The Last Phoenix

Before they left the dining room, the boys at each of the tables wrote down who was there, the roommates and the leader of the group.  With forty one boys, that was five groups of seven and one group of six.  Neal collected the papers and everyone went happily back to their rooms.  Even Jason and Andy were smiling and acting like friends.  Tom got Danny and Donny, and together they headed over to the hospital to visit with the twins' parents.

*

Lee had called a local restaurant and had pizzas sent up, both for the nurses' station, and for the five of them.  Lou was fascinated at the dramatic change in his world.  He could actually see more than fuzzy light and dark splotches and he could hear things.  He was beginning to recognize certain sounds, like Mitch's voice, and he could recognize people and reach and touch things he could see.  Well sometimes anyway, he didn't understand depth perception and so it confused him that he could touch Mitch next to him on the bed, but not Travis sitting in the chair.

The boys enjoyed helping him eat the pizza.  It was obvious that this was the first real solid food he had ever tried eating on his own.  Linda was thinking about how challenging it was going to be teaching him to use knife, fork and spoon, and the basic table manners.

After they had finished eating, the nurse came in and gave Lou his medicines in his IV. She explained that he soon would be sleeping, and that he would not wake up until mid morning, because his body needed the sleep to speed up his recovery.  Once he drifted off, Linda, Lee and the reluctant twins left to return to the Hotel. 

*

Tom and the other pair of twins arrived at John and Becky's room.  As could be expected, the boys were very glad to see their parents. 

John was anxious to talk with Tom.  "I want the job.  Becky and I have talked, and we think it will provide us with a welcoming challenge, and we believe that we will have a lot to offer the boys."

Tom smiled, "I agree completely.  We started organizing them tonight."  Tom went on and explained about how the rooms at Phoenix House were set up and that the boys had very easily formed their groups and picked roommates.

John was amazed, he had already started to think that he should divide the group of boys into different squads to help manage them, and now this was actually done. 

"That's wonderful Tom.  'Philip' has made arrangements for us to go to our new home the day after tomorrow.  Do you think I could meet with the leaders of each squad tomorrow?"

"No problem there, we're not starting the trip back home until tomorrow afternoon.  I'll bring them by so you can meet with them, and give them their first leadership tasks." Tom said.

John laughed, "How did you know that I was going to do just that?"

"The Boy Scouts.  That's how they do stuff.  Anyway, it makes sense.  Now that leads up to another point.  Danny and Donny have expressed an interest in joining the Scouts but they had thought that they wouldn't be allowed.  We have discussed it and they now want to join.  As a matter of fact I want Scouting available to all your boys.  The program starts with first graders and goes on through High School.  Either Phoenix Youth Foundation or Haven Enterprises will pay the registration and uniforms of any boy who wants to join, including these two knuckleheads." Tom ruffled the hair of the two boys standing at his side.

John smiled at his boys, "Why wouldn't you guys be allowed to join?"

Both boys tried to back up, but Tom was right behind them and held them in place.  "We had a bit of excitement while you were gone.  It seems that Donny has been abused..."

"WHAT!?!" John and Becky shouted together.

Donny was really trying to squirm away and Tom leaned down and whispered. "Calm down. That was the worst part, and now it's over."

"There was an off duty cop who came by 'The Safe Place' and he would get Donny alone and..."

"I'm sorry Daddy I didn't want him to... He said bad things would happen to you if I told." Donny was sobbing and huge tears were running down his cheeks.

"Faurleigh, that Son Of A Bitch!  I'm going to kill that Bastard!" John was screaming.

"Oh sweetheart!" Becky managed to pull Donny into a hug and hold him while he cried.

When things had settled a bit, Tom continued, "Well, Faurleigh has been dealt with.  'Philip' set the surveillance cameras on him and in just a few hours had him molesting another little boy. So now, the Chief has him securely locked up, and the Judge refuses bail due to flight risk.  'Philip' has arranged that his roomy in the State Pen will know the whole story, and will show him why he's called BIG Bubba every single day, and every night too."

John's face went from an angry red to his normal color, and then as the rest of what Tom said sank in, he smiled.

"Big Bubba?  Oh, that's great.  I hope he doesn't enjoy it."

Tom said, "Oh, Bubba will enjoy it just fine, but there is no way Faurleigh will."

Donny was sobbing over and over, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Dad."

John said, "Donny, come here, Son."

Donny slowly shuffled over to his father.

"Son, it is not your fault."

"But, Daddy, I liked some of it." Donny confessed in a whisper.

"So?  That's not the point; the point is he made you do things you didn't want to do, and he used force or the threat of force to get you to do those things." John explained.

"But, what if I'm gay?"

"Oh, Donny, do you think so little of your mother and me that you think that will make any difference?  We'll love you as much as ever. You don't see us not loving Danny, do you?" John asked.

Danny squeaked, "Me? You knew?"

Becky said, "We're your parents, of course we know.  We thought Donny probably was and was acting the way he was to try and cover it up.  If we had had any idea about the abuse he went through, we would have put an end to that much sooner."

"I'll tell you two this; as your father, it sure is good to see you two together again."

They all hugged, and when the nurse came by to tell them visiting hours were over, the boys were sorry to leave but they were looking forward to getting to their new home with their parents.

When the door closed, Becky said, "Are you alright John?"

"No, I'm so angry, and feeling so damn impotent.  My son was molested and I didn't do a damn thing about it.  How could I have missed something like that?  And now, now I'm just a lame cripple who can't do anything to protect our sons and daughter."

Becky grabbed her walker and moved over to John's bed.  She sat and put her hands on his.

 "Now you listen to me, very carefully.  We both missed that, and my bet is that so did even Danny.  That creep was good at what he did, and at least he has been stopped.  I wonder how much longer and how many more kids he wound have molested before he was caught, if we hadn't made this trip and had this accident.  Another thing, if you had known you might have really killed that sleazy bag of crap, and landed in prison yourself.  Now just where would that leave our kids and all these other boys we are going to help?  It is better that Tom has handled it and I for one think his punishment will be fitting," Becky giggled and blushed, "Well actually I hope it doesn't fit. I hope Big Bubba is huge, and that he has friends that are even bigger, and that they tear him a new one every single night for the next twenty five years."

"Rebecca Angelica Gregory!" John grinned, "Such language, such honesty, such truth.  I love you."

"I love you too, John."

*

When Tom and the twins got back to the hotel, they met Lee, Linda, Mitch and Travis returning also.  Mitch filled them all in on how well Lou was doing.  The boys headed for their rooms and Tom went to find Andy.

Andy was in his room with Jimmy where they were playing cards with Hairy and Brandon Henderson.  Tom sat on the edge of the other bed and watched for a few minutes.  His curiosity finally got the better of him.  "Hairy?  I hate to ask this but I heard you correct one of the guys about your name. Why is it H A I R Y. and not H A R R Y?"

Andy and Jimmy broke into hysterical laughter and Hairy turned beet red. 

Brandon said, "He's fourteen and has hair, Ethan and I don't, yet.  So he's hairy, see?  Also we saw a movie once called 'Hairy and the Henderson's, and it was really funny.  Hairy has big feet too!"  Brandon lost it then and the three were laughing too hard to sit up and were falling all over each other.

Tom chuckled as he left the room mumbling to himself, "I knew I shouldn't have asked, but could I let it go?  Noooooo, I had to ask.  Jeez."

Tom found Neal, and sent him to get the Squad Leaders.  As soon as Neal had gone looking for them, Tom called room service to order pizzas and sodas.  When the six Squad Leaders came to his room, Tom asked them to have a seat, and then sent Neal to get Brian, Mitch, Travis, Danny and Donny.  By the time everyone was there the room was pretty much packed.

"You guys are the leaders now.  Neal, Brian, Travis and Mitch have the real power and I want you Squad Leaders to understand that this isn't some cute little adult game here.  The Phoenix Youth Foundation is really owned by these four boys,  and the Board of Directors is the four of them, myself and Mitch and Travis's Dad. The CEO is a guy that is a lot like Santa Clause, he is called Shorty.  In other words the adults can be outvoted by the kids."  Tom took a moment to make eye contact around the room.

Danny asked, "What about Mommy and Dad?"

Tom smiled at him, "Good question.  The board of directors have hired the Gregory's' to basically be the parents for the house.  In daily things, their word is to be obeyed, period.  If you feel that something was done wrong or unjustly, then you come talk to one of the boys or me.  Mrs. Harris will be around a lot too, since she is also your case worker."

Jordy Geiger, a fifteen year old, said, "I'm sorry but why should we really trust this?  I mean, you guys will be getting all that money from the State."

Mitch started to say something, but Tom stopped him with a glance.

"You are?"

"Jordy, sir," he answered, feeling he should have kept his mouth shut.

"Ah, right Squad Three.  Sorry, but it's going to take a while for me to learn all of your names.  Now, Mr. Geiger, counter to what you think, we have no need for that money.  You don't have any idea who I am.  Have any of you heard of Haven Enterprises?" Tom asked.

One of the boys said, "E.J. Rossman, Squad One.  Haven Enterprises is one of the largest privately owned corporations in the world, worth billions.  It has a new owner in the past year, a Thomas Richards ... Oh FUCK!"  E. J. turned beet red and the others including Tom laughed.

"Watch the language, please, but in this case it was quite understandable.  I had originally thought to refuse those payments, but the state insists.  They feel it gives them power over how things are done.  If they don't like what we do they can threaten to cut off the cash.  So we, the foundation, don't need that money and one of the things you guys need to decide in the next month or two, is what should be done with it.  The board will be discussing the options, so any ideas would be welcome."

"I want to fill you guys in on what will be happening, so you can let your squads know.  Tomorrow morning we will be packing and getting ready to leave.  You need to check with your guys and see if there is any personal property in that place they want, so we can go get it.  I don't care how silly something may seem, if even one boy has something there, we will see that he gets it.  Next, the squad leaders will need to come with me right after breakfast so we can visit the Gregory's.  Mr. Gregory wants to meet you guys, and start getting to know you.  He is tough but he is fair.  I think you will be able to deal with him just fine.  One of you might want to keep a pair of socks ready to stuff in Jason's mouth if he starts..."

"AWWW, man.  One little slip up..." Jason began.

Boys all over the room acted like they were taking off their shoes.

"Now, after lunch tomorrow, we will be leaving and heading back to Pennsylvania.  We will go about three hours and stop for the night.  The hotel we will be staying at has an indoor pool so put the swim trunks in the overnight bags.  Questions?"

Everyone shook was shaking their heads when someone knocked on the door.  Neal opened it, and there was Room Service with a cart of pizzas and some two liter bottles of cola.  Okay guys, three pizzas per squad and one two liter.  Breakfast is at seven thirty."

Cheers were soon heard down the hall as the pizzas were shared.  Neal and the boys took the rest, leaving two boxes for the adults.  The other adults came in and enjoyed the food and company for a while before the turned in.

When Tom and Leo were alone, Leo started, "Tom, I had an incredible day.  That Mitch boy did his healing thing, and gave Travis and himself little Lou's diaper rash.  Then we went to surgery and the Ophthalmologist had decided to do both eyes instead of just one, so we don't have to come back for that.  Then we get started on the ears, and it turns out things were messed up and could be fixed, so the whole implant wasn't necessary.  Later I find out Mitch really is an empath and is able to communicate with the little guy.  Travis gets some things, but with him it is just a one way thing. Mitch, however, can not only receive from Lou but he can also send.  It was the most incredible thing I've ever seen."

"Yeah, this whole trip has been incredible." Tom replied, spooning up to Leo.

"I'm so proud of you, you haven't adopted even one of them," Leo cuddled.

"Yet," Tom murmured and slipped off to sleep.

Leo lay awake for some time, trying to convince himself he hadn't heard that.

Leo was awakened by knocking on the door.  He glanced at the clock where "3:06" glowed in red digits.  He got up, pulled on his boxers and answered the door before the person knocked again.  The bright hall light temporarily blinded him.

"Doctor, sir, please, help."

Needless to say, Leo was wide awake.  His sight returning he saw it was Glenn, the boy who was rooming with the AIDS sick Aaron. 

"One second," Leo said and retreated far enough to grab his medical bag before he went back out the door.

"Let's go.  What's wrong?"

"Aaron, he's wheezing and I can't wake him up." Glenn said.
 
"Has he done this before?" Leo asked as they neared the room.

"No.  I'm really scared for him."

"Okay, let's go check on him."

As soon as Glenn opened the door, Leo could hear the boy inside struggling for breath.  He turned on the lights and went to work. Vital signs were good. Then he examined the boy and found hives developing. Aaron's is breathing was becoming more labored.

"Is it the AIDS? Is he dying?" Glenn was trying very hard to keep it together.

"Glenn, go back to my room and wake up Mr. Richards.  Tell him I need the box from the fridge in the room.  Oh, and my pants and a shirt too.  Hurry."  Leo sent Glenn on his way and rechecked Aaron.  Anaphylactic shock, luckily Glenn caught it in time.  Dr. Turnman got the EpiPen® out of his bag and gave Aaron the maximal dose.  Soon Glenn was back with the box.  The doc opened it and sorted through the contents.  He removed a vial and gave Aaron another shot.

Glenn was curled into a fetal position on the other bed, crying.  Soon Tom came charging into the room, carrying Leo's clothes.  "What the f... ah. What's happening?" 

"We almost lost Aaron tonight, but Glenn over there is the hero.  He came and got me in time."  Leo said as he pulled on his pants and shirt.  Then he sat down next to Glenn.  "He's okay now, Glenn.  You saved his life.  If you had slept through that, he would have died before morning."

"Why?  What was it?  He's just sleeping now?" Glenn asked, sitting up and looking over at Aaron.

"It wasn't his AIDS at all.  It was an allergic reaction to something.  It was probably made worse since his system is so out of balance right now.  My guess is that it was caused by something he ate, or a bug bite or  a bee sting, although those in the middle of winter are kind of rare." Leo said.

"Oh.  He had Pizza with the rest of us before bed.  I ate the same as he did.  He wasn't wild about the Hawaiian Pizza, he was taking the Pineapple off." Glenn said.

"Did he say why?" Leo asked.

"No, I thought he just didn't like it."

"Maybe he knew he was allergic and didn't realize how much was in the rest of the food." Leo said.

Then a sleepy voice said, "What's going on?  God, I feel like shit.  Glenn what are the grownups doing in here?"

"AARON!"  Glenn was off his bed and onto Aaron's in a flash, hugging his friend.

"Ah, Glenn, I need to breathe." Aaron gasped as Glenn hugged him tightly.

Dr. Turnman checked the vital signs again, and listened to Aaron's chest.  "Well young man, you gave us quite a scare.  You had a really bad allergic reaction, and if Glenn hadn't heard how much trouble you were having breathing, you might have died tonight."

"But I took the pineapple off the pizza." Aaron said.

"Yeah, well, there was enough juice left to get you.  From now on I want you to be super careful that you don't even get a trace of pineapple into your system. I'm also going to get you a gadget called an EpiPen® and teach both of you how to use it.  It gives you a shot of epinephrine to reverse the allergic reaction. It was that I used to save you tonight."  Leo held up the device to show the boys.

Leo went through the steps of using the EpiPen® and after twenty minutes he rechecked Aaron and gave him a BENADRYL® 25mg capsule  (Diphenhydramine HCl 25 mg) and checked his signs again after fifteen minutes.  Satisfied that everything was stable, he and Tom returned to their room and hopefully some more sleep.

Now Aaron and Glenn were alone again.  "Aaron you really scared me."

"Was Doc serious?  I almost died?" Aaron asked.

"Yeah, I thought the AIDS had... sob... I thought it was over." Glenn was trying unsuccessfully not to cry.

"Wow, thanks Glenn.  I'm really tired. Can you... Would you... Cuddle and sleep with me?" Aaron asked timidly.

Glen joined Aaron in a split second and they snuggled together.  Aaron was asleep almost immediately.  Glenn turned out the bedside light and checked for the hundredth time that the EpiPen® was there and closed his eyes.

At seven o'clock, Neal and Andy were gleefully knocking on doors waking everyone up for breakfast.  Neal was especially bubbly to his Dads when he saw how haggard they looked.  "Come on you two, there'll be coffee downstairs.  Get moving! Jeez."

"I could give him a shot." Leo grumbled.

"We need to talk to a vet. and get one of those dart guns, and a couple hundred rounds of ammunition for it." Tom replied, getting dressed.

"Yeah, and that's just for Neal." Leo added as they finished and headed out to meet the day, and forty seven hungry boys.  "We must be crazy... and we're taking them home with us."

After breakfast, Tom left with Donny, Danny and the six squad leaders.  He made a stop at an office supply store where he bought each of the squad leaders a three ring binder, a pack of paper, a four color pack of pens, some post-it notes and dividers for the binder.  Then it was off to the hospital. 

Becky was alone in the room when they got there.  "Hi guys, Mr. Gregory is off to x-ray and should be back soon.  I'm, of course, Mrs. Gregory.  So how about introducing yourselves?"

"I'm E. J. Rossman, Squad One." The first boy said.  He was 14 and had dark curly hair.

The next boy to step forward was Jason,  "Nice to meet you Ma'am, I'm Jason Kempston, Squad Two, and sometimes my mouth works faster than my mind."  All the others laughed at that.

"I'm Jordy Geiger, Squad Three."

"Hairy Henderson, Squad Four."  The others quickly added, "H A I R Y not H A R R Y."

Hairy blushed and Becky said, "I'm sure there is a story there, but maybe when you feel more comfortable with us you'll tell us Hairy."

Hairy nodded, still blushing.

The next boy was obviously the youngest one, maybe only a year older than her own sons, "Hi, I'm, ah, I'm Noah, ah, Noah Patterson, Squad 5."

The last boy said, "I'm Bob Brown, Squad Six."

"It's very nice to meet you boys.  It is going to take us some time to learn everyone's name.  My husband and I have talked a lot about how to do things. It is going to take everyone working together, if we shall make this work.  You boys are leaders in your groups and you are allowed to come to us anytime, if you have a problem.  Don't forget to ask each other too.  We plan on meeting with you at least once a week, and probably much more often in the first few months.  John, that is Mr. Gregory, was a policeman so his ideas on running things is the way the police force worked.  Most of that works pretty good, but we realize that you are boys, not trained men, so if he comes down on you too hard, I want you to let me know and I'll see what I can do." Becky said.

Danny said, "Yeah, Dad can be pretty tough but he is fair, and he does want the best for us, right Donny?"

"Yeah, and even when you think you really blew it, he'll back you up.  When you do good, he is right there to pat you on the back too." Donny said.

At that, an orderly pushed a man in a wheelchair into the room.  "Want to sit up for awhile or get back in bed?"

"I'll stay in the chair for a while.  Thanks, Abe."  Then turning to the boys, "Hi there.  I'm John Gregory."

Introductions were made quickly. 

"John, I've filled them in on the weekly meetings." Becky said.

"Good.  Now boys, we are responsible for seeing that the others are well taken care of.  You are part of that WE.  Your biggest job is to be a communication system.  You need to let us know what your guys are thinking and doing, and you need to keep them informed on what we are thinking and planning to do."  John let that sink in a bit before continuing.

"Now, you guys will be leaving this afternoon to go back, or rather to go to Haven Manor.  I would like each of you to do a little research on your squad.  I see Mr. Richards got you the things I asked him to.  Now you need to take some notes here.  I want you to meet with each boy in your squad, and talk to him.  I want you to get the following information:  His full name, date of birth, his parents names if he knows, and where he was born.  Then what grade in school he is in, and give that to Mr. Harris.  And the most important thing is what he really, really wants.  This might be a toy or a college education.  What is important to know is just what will motivate each one of your guys to do their best.  Don't forget to include yourself." John watched as the boys wrote down what he had asked them.

"Ah, sir, what if they won't tell us?" Noah asked.

John looked at the boy for a few seconds until he recalled his name, "Well Noah, that just means you aren't done talking to him yet.  Each of you was elected to be the leader.  Being a leader isn't always easy, and it isn't about ordering people around.  It's understanding those you are leading and earning their respect."  He smiled at the boys.  "You have two days.  We will meet at the Phoenix house after school on Wednesday.  The van will bring you over.  Any more questions?"

There were none.

Tom said, "Okay guys, let's head down to the cafeteria for a little while and let the Ds visit with their Mom and Dad."

Tom left with the six squad leaders and the family got to enjoy some time together.

Tom treated the boys to sodas and donuts in the cafeteria.  When they were done and had washed their hands to get the sticky off, he helped them set up the notebooks.  Each boy in the squad got a divider labeled with his name.  Tom helped them make pages for each of the boys, with space for the requested information.  All this gave the Gregory's almost an hour to visit.  Tom and the others went and collected the twins, and after teary goodbyes, they were on the way back to the Hotel.

Linda and Lee took Mitch and Travis back to Children's Hospital and stayed with them there.  Lou woke up about thirty minutes after they arrived. He looked around, and seemed to recognize them all.  He definitely recognized Mitch because he held out his arms to him.

Mitch went over to him and gave him a hug.  "Good boy, Lou."  Mitch said as he climbed onto the bed.

Linda said, "We need to change him."

"No problem Mom."  Travis got the things and changed Lou like an experienced parent.

"My, that is going to be so handy when the baby arrives." Linda said.

The twins grinned, "How much do baby sitters get paid?"

Lee replied, "A whole lot better than brothers."

"AAAWWWW DAAAAD."  Everyone laughed. Even Lou joined in, enjoying making sounds he could now hear.

Linda sent Lee out to get some lunch for the boys.  He returned about thirty minutes later, and had Lou's undivided attention as the aroma filled the room.  First Lee took a French fry and ate it, then he took one and held it out to Lou.  Lou took it on the second try and managed to get it into his mouth.  His eyes widened and he held out his hand for another.  Lee took out a chicken nugget and handed it to Lou.  Lou was in love.  Food with flavor.  Lee leaned over and kissed Lou on the forehead, then he hugged Mitch and Travis.  Linda did the same.

Lee handed the bag to Travis and they said their farewells.  Linda had to pull Lee away. 

"I feel strange leaving my boys," Lee said as the elevator descended.

"I know, sweetie, but we will see them again tomorrow afternoon.  They are going to have a lot of fun flying home, and we have to drive."

Linda and Lee were back to the hotel in time for lunch, and then everyone was busy getting everything packed.  Tom had delivered two suitcases for each of the boys to pack in.  A large one for the majority of the things, and a smaller overnight bag for what they would need tonight.  As the  adults were finished packing for themselves, they went around to help the younger boys.  The bellhops were busy transporting the luggage to the bus and loading it under Oliver's directions.  At a few minutes before two, they were all loaded and ready to go.  As the bus pulled out, Tom stood in the front and took the microphone from Oliver.

"Our first stop will be Juvy," he announced, "I want each of you guys to collect anything that is yours, and if there is something that means something to you, please let us know so we can save it, and have it shipped to you."

In an amazingly short time Oliver arrived in front of the building.  Tom climbed down and unlocked the gate.  Neal led the boys off the bus and into the building.  In the few days it had been empty, a musty smell had already filled the place.  The boys went to their rooms and gathered the few belongings they called their own that they still had. 

Leo and Tom were looking around in the staff area, and found a locked room.  None of the keys fit the lock so Tom quickly kicked the door in.  There were boxes stacked almost to the ceiling, and on each box there was written a name.  Tom's eye was caught by the box with bold black lettering "NEAL HUXLEY". With Leo's help, they got the box out and opened it.  It contained Neal's personal belonging from when he entered the place. There was paperwork, and the account information on his inheritance.  They also found a picture album and other things.

"Leo, can you stay and guard this stuff until 'Philip' can get some security people here and get all this shipped to Fred?  I hadn't even thought about that.  Most of these kids are orphans and there is an estate.  My bet is that the previous owners were systematically draining the estates of everything they could.  Fred will work to recover and restore as much as possible."

"Sure Tom, I have a meeting at four, but 'Philip' should have help here long before then."  Leo looked around the room, "How could they be so greedy as to prey on these poor little kids like that?  Too bad Dummesel is dead, he didn't suffer enough.  I hope we can catch his accomplices.  I want them to suffer as much as possible for what they have done to these poor children."

After a quick search, Brian's and Travis's boxes were found.  Tom and Leo carried them out to the van that Leo had driven over, so Tom could ride the bus.  In the van, Tom pressed a button on the dash.

 "'Philip'?  We need a few things at this location," he announced.

'Really?  You are at Juvy.  I thought your business was done there?' answered the Haven AI.

"No, we missed a little detail.  We need security here ASAP, and then secure transportation for a room full of evidence and records.  We will need a semi van to transport this to Fred Clemons.  Contact him and find out where he wants it.  You may need to have it delivered to Haven and he can work from there."

'What is the nature of this material?' inquired 'Philip'.

"Each boy has a box with his personal belongings and records of any estate.  Fred will need to start getting all this straightened out," Tom explained.

In perfect British Butler speech, 'Very well, sir.  It has been taken care of. The guards will be arriving in about twenty minutes.'

"Leo will be here waiting for them, then he will need a ride to the hospital." Tom said and then disconnected after 'Philip' had acknowledged him.

Soon the boys were coming out with a few things, and getting back on the bus.  They were all very quiet.  As soon as everyone was accounted for and loaded on the bus, Neal and Brian joined Tom in the van, and they set out for the hotel and home.

Author's Notes:
Well that seemed like a good place to end the chapter.  There were a couple of surprises in there for me.  I scared myself with Aaron's allergy attack.  And the room of boxes at the end of the story.  Jeez, my mind is so twisted I surprise myself.  Or maybe it's just old age.
Remember there is a character list available and I am working on including the squads and roommate information.
As always, let me know how you like the story so far.  
Str8mayb

Editor's Notes:
You had me really scared for a while there too, Str8mayb. That allergy attack was not fun. I am so glad that Glenn was there to get help for Aaron, and I really hope Aaron has learned his lesson about staying away from food he should not touch now. I bet Glenn too will keep really close watch over everything Aaron eats from now on, though.
I'm glad that John and Rebecca finally learned about what Donny has been through. Having such loving and accepting parents, should be of great help for him. 
Also, I really do wonder what things Fred will discover when he starts going through all those boxes they found at Juvy.
Finally, I want to thank you for reminding me of the character list in your notes in the end – which I of course didn't read before I was finished. I kept thinking how I wished that I had something like that available while I was working on it.

Eagerly waiting for the next chapters,
The Phone