I love you both dearly and thank you for
everything you did for me and I will definitely be lost without you here."
Suddenly, he stopped talking and just stood there, but I could see his body
begin to tense up.  I wasn't sure what was happening, or if I should try to
console him, but finally the floodgates opened and his dam burst.

"Dad, why did you have to be so stubborn?  Why did you have to tell the
overnight aide we didn't need her any more?  Why didn't you let Uncle Pop
and the boys help?  Didn't you love me enough to let them do that for you?
I need you and now you aren't here for me.  Why didn't you love me enough
to swallow your pride and accept all that help?"  I could no longer remain
in the background after hearing this, so I moved forward and wrapped my
arms around him from behind, reminding him I was still there.

"Richard, he did love you and that's why he did what he did.  He felt it
was important that you and he take care of your mother, not a bunch of
outsiders.  He was showing you that he'd do anything for the ones he loved,
making any sacrifice necessary to care for them.  Don't blame him or think
he didn't love you, for he did, from the very depths of his soul.  I know
this, because he's told me so on very many occasions.  So, don't hate him
now, but let your love for him also show through.  If he can still see you,
he probably feels badly enough about leaving you all alone, but there's
nothing he can do about that now."  I held him tight, eventually feeling
the tightness ebb from his body, and then he began to weep hysterically.

"I do still love him, Uncle Pop, except I don't know what I'm going to do
now," he stated, turning his head around, so he could look up at my face.
His eyes were pleading with me to give him some sort of answer about what
was going to happen next.

"Don't worry," I told him.  "Remember what I said at Thanksgiving.  We take
care of family, and you're family, so we'll take care of you too."

"I know, but I can't run the farm and take care of mom on my own.  I'm not
even sure if you guys can help me do that, even though I know you'll try."

"Richard, let's not worry about that now.  We'll work things out, but tell
me how this happened."  Richard stood wrapped in thought for a few more
seconds, and then he spoke again.

"I don't think Dad had been sleeping much," he told me, trying to
rationalize what had occurred, "but he was still doing all the work around
the farm.  If he hadn't have told the overnight aide we didn't need her,
this probably wouldn't have happened," he stated again, still finding a
need to blame someone or something for what happened.

"I should have been more insistent about his letting us help cover that
shift," I admitted, trying to take away some of his guilt, "but I knew your
father and didn't want to offend him by pressuring him to accept our offer.
Damn it all.  The aide schedule goes back to full coverage tomorrow, so why
did this have to happen today?"  Now, I was also blaming myself for not
MAKING Albert accept our help, for if I had, maybe he wouldn't have had
this heart attack.  Finally, however, I came back to my senses and realized
I needed to be there for Richard, not dealing with other issues, so I began
to offer him some comfort.

"Richard, I think you know your parents made me your legal guardian, should
something happen to them, so you'll always have a home."

"I know, but what about mom?"  He looked at me, deeply concerned about both
their futures.

"We'll take care of her too.  The aides will help, and we'll make things
work."

"Are you sure?  She'll be terribly confused and upset."  I could read the
worry written all over his face.

"We'll get through it.  I promise."

"Uncle Pop, I've lost them both now," he said, burying his face into my
chest and sobbing forcefully.  I let him continue this way for a few more
minutes, to release the anguish he was feeling, but after a minute or two
he stopped and looked up at me again.  "Mom doesn't even know who I am most
of the time any more and she gets sooooo confused.  I really have lost them
both now, you know."

"That may be true, but you still have me and the boys.  You'll come live
with us and we'll take care of your mother too."

"But what about the farm?" he asked, very concerned.

"We'll talk about that later, but we'll work something out about the farm
too.  Will that be all right for you?"  He merely nodded, not speaking this
time.  I decided it was time for him to say his final good-bye, and then
I'd take him with me for a while, giving him a chance to grieve and work
through his problems in relative seclusion.  The aides would be with Arlene
for the rest of the day, and then we'd figure something out, before the
final aide left for the day.

Richard was still hesitant to leave his father's body, but I finally pried
him away and drove us home, knowing the boys would do all they could to
help him work through this.  The minute I felt Richard was okay without me,
I broke away and started calling our extended family, to let them know what
had happened.  Even though they all expressed grief over Albert's loss, the
Spences went a step further.

"Josh, you can't take care of Richard AND Arlene," Margaret informed me.
"Let us take Arlene in with us.  She feels an attachment to me and with the
aides helping out, I'm sure we can handle it."

"Margaret, I appreciate the offer, but this may be more than you can or
should be taking on," I countered.

"Nonsense," she responded, more emphatically than I had expected.  "You
said it perfectly at Thanksgiving - we do what we have to do to help the
family, and John and I want to do this.  It will be fine."

"Margaret, I really do appreciate your offer, but such a change will be
hard on Arlene."

"Any change will be hard on Arlene, whether she comes to live with you,
with us, or goes to a home, so that shouldn't be part of the equation
here."  She had a point.  I had to admit that.

"That's very true, but I'll have to discuss this with Richard first, before
I can give you an answer.  I'm not sure he'll want to be separated from his
mother right now."

"I understand," she replied, "but please make sure he understands we really
WANT to do this for them."

"I will, Margaret, and I'll let you know what he decides."  I thought that
was more than generous of her and John to offer, but I'm not sure how
Richard would react to such an idea.  I would discuss it with him, but I
didn't think this was the appropriate time to do that.  The first thing we
had to attend to was making arrangements for Albert's funeral.

I went and found Richard, telling him there were some things we needed to
talk about, so he came with me to the family room.  I sat down and he
immediately seated himself across my lap, leaning his head upon my
shoulder.  Rather than bring up the issue of the funeral right away, I just
held him and let him get comfortable.  "What is it we need to talk about?"
he eventually asked, lifting his head and breaking the silence.

"I think we need to talk about the funeral arrangements," I announced,
causing his face to drop a little.  "I know this isn't easy, but it needs
to get done, so I need to know if your dad ever said anything to you about
such a situation."

"I know we have to do this, so I'll be okay," he admitted.  "Yeah, dad and
me talked about this a little, but it was about mom at the time.  They have
plots at the cemetery and they both have life insurance, to cover the costs
of the funeral."  That was actually more information than I'd expected him
to know.

"Well, that's a start.  Do you know which cemetery?"

"Yeah, the one near where we live.  You know, down by the old church."  I
nodded my head in response.

"Where do you want the funeral and services to be held?" I followed up.  I
could see him thinking hard about this.

"How about like you did for Cody.  That was nice."

"Fine.  Would you like me to make the arrangements for you?"

"Yeah, but can I go with you when you do it?  I want to help make some of
the decisions."  He looked so sad and so lost as he said that.

"Of course you can.  Let me make a couple of quick phone calls and then
we'll be on our way."  He nodded and I went to call the funeral home and
the church, to set up appointments for us to meet with them.  The funeral
director told us to come down directly, which I figured he would, and I set
up a meeting with the minister for right afterward.

At the funeral home, Richard picked out the casket his father would be laid
to rest in, and then the vault that would surround the casket.  After that,
Richard gave the director the information he needed for the obituary, with
me filling in some of the gaps.  When that had been completed, we set up
calling hours and the time for the funeral service, and then I took Richard
over to the church, where we would complete the arrangements.

I introduced Richard to the minister, who wanted some information about
Albert, seeing he only attended services here with us on occasion.  Richard
told him all he could and I added some other details, things I had learned
about Albert from our many conversations.  Once this was done, Richard and
I headed out to pick Arlene up, so the final aide could leave for the day.
On the drive there, I decided to discuss the Spences' proposal over with
him.

"Richard, Mrs. Spence has offered to let your mother come live with them,
because your mother showed a particular attachment to her over the
holidays.  I will have the aide coverage moved there, if you decide to do
that, or we could take your mother in to live with us.  I will leave that
particular decision up to you."  He sat there looking in my direction, but
I could tell he was seeing nothing in particular.  He was lost in thought,
weighing the options over in his mind.  It was several minutes before he
spoke again.

"The Spences are home all day, right?"

"Yes, they are retired and don't go out all that much, except when they
join us from time to time."

"That means they'll be able to keep a better eye on mom, right?"

"Yes, with the two of them at home and the aides assisting, they should be
able to keep a very good watch over your mother."  I could tell he was
thinking some more.

"And I can go visit her whenever I want?"

"I'm sure the Spences would have no trouble with you going there to visit
whenever you wished," I assured him.

"And they live close enough that I can walk there from your house?"

"They only live a few houses down the hill.  They bought that house so they
would be close to us, and you can easily walk there whenever you want."

"Okay, I think that would be best then.  Having mom in the house can really
upset things, and everyone is in and out of your house so much, you might
lose track of her.  I don't mean that in a bad way, it's just that mom can
be hard to watch and with as many people as you have coming and going, she
could slip out behind them and no one might even notice.  And a lot of
times dad had to bathe her or clean her up after an accident, and I don't
think any of you should have to do that, and mom would feel better that it
was a woman helping her.  No, even though I want to stay with her, it's
best she's with Mrs. Spence.  I'll visit her every day, so it won't be that
bad."  I reached over and put my hand on his leg, just to let him know I
was there for him.

"Richard, I think that's a very wise move and I agree with your line of
thinking.  Mrs. Spences has always been close to your mother, and I know
she'll take very good care of her, and she has more time to do a more
thorough job than we do.  With you going to visit her on a regular basis
and with the aide to help, I think they should do just fine."  I could see
that he still had some doubts about doing it this way, because he still
wore a very sad expression on his face, so I thought I'd offer him a little
more encouragement.

"Richard, even though it's a difficult decision for you to make, it's the
best option we have.  This will keep your mother out of a nursing home and
put her with loving friends.  Her son will be with her as much as he can,
and she'll still be there for all the family functions.  That's the best a
loving son can do at this point, so you can't feel bad about it."

"I know, but it's still hard.  I felt like I lost her a long time ago, but
with dad dying like this, I feel like an orphan again."  He began to weep.

"You'll never be an orphan.  You have two replacement dads now, even though
Jake or I would never be able to truly replace Albert in your life, but
you'll also end up with a slew of brothers, whether you want them or not.
You're stuck with them and all their faults, so I hope you're ready to
spend time in our nuthouse."  This caused him to break into a grin and
giggle a little, even through the tears.  I was glad to see that.

"I'm not unhappy to come live with you," he explained, "because I wanted to
do that before I met my mom and dad.  It's just I hate to have lost them so
quickly.  I was hoping I'd be in college or even older before anything like
this happened."

"I know and I'm sorry that fate worked against you, but we all have to play
the cards life deals us.  You're a survivor, we both know that, and you'll
do well and blossom with us.  You won't have to worry, though, because
between Albert's estate and what we can do for you, you'll have enough for
college or whatever else you might want to do."  Ricky looked shocked.

"Uncle Pop, you don't have to do all that for me.  You have all the other
boys to take care of too, and I don't want to take away from them."  He was
being sincere and I could tell he was upset by the thought I'd be robbing
the other boys for him.

"That won't happen, Richard.  The boys are all set already, so they won't
lose a thing, but we'll make sure you're taken care of too.  Besides, the
farm is the key here.  I'm just grateful that your father decided to buy it
back a couple of years ago, or this might not have worked out so well for
you."

"Uncle Pop, thank you and I love you so much.  When we get to the farm, I'm
going to give you a big hug."

"I'll take that as payment in full for your debt," I joked.

"No way!" he exclaimed.  "Maybe a hug a day, but never just one."  I just
looked at him and smiled.

"Sounds like a great deal for me.  I'll take it."  It was nice to see he
was temporarily out of his doldrums.

Shortly after that, we pulled into the farm and got out and went into the
house.  The aide greeted us, saying Arlene was having a fairly decent day,
so we decided to go speak with her.  "Hello, Arlene.  How are you feeling
today?"

"Oh, hello, Josh.  I didn't hear you come in.  Do you know where Albert
is," she asked, "that person in the other room won't tell me anything.  Oh,
Richard," she said, seeing her son behind me, "come here and give your
mother a hug and kiss."

Richard did as he was told, but already the tears were streaming down his
cheeks.  "Richard, what is wrong with you dear?  Why are you crying?"
Richard looked over at me, seeking help.

"Arlene," I began, taking him off the hook, "we have some bad news for you.
Maybe you should sit down first."

"Josh, I don't need to sit.  I'm not an invalid.  What's wrong with
Richard?"

"It's not Richard.  It's Albert," I advised her.  "He had a heart attack
earlier, and he's gone."

"Gone where?" she asked, not comprehending.

"Arlene, Albert's dead.  He passed away earlier in the day from a heart
attack."  She began to weep.

"Why didn't anyone tell me or let me go be with him?"  I had to come up
with something quick, rather than depress her about her own situation.

"He and Richard had run into town when it happened, Arlene, so we couldn't
get back to tell you until now.  I'm so sorry."  Richard was hugging his
mother tightly, as she cried on his shoulder, but then she looked up at me.

"When can I see him, Josh?"

"He's at the funeral home and you can see him tomorrow, during the calling
hours."  She looked a little put off that she'd have to wait until then.

"Did he suffer?" she wanted to know.

"No, Arlene.  I understand he went pretty quickly.  He didn't have time to
suffer."

"That's good," she replied.

"Arlene, we're going to take you with us now.  You're going to stay with
Margaret and John Spence for a while, so you'll be closer for the calling
hours and funeral, and Richard will stay with my boys and me.  Is that all
right with you?"  She thought for a second.

"Oh, yes.  That will work fine.  I'd love to see Margaret again.  Come on,
Richard, we both have to pack a suitcase for this visit."  They went off to
get their things together, and I suggested the aide go see if she could
help Arlene, while I waited downstairs.  While I was waiting, I checked out
the house and made a couple of quick phone calls, contacting a few of the
neighbors to look after the animals for a while.  Once that task was
completed, I looked at the pictures scattered on shelves or hung from the
walls.  It was obvious to see they had been a loving and close-knit family.

When Richard and Arlene came downstairs, we put the luggage in the trunk
and got into the car, but Richard took one more look around before we drove
away.  Arlene chatted briefly during the trip, talking about Albert and
reminiscing about things they had done together.  We stopped at the Spences
first, to drop Arlene off.  She seemed extremely happy to be seeing John
and Margaret again, so after chatting with them all for a few more minutes,
Richard and I left her with them and went to my place.  Although we didn't
have very far to go, Richard had some things he wanted to tell me.

"Thanks for bailing me out with mom.  I didn't know how I was going to tell
her about dad."

"I figured that would be the case, so I was kind of prepared for her."
Richard was still looking down in the mouth, so I tried to see what was up.
"Is there something else bothering you?" I asked him.

"It's just hard seeing her like she used to be," he admitted, "knowing a
few minutes from now she probably won't remember what happened and may not
even recognize any of us, including me."

"I can understand that, and it has to be roughest on you."  He merely
nodded in response.

"Uncle Pop, can you do me one more favor?"

"Sure, my boy.  What do you want me to do for you?"

"Would you start calling me Little Ricky again?"  He was studying me now,
because I failed to respond right away, so I guess he felt he needed to
clarify some more.  "Now that I'll be living with you, and Ricky will be
there too, I'd feel better doing it that way.  Besides, I think if you
called me Richard it would remind me too much about my parents, and I'm not
sure I could handle that right now."

"Sure, champ, if that's what you want.  I'll tell the boys too, so they
know what you want as well."

"Thanks, Uncle Pop, or should I just start calling you Pop now?"

"That's up to you, Little Ricky.  Whichever you feel most comfortable
with."

"Okay.  Let me think about that for a while."  I nodded my agreement and we
pulled up in front of the house.

"Come on.  Let's go see the crew and we'll find you a place to sleep
tonight."

"Do you think I can stay with Ricky tonight?"

"We'll ask him, but I'm sure that won't be a problem.  I know you two
bonded first and I'm sure that he'd love having you with him."

"Thanks, Pop.  I love you."  I guessed he'd made up his mind about what he
was going to call me.

"I love you too, sport," I responded, grabbing his suitcase, putting my arm
around his shoulders and taking him up to the front door.

               *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

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I also love to hear from my readers and get their reaction to my stories.
If you don't mind, please share whatever information you feel comfortable
with, because it helps knowing my readers better when I decide what to
write or how to gear it.  Please email me at bwstories8@aol.com and let me
know what you thought, so I can do even better in the future.  Thanks,
Bill.