Fire Book One

Special thanks to the Radio Rancher for his editing and co-authorship of this chapter.  It's not ALL my fault.

Author's Note:
Dear readers, there was so much happening in this chapter that needed to be in both stories that to have to reread it for the differences just seemed silly.  So I included the story specific scenes in together and we have almost two chapter's worth of words anyway.  I could have been truly EVIL and made you read all this twice, but I just couldn't do it on top of the Cliff Hanger, ah, I mean, Dramatic Pause, maybe next time.  (How about a new dog named Dramatic, we would then have 4 Dramatic Paws.)

Donny screamed as if in pain and collapsed on the floor.  Dr. Lisa was the first person to reach him.  She quickly checked him to be sure he hadn't hurt himself in the fall.  Danny was there too, with tears flowing down his cheeks.  "Is he gonna be okay?" He blubbered and caught his breath.

"Yes sweetheart, he just fainted. He'll be just fine.  Are you okay?" Lisa asked.

"I don't know. I'm so scared. What about Mommy and Daddy?" Danny pleaded.

Tom quietly closed the phone and looked around the room; everyone's attention was riveted on him.

Tom hesitated for only a second and decided that the truth was the best way to go. He took a deep breath and began, "That was a State Trooper on the phone.  He was calling numbers stored on Mr. Gregory's cell phone.  I was the first one to answer.  There has been a very bad accident.  A SUV driver didn't see the stop light until it was too late, and then lost traction and... well, your Mom is in serious condition, but she is expected to fully recover, your Dad, however, was not so lucky. He is in critical condition, and the doctors won't say any more."  Tom told Danny, honestly.

Patrick rushed over to Danny and hugged him tightly, "It will all work out, Danny. I'm sure it'll be okay.  You just wait and see.  We are all here for you."

Danny leaned into Pat's embrace.  "Wh-where are they?" he managed to squeak, between his heaving sobs.

Tom replied, "They were flown from the scene by helicopter to the trauma center.  If your Dad hadn't been a cop, they probably wouldn't have risked a chopper in this storm.  Both your parents are receiving the best care possible."

Danny started crying again.  Everyone wanted to comfort him and Donny, who was just starting to revive. 

Neal came up with an idea, "Dad, could we like... make a sleepover here in the family room.  Then all of us could cuddle together, and the fire makes it real cozy."

There was unanimous support for the idea, and Andy offered to be in charge.  With that all settled, the boys made a quick trip to their rooms and returned laden with blankets, pillows and whatever else they thought they would need for the rest of the night.  The adults made a tactical retreat out of the family room.  Tom motioned for Andy to join them in the hall for a conference.  "Andy, If you need us for anything, just tell 'Philip' to get us.  I'm sure he would be more than happy to interrupt our nice peaceful sleep."

Dr. Lisa said, "One or both of the boys may have nightmares tonight and being with all of you should be great therapy for them.  I will be available at any time, if needed. Just let 'Philip' know you need me, and I'll be right there."

"Thanks, Aunt Lisa and Uncle Tommy.  I think we have everything under control.  Please let us know if there is any more news." Andy said, taking a deep breath, having a hard time holding back his own tears, as he returned to the family room.

The adults ended up in the game room and Nick played bartender; fixing drinks for anyone that wanted them.  Lee was the first to speak, "So, I guess we need to decide just who goes to visit."

'I would suggest: Neal, Brian, Travis, Mitch, Andy, Jimmy, Linda, Lee, Tom, Leo, Nick, Martha, Jim and Sheriff Henry for starters.  Oh, and of course Danny and Donny.' 'Philip's' voice sounded clearly, from the entertainment center and he appeared on the plasma screen in a very nicely tailored three piece suit, looking very professional.

Luckily Tom didn't have his drink yet or he might have choked on it. "'Philip', is there something you need to tell us?"  Tom tried to keep his voice as calm as possible.

'Yes,' then silence. 'Philip' stared serenely into the room.

"You know, 'Philip', I could tell the little ones how much you like the 'why?' game.  They can play it almost endlessly..." Tom said, with an evil grin.

'You wouldn't.' 'Philip's image paled noticeably.

"Maybe he would, and maybe he wouldn't.  But you do know darn well that I would." Linda said, enjoying the idea of putting it to 'Philip' very much indeed.

'Okay, okay, you two win.  You know those papers you signed, well, the boys, Neal, Brian and the twins, now own Dr. Dummesel's properties for the mere price of only a few years' back taxes."

"How mere, 'Philip'?" Tom asked.  He was getting better at getting to the root of the matter with 'Philip'.

'Just three million, six hundred thirty four thousand two hundred fifty seven dollars... and fourteen cents."

There was a lot of choking going on in the room.  "I take it that is a bargain?"

'Oh, yes, quite so.  They now own an estate here in the county, they also own several apartment houses throughout the state, and of course, they now own the juvenile facility where they were once placed.' There was complete silence in the room.

Nick was the first to recover, "So, now, you're telling us that the boys own the place that did all those terrible things to them and other kids?  How is that supposed to make them feel?  'Philip', I think you acted before thinking all this through."

'It was Brian and Travis who said they wished they owned the place, so they could rescue the poor boys who were still trapped in there.  Well, now they can do exactly that.' The screen changed and played the scene of Travis and Brian, sticking cloves into a ham and talking. Everyone saw the looks on the faces of the two boys and heard the pleading tone in their voices, as they made their wish, together. There wasn't a single dry eye in the room.

"What in the world are we going to do, 'Philip'?  There must be fifty or sixty boys in that place; we can't possibly care for all of them." Linda pointed out.

'There is, in fact, sufficient room...'

Tom glared at the screen, "No, 'Philip', not here.  I have all I can handle right now, between the boys and a certain juvenile delinquent Electronic Uncle who won't take no for an answer..."

'Hey! I resemble that remark.'  Followed by Curly's voice doing his Nyuk, yuk, yuk!  'Actually, I was thinking there is more than enough room at the Phoenix House.'

"That would be Dummesel's place?" Nick asked, to clarify things.

'Not any longer; it now belongs to the Phoenix Youth Foundation, Inc.'

Leo scratched his head, "Okay 'Philip', why did you include me and the Sheriff on your list?"

'I included you, because all the youths who are there will be in need of physicals, and some will need medical attention, and there may very well be someone there with some very special medical needs.  The Sheriff will be needed as a liaison with the State Police, who will be needed to help sort the good boys from the bad.'

Before Lee and Linda could follow up on the 'special needs' Tom asked, "So, just where in the world did you get all this money to pay off the tax debt?  Did you use Haven Enterprises?"

'Thomas Richards, I'm surprised that you would question my integrity.  I most certainly did not, that would be embezzling.  I'll have you know I used my own money.' 'Philip' said, indignantly.

"Your own money!" all the adults chorused.

'Yes, exactly.'

"'Philip', you're dead, you can't have money." Tom said.

'I beg to differ.  My Swiss bank assured me that as long as I could provide the proper codes, I was alive enough to spend the money any way I see fit.  I suppose I have found a way to take it with me, so to speak.  Actually, I control a net worth more than twice as much as Haven Enterprises.'

Nick grinned, "Well I'll be...You know it would work.  That's damn slick, 'Philip'."

'Thank you. Coming from you, Nick, that is quite a compliment.  I'm glad I designed half the kitchen for you.'

"So, how are we to provide for the boys in this 'Phoenix House'?" Lee asked.

'I'm so glad you asked.'  There was dramatic a pause.

Linda cleared her throat, "Don't start that again."

'Jeez,' was heard, in a wonderfully accurate 'Neal' voice.  'I was going to ask John and Becky Gregory to consider taking the job. However... It's strange, not to be in control.  I don't know how the current situation will alter that scenario.'

"I think they will be absolutely perfect for it.  John is a fighter and I think he is going to pull through all this.  We may need to cover for them until they are recovered from the accident, but I think it will work perfectly." Tom said, excitedly." I know that John wants to help kids. He has told me many times how bad some kids he has come in contact with have been treated, and his fervent wish was that he could do something to make a difference." Tom paused to take a deep breath, "Becky is trained in such matters too and will fit right in."

Lee and Linda shared a look, and then Linda said, "Lee and I can stay there until John and Becky are able to take over.  Hopefully by then, our house will be completed and we can move in there."

"Well then, I think as soon as we can get there, we'd better get Phoenix House set up and then head off to settle with Juvy and get the twins to the hospital, to visit their parents." Lee added.

"Well, it doesn't look like we are getting out of here tomorrow, but maybe by the following day; we can at least get to this Phoenix House." Tom said.

The adults broke up their impromptu meeting at this point; as the morning was coming, all too soon.

*  Back in the family room  *

All the boys were cuddled together in front of the fire.  Everyone was asleep except Andy, who was lying there silently crying, as the memories of waking up in the hospital and finding that he was an orphan flowed through his mind.  Losing his Dad had been really hard on him.  When he was all cried out, Donny began to moan and move around.  Andy shook him awake and motioned for them to move over to the sofa. Donny looked at Andy, "You've been cryin'."

"Yeah, I was just thinking about when I woke up in the hospital, and found out that my Dad was gone." Andy said, sniffling.

Donny sobbed and nodded his head.  "It's all my fault.  Everybody would be better off without me.  I'm such a fuck-up."

"Hey, Donny, don't you dare think like that; I know what you are feeling.  But your Dad isn't dead, and he may be okay in a while." Andy pointed out.

"You don't know! How could you possibly know?! It's 'cause I was keepin' a secret...an' then didn't..."

Andy hugged Donny, "Yeah, Donny, I do, know. I was driving and swerved the motorcycle and we wrecked.  I lost my foot and my Dad.  So yeah, I know the guilt.  One thing though, for you to remember, you had nothing to do with the accident; and even if you hadn't already told your secret, it wouldn't have changed anything. The accident would still have happened."

"He said if I told, something really bad would happen to my parents.  I told... and look what happened." Donny was crying again.

Andy let him go for a couple of minutes, "Okay, that's enough of that!  Look, think about it; in the first place, how could he know you told, and second, even if he somehow knew, how could he possibly have caused this to happen?  It was an accident, one of those terrible things that happen for no apparent reason.  Time may tell us why this happened, but if you don't let it crush you, it will make you a better, stronger person."

Donny just stared at Andy, "How come you're being so nice to me?  I'm being such a baby."

Andy hugged Donny again, "Well, you should have seen me a few months ago; talk about your babies...Anyway, when Travis was brought into my room at rehab, I hated him.  He had a family and I had lost mine.  Then I found out about him and all, then he went home for a weekend and I figured I would just end my pain, but then, my friends started to visit.  I found out that Travis had told everyone I was in Rehab; they hadn't known where I was and that was why they hadn't visited, not because they thought I killed my Dad.  My whole Boy Scout Troop visited me that day, even the new boys who had never met me.  I realized that what I was going to do would have hurt every single one of them, and my doing it would have been pretty selfish and would not have solved anything, just made more pain."

Tears were again running down Andy's cheeks, "Then the most fantastic thing happened, I suddenly had two brothers and a new Dad, and Aunt Martha too.  I even had Max back. I'll tell you about him sometime.  He is a really special dog, if he is a dog, and he and Ginger brought my Dad back to talk to me and Dad explained how proud of me he was, because I saved the little boy that I swerved to miss.  He also told me he was happy where he was, 'cause he and Mom were together again, and it really gave me some peace.  I can go on now.  I still miss him a lot, but I have come to realize I'm actually better off now, and I'm better able to help kids.  I just wanted to race motorcycles before, and now, I think I want to do what Aunt Lisa does, help kids."

Andy looked down, and Donny had drifted back to sleep.  He pulled the afghan off the back of the sofa, carefully covered Donny and let him sleep.  Max came over and licked Andy's hand before finding Travis in the pile of bodies.

Todd woke everyone up in the morning yelling, "GET OFF ME I GOT TO PEEEEEEEE!!!!!!"

Needless to say, that got everyone moving in a hurry, and they let Todd out of the room first and the rest were following close behind, headed to their bathrooms. 

Donny and Andy let the others go before getting up.  "Thanks for last night, Andy.  I slept pretty good after that.  I had a weird dream about a class trip or something, and Daddy was there, but in a wheel chair.  Think it means anything?"

Andy gave his young friend a little hug, "I think it means your Dad will pull through, but may be different.  I know you will still love him, just be sure that he knows it too."

"Yeah, I'll make that real plain." Donny grinned, "Now I got to Go!"

"Right behind you, dude!" Andy chased after Donny.

The four dogs stretched and headed for the kitchen to use the doggie door.  It was completely blocked by the eighteen inches of snow.  Walter couldn't use it anyway, and, as he had been doing, he just opened the door and plowed into the standing snow, making a nice path for the others.  Mrs. Johnson was waiting with a pile of towels for their return and when they came back in, shivering and shaking, she gently dried them off, so they could join their boys for breakfast.

When Tom entered the room, he was smiling like a Cheshire Cat, and that grabbed all the boys' attention. (Tom usually didn't smile until at least his second cup of coffee.)  The room was charged with anticipation, which Tom blatantly ignored as he walked over and took longer than usual to fill his plate. 

When he finally sat down with that smug smirk on his face, Leo walked up behind him and gave him a 'Gibbs', (Slap to the back of the head like the character Gibbs does on NCIS.)  "Tell them, NOW, Dufus!"

"Alright, already."  Tom looked around, letting the suspense build.  "I called the hospital this morning.  Boys, your Dad was in surgery most of the night.  They got his internal bleeding stopped and they have set his bones.  They were able to save both his legs, but there was an awful lot of nerve damage, and the Doctors are saying that he may never be able to walk again. Only time will tell.  He is in the ICU, and he's still listed as critical, and will probably stay in ICU for several more days, maybe even a week.   Your Mom is still in ICU too, but she is now listed as being in serious but stable condition and she might get moved to a regular room tomorrow, they had to do a hip replacement on her and she had some internal injuries, which they took care of, but all in all, she should have a full recovery."

All the kids gave Danny and Donny big hugs and words of support.  Andy said, "Hey Donny, that explains the wheelchair."

Danny looked at his brother, "Wheelchair?"

"Yeah, I had this weird dream last night and there was like a big class trip or something, and Dad was there, in a wheelchair." Donny explained.

"Oh no!  Another dreamer," Monty moaned. {Yes Monty and you had better get used to it}

Max Growled at Monty, and went over to Donny and sat down, after giving Donny's hand a friendly nudge.  Travis broke out laughing, "I guess, Max told you, Monty."

Everyone laughed, and then rushed the buffet, loaded their plates and breakfast was underway.

*

After eating, the kids all bundled up and headed outside, into the snow. [Once again we have to thank the lord above and a very nice Dragon for the plentiful supply of commas; otherwise some children might have been consumed. Read that sentence that begins with the words 'after eating'. I also must point out the comma was, in fact, used by the author himself. I didn't have to insert it, unlike another story that I edited. I am afraid that my mind works in strange ways.]  {I was very glad to be of assistance and added the semicolon after the word "commas" TSL} Walter and Max had a great time, romping in the deep fluffy snow, but Ginger and Jack stayed pretty close to the house, where the snow wasn't very deep.  Todd, Darth (Adam), Monty and Patty found snow shovels in the tool shed by the stable, and shoveled the front steps.  Andy got out the snow blower, and cleared the driveway from the house, all the way to the garage, and having noticed Ginger and Jack's problem, he cleared quite a nice sized bit of grass for them to use.

By ten o'clock, they were all getting pretty cold and they retreated inside.  As soon as they opened the kitchen door, they knew that Martha and Nick were at it again, because those wonderful heavenly smells filled the air.  Chocolate Chip Cookies and Snickerdoodles. {'Cinmon Crumbles'}

Martha took one look and said, "Okay guys, hot showers, all of you!  When you get done, the Cookies, Snickerdoodles and Hot Chocolate will be waiting for you in the dining room."

Luckily, no one was in the way of the stampede out of the kitchen.  Mrs. Johnson, Martha and Nick laughed at speed of the disappearing youngsters.

Mrs. Johnson said, "My, my, what kids won't do for food.  Never seen that many boys in such a hurry to take a bath."

Most of the boys doubled up in the showers to save time.  Where any other time, there might have been some play, it was non-existent, because food was waiting.  In a very short time, they were all headed back down for their treats.

Their only problem was that the adults could all smell the wonderful aroma too and had followed their noses, so when the boys entered the dining room, the grown ups were already surrounding the goodies.  The Chocolate Chip Cookies were almost nothing but crumbs, and the Snickerdoodles were diapering fast. 

Before the boy could get to the Snickerdoodles Lee snatched them up and held them over his head.  Tom quickly did the same with the remains of the Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Before a riot broke out, Martha and Nick came in carrying more platters full and put them on the other table, for the kids.  "You leave the grown ups alone now, I saved these for you." Martha scolded, as the kids were trying to snitch off the adults' plates.

"Be nice and share, or you won't get any for dessert after lunch." Martha said, grinning.  The boys calmed down immediately.  It took every ounce of will power for her to keep her voice gruff.  She quickly turned away so no one would see her huge smile.

"Ah, that's right boys; never desert your dessert in the desert." Nick said, causing the adults to groan at his pun.

After clearing the plates, everyone headed off in small groups.

*

Tym and David followed Linda and Lee into the family room.  David spoke first, "Aunt Linda, what is going to happen to Tym?  We need to keep him, he's my bestest friend, now."

Tym was holding David's hand, it was his lifeline.  Tym was so worried he was almost in tears.

"Well, let me see," Linda began, "I had 'Philip' start a records check for you Tym, and we have already had charges filed against that good for nothing so called Foster Family, that had you, and the other Foster Kids have been relocated.   Your case has been transferred to this jurisdiction, and I am trying to figure out just where to have you placed." Linda explained.

David looked hopeful, "Then he can stay here, with me?"

Tym looked up and wiped his eyes.

Linda sat and held out her arms for the two little boys.  Walter nudged them forward.  Linda got them both up on the sofa one on each side of her and hugged them close.  "I wish it were all that simple, Sweeties.  Unfortunately though, until the adoptions are final, we can't possibly place anyone else here."  When that sank in, both boys began crying.

"Oh, now you two don't think I would let you get that separated, do you?  What I have planned is for Tym," She leaned down and kissed Tym on top of his head, "to be placed with a kindly old gentleman, who needs some company, and someone to help him with some chores.  The old fellow's granddaughter, who, as it turns out, is a wonderful cook, has agreed to be the Official Guardian, and keep tabs on both Tym and the old codger.  She has also promised some really good Chocolate Chip Cookies." Linda explained. She had to turn her head to hide her huge grin.

"Aunt Martha!" David yelled clapping.

"Shorty!" Tym shouted at the same time, jumping up and doing a little dance.

Both boys hugged Linda, they went running and giggling out of the room.

*

At dinner, Danny and Donny wanted to know when they could go to see their parents.  Tom reassured them that as soon as the roads were safe to travel on, they would go.  The rest of the evening went smoothly and it wasn't until after breakfast that the phone rang.

"Mr. Richards?  This is Dee Gregory.  How are the twins doing?"

"They are holding up as well as can be expected, Dee, How are you doing?"

"Frankly, Mr. Richards, I am just plain going crazy.  I keep calling the hospital to find out what is going on, and nobody there will tell me anything.  I'm so worried, and they act like I don't have a right to know anything.  Do you know what is happening? If you do, please tell me what's going on." Tom could tell her emotions were really being torn to shreds.

He filled her in on as much as he knew.

"Oh, and Dee, please call me Uncle Tommy. All the other kids do.  I really don't feel like a Mr. Richards. I don't think I ever will."  He chuckled. "As soon as the roads are clear, we are going to go to the hospital.  Do you need to get there, too?" Tom asked.

"No Uncle Tommy, but thanks for asking, my roommate has offered to drive me to the hospital.  Right now, I guess, there isn't any point, but please let me know when Mom gets moved into a room and can have visitors."

"No problem, Dee, and I'll tell the hospital, in no uncertain terms, that they need to share all available information with you."

"Thank you, I hope that does some good." Dee, understandably was less than confident in the results.

"I think you will find that I have a little influence with them, Honey. Haven Enterprises is the major source of funds of that facility. I doubt that they will risk having me pull all of our future grants out from under them."

When Tom hung up, he told Leo what had been going on with Dee.  Leo was furious and was soon on the phone, chewing some Hospital Administration Ass, leaving some blisters in his wake. The checkbook is mightier than the sword, it would seem.

'Philip' was doing a bit of 'calling' on his own.  Dee would indeed, NOT be ignored the next time she called. It's nice to control so much power.

*

'Philip managed to get Brian, Travis, Mitch and Neal alone in the library.  He appeared on the large screen. 'Boys, we need to have a little talk.'

The boys looked at each other and back at the screen.  Neal took on the role of speaker, "Okay, 'Philip', what is going on?  I have been getting a few really weird looks from Dad and Uncle Lee the past day or so. Why do I get the feeling that you are somehow responsible for it?"

"Yeah, it's been weird." Travis said.  The others nodded agreement.

'Well, Boys, I have granted a wish of Brian and Travis's and it involves all four of you.  I overheard you two say that you wished you owned Juvy, so you could save the little ones.  Well, you now own Juvy and some other stuff.' 

The boys looked at each other in shock.  Neal again took the lead, "'Philip', we're just kids.  How can we own Juvy?"

'Good question, Neal.'  Silence.

"Okay, time to install Macrohard View." Neal said.

'Nooooooooooo!!!!  I'll talk, I'll talk.  I formed a corporation and you guys are the owners and are on the Board of Directors.  Other members of the board', I propose, are your parents, Shorty and whoever will be managing the new facility. I have to tell you that I was completely appalled by the situation there, and, by the way, you are responsible for me looking into it in the first place. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I have come to believe that you four are caring and responsible enough to know what the kids need, far better than any adult ever could.'

Brian added, "I think we'll need Aunt Lisa on the board."

The others agreed, Neal said, thoughtfully, "Uncle Eric might be good too, he likes kids, and he may have to deal with some of the kids."

'Boys, those are good choices, but I want you four to be in control.  I trust your feelings on the right things to do.  You have been through the same things that these boys have and that makes you the experts.'

"Okay, how about this; we could have an advisory board, and then the Board of Directors." Mitch suggested.

"Yeah, we can have the four of us and our Dads as the Board of Directors, and then the others on the Board of Advisors." Brian said.

"No fair, you got two Dads." Travis teased Brian.

"No, Daddy Doc goes on the Advisory Board with Aunt Linda." Neal said.

'Shorty, will be the CEO, and will be on the Board of Directors.  That's three adults and four youths.  Sounds good to me.'  The screen cleared and 'Philip' was gone.

*

The county snow plow managed to clear the streets of Haven Estates and finally left by way of the main house, clearing the drive.  'Philip' somehow had managed to clear the snow from the gate area, so the gate was open when the plow came through.  When asked how he managed that, he simply said, 'I am to defend Haven property.'  He wouldn't explain any further.

*

After dinner, Tom called the hospital again.  He found that Becky had been moved to a private room and that John was still in ICU, but his condition was now listed as serious, which was a big improvement indeed.  Tom called Danny and Donny over to him, and then called Becky's room.

"Hello?" a groggy voice said.

"Becky?  This is Tom."

"Tom?  No... no Tom here."

"Becky, it's Tom Richards, I have Danny and Donny here, with me, dancing around like they have to pee."

"Oh, Tom! Thank you for calling.  Can I talk to the boys?"

"Of course," Tom handed the phone to Donny.

"Mommy, you okay?  We've been real worried."

"Oh, Donny, Honey, I've been hurt pretty bad, but the Doctors say I should be fine, given some time.  I love you, so much."

"I love you too, Mommy, we are coming to see you, when the roads are safe.  Here's Danny."

"Mommy?  I miss you so much."

"I miss you too, sweetheart, both of you.  You and your brother need to be real good for Mr. Richards, Okay?"

"No problem, Mommy, Uncle Tommy is real kewl and he helped Donny a bunch.  I love you, and can't wait to see you.  Soon, I hope.  Here's Uncle Tommy."

The two boys hugged each other and happily left the room.

"How are you doing, Becky?"

"Truthfully, until you called, I was feeling pretty crappy.  I'm feeling much better now.  Thanks for calling, Tom. It means a lot."

"How is John?"

"He's lucky to be alive.  He's pretty busted up.  The doctor is not real hopeful that he will ever be able to walk again.  There was some major nerve damage, plus a lot of shattered bones.  But the important thing is, he will live and he will get better."

"Okay, that is real good news.  We will be coming there as soon as the roads are safe.  We got plowed out today, but there is still a lot of ice, and I don't want to take any chances with the kids."

"You'd better not take any chances with mine." she said in what sounded very serious, and then she giggled just a little. Tom breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes, ma'am."

"I'm sorry Tom, but they just gave me a pain pill and I'm fading."

"Okay, Becky, sweet dreams, we'll talk tomorrow."

*

While Tom was on the phone, Moe was talking to Brian.  "Brian, I noticed you are circumcised.  Are you Jewish?"

"No, I'm a Presbyterian, now, I think." Brian answered.

"You don't know?  How can you not know?" Moe asked, a little shocked.

"I don't remember anything about my real family.  I was real little when I got put in Juvy.  Now, we go to the Presbyterian Church, so I guess that's what I am.  My dick doesn't have anything to do with that though." Brian said.

"It is all very confusing to me.  Daddy Doc is Jewish, and the circumcision is very important to Jews, and I am Muslim and it is very important, you are Christian, and don't care." Moe stated.

"Yeah, I don't understand what all the fuss is about, either.  I don't ever remember my dick any other way, so as long as it works and it's fun to play with, I'm happy." Brian told his young friend.

"Yes, I guess I am worried that mine won't be fun anymore and that it will hurt a lot." Moe said.

"Well, the only ones I know of who would know both ways, are Mitch and Travis.  You might want to talk to them about it." Brian suggested.

"Thanks, Brian that sounds like a great idea; I think I will."

*

The next morning at breakfast, Danny and Donny were asking when they were going to see their parents.  Tom said, "We'll go out today and see how the roads are.  If Sheriff Henry says the major roads are good and safe, we will leave tomorrow morning, bright and early."

"Where are we going today?" Adam asked.

Shorty answered before Tom could.  "Well, we need to go check out this 'Phoenix House' and see just what kind of shape it's in.  If Neal, Travis, Brian and Mitch are going to rescue a bunch of boys, they will need a decent place to stay."

Tym looked at Shorty with near panic in his eyes.  Shorty spoke to him, "We need to check it out and make sure you have a room big enough to have a friend over."

"Really?" Tym asked timidly.

"Of course.  Walter would not be happy, if I did anything to upset you."  Shorty smiled and winked at Tym.

Tym giggled and dug back into his breakfast.

After breakfast, Samuel and his brother Tyrone came in and everyone loaded up in several vehicles and headed out to the Phoenix House.  It was only about a ten minute trip under normal conditions, but it took them the better part of a half hour to reach the gate.

"What kind'a bird is that?" Patrick asked, when he saw the crest on the gate.

"That is a Phoenix; a mythical bird that would burn itself into ashes then be reborn from those ashes." Daddy Doc answered.

"Kind'a like us makin' new lives, when you found us, huh, Dad?" Monty asked Tom.

"Yeah, son, just like that.  That's why 'Philip' chose the name 'Phoenix Youth Foundation' for this company." Tom explained.

"Kewl," several voices replied.

Nick got out of the lead car and entered a code onto the keypad on the gatepost.  The gate retracted almost silently, and the vehicles made their way up the drive.  Thank goodness they had chains on their tires.

The Phoenix House was large, but nowhere near the size of Haven.  They all went up to the front door and Nick again had the key to unlock the door.  Everyone went in and took off their wet snowy galoshes.  Then they went exploring.  Samuel and his brother started measuring rooms and making sketches.  The boys kept running back to tell the adults what they had discovered.

Moe and Brian came running back, grabbed Daddy Doc and dragged him off.  Soon Dr. Turnman was standing in a state of the art medical clinic.  Dummesel may not have been a good doctor, but he sure had the equipment to be a top notch doctor.  After looking through the clinic, Leo sat down and began making a list of supplies that needed to be replaced, mostly expired drugs.

Tym and David came and got Shorty and led him back to a small apartment that had two bedrooms.  Tym was so excited, because the bedrooms were large enough he thought, for a friend to come visit overnight.  Shorty agreed and that this would be just right for the three of them.  Tym looked at him questioningly.  "Walter, silly, we can't forget Walter, can we?"  That got Shorty a nice hug.

Danny and Donny found the master suite. It totally blew them away.  To Say that Dr. Dummesel had very hedonistic tastes was putting it mildly, and the decor was best described as 'new money gaudy'.  All the furniture was gold gilt with royal blue velvet. (If the boys were older, and the velvet had been red, it would have reminded them of a stereotypical Hollywood whore house, including the huge mirror on the ceiling over the king-size water bed, which magnified everything dramatically.  Lee and Linda found the boys there giggling at the plush bathroom with the multi head shower (big enough for about a dozen boys) and hot tub that was more like a small swimming pool. 

Linda just said, "Well, it looks like this needs some work."

Lee laughed, "I could mention this to 'Philip', if you like it."

"You do that and you will find out just how cold it can get..."

Even the boys knew a dangerous threat when they heard it.

Nick and Martha checked out the kitchen and found that it was fully equipped with everything that would be needed to feed the small army that was going to invade this place soon.  Nick estimated that a chef and staff of six should be able to handle it.  He would let 'Philip' know and begin the interviews when they got back from their little trip.

Tom was with Samuel and Tyrone, looking at the 'Guest Suites' on the North wing of the house.

"Mr. Richards, I don't think we need to add onto the building at all.  These rooms in each suite are huge.  I suggest we divide each bedroom into two smaller rooms, each with bunk beds, two dressers, two closets and two desks.  The two bedrooms share the toilet and shower.  The sitting room can stay pretty much as it is, with only a change of furniture to something a bit more serviceable."

"That sounds good, but the boys have to approve it; this is their project.  Make some sketches to show them your ideas." Tom said, patting Samuel on the back.

Growling stomachs brought the exploring boys back to the front entrance.  They had all had a ball exploring the estate.  They had found the indoor pool, exercise room (plastic wrap still on the unused equipment), a modern up to date meeting room, with all kinds of computer stuff, including the one hundred and twenty inch Projection screen on the wall, the eight car garage with three sports cars (Dummesel's), a stretch limo, two vans (one for cargo and one that would seat eleven comfortably) and outside was a huge luxury bus that had comfortable seats some of which fully reclined and could form a king sized bed, if positioned correctly, When the seats were fully upright, it could seat fifty very comfortably. It had a fully equipped restroom, with a nice vanity and shower, and of course, a fully stocked bar including a soda fountain, and a nice sized fridge.  The boys liked the idea of a bar on a trip. Neal noticed the satellite receiver and the pull down screen. There was also a DVD player and a cabinet filled to the brim with movies, some of which did not seem to be suitable for people younger than eighteen years of age or so. Tom thought "I think I need to check into that collection and remove some of those titles for 'safe keeping', yeah that's it." No one could figure what Dummesel was doing with the bus, but he had spent a pretty big roll of money on it.  It was custom painted with the Phoenix crest on the sides and was burgundy and gold in color.  Nick liked the bus and said his CDL (Commercial Drivers License) allowed him to drive it.  The boys wanted to take it on their trip.  Nick checked it out and it was fully gassed up and ready to go.  When they returned the growling stomachs to Haven, they all road in the bus.  The adults followed and Lee drove the eleven seater Van (painted to match the bus).

After a good sized lunch, The boys who were going on the trip packed the belongings they were going to take.  And the others were all excited about the new adventure.  Nick worked on the bus and emptied the bar of its high test contents and restocked it with kid friendly drinks, and noticed that there was indeed a soda fountain that had taps for Coke, Pepsi, Mountain Dew and A&W Root Beer. He did wonder about that a bit.  He was almost done when there was a buzzing from up front.  Nick got up to the drivers seat and the mobile phone was ringing.

"Hello?" Nick said, answering the phone.

"Hello, You must be the new owner." a nervous voice asked.

"No, but I'm a friend.  How can I help you?" Nick replied.

"Well, I was the driver of that bus, and when I saw it drive by my house, I thought it was stolen and I called the sheriff.  He said it was just the new owners.  Well, I guess it's kind of stupid of me to ask this, since you drove the bus away, but are you looking for a driver?  I could really use the job, and..." The voice trailed off.

"Do you know where Haven Manor is?"  Nick asked.

"Of course, sir, everybody knows that."

"Good, be here at eight o'clock, in the morning, ready for a trip.  We'll probably be gone for a week to ten days." Nick told the driver.

"Thank you, Mr. Richards."

"No, no, I'm Nick Regnad."

"I'm sorry, sir." That got a laugh out of Nick.

"Oh, crap, that's not what I meant, I mean..."

"I know, don't worry about it. Mr...?"

"Oh, right, I'm Oliver Jones."

"I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, Mr. Jones.  I hope you can work with boys.  I'll see you at eight." Nick ended the call.  That was a relief because he was not in the least, looking forward to driving this huge bus all the way to the city and back.

Inside, Samuel was showing his sketches for the remodeling to Neal, Brian and both sets of twins. "What do you guys think?" he asked, after watching the boys scrutinize the sketches.

Neal was considering the bedroom suites, "I like this, but I'm thinking that there should be a single bedroom for an older boy, in the suites for the youngest boys.  Kind of like a patrol leader who has his own room, so that the others can talk to him there in private."

Brian picked up on that, "this area here between the two bathrooms that is kind of a storage closet looks big enough." he offered, pointing to the sketch.

Samuel made some notes and drew a new sketch.  He added a shower stall on one side, taking a bit of the bathroom on that side, and a sink and toilet on the other side from the other bathroom.  "That's a great idea, guys, and I think it will work out wonderfully."

 *  In a town not far from Haven  *

Later that night, in a cheap dingy, roach infested dive of a motel, the hate filled man was looking at the woman he had been using for his plaything for the past seven years.  In the beginning, she had been quite a hot lay, but he had become quite bored with her, because she had no imagination and submitted quietly and meekly to whatever he did to her.  He missed that little fireball of a daughter; she was always exciting, always fought him tooth and nail, yelled, screamed and never cried where she thought he could hear.  She had run off, and he really missed doing her, but the little bitch had worked her way into the family of that rich guy and he knew he would pay to get her back.  He knew how good she was in the sack, and he would bet his ass that Richards guy knew it too.  Now, of course, the mother was nothing but a fat pig, so he had to think of other things, or people, to even be able to get it up to be able to do her.  But he still needed her, to make the big score.  She could grab the kid legally, and then he would make them pay dearly, to get the slut back.  Oh, this could be worth millions and it would be completely legal.  After all, a sweet loving mother has rights to her brats.  He was filled with lust, just thinking about having the little slut under his control again and rudely woke up the sleeping woman.

*   Back at Haven up in Travis's room  *

Travis was in his room, looking at his book.  It wasn't even written in English.  There was some strange writing in the front of the book, but he couldn't read it, either.  It wasn't like any language he had ever seen, the letters weren't what he recognized, more like Chinese characters, but not them either.  Somehow, he knew this was important, but just how, he didn't have a clue.  He looked at the picture that was stuck between a couple of the pages.  He wondered if that was his mother.  He didn't think so, since the picture was so old, black and white, badly faded, and the woman was dressed in a lacy long dress.  She looked happy.  Maybe it was his grandmother.  Such a puzzle.  Well, not his real relative anyway, Nick had found his real relatives.  So who was this?  The only memory he had of his 'mother' was her giving him the book, and telling him it was his. She had told him not to lose it because it was important.  If nothing else, it was a connection to the past.  Just so many questions.  He wondered who might be able to help him solve the puzzle.  Somehow he needed to figure all this out.

*

Early the next morning, Neal, Brian, Travis and Mitch were very excited about the business, and of course, Danny and Donny were bouncing off the walls, wanting to see their parents.  Andy and Jimmy were just looking forward to the nice trip.  Tom, Leo Linda and Lee were prepared for the worst at Juvy; Nick had done some research work on the computer with help from 'Philip' and Sheriff Henry, trying to sort out who was there from the CPS and who was there from the courts.  The records were a total mess and sorting everyone out was going to be a total nightmare. Linda, Nick and Sheriff Eric Henry had spent the last two days trying to get everyone figured out.  The State Police were standing by to assist in the closing of the facility and of course, the possible arrest of some or all of the staff, and of course, to take custody of some of the juveniles.

Martha was wondering how many little ones there were; she knew they would need a lot of love. They had had so very little of that precious commodity.

Ed and Alice were staying at Haven, and with the help of the remaining kids, they were going to get Haven ready for the new arrivals.  Samuel was working hard to get the Phoenix House prepared for its new occupants.

Right after Breakfast, those that were going, grabbed the packs or suitcases they had packed the day before and then they headed out to the vehicles.  They had decided to take the bus, the large van, because it had an electric lift for a wheelchair that John and Becky might need, and the van Tom and Neal had.

When they came outside, there was a man in a uniform standing by the bus.  Tom and Nick approached him.  Nick said, "Mr. Jones?"

"Yes sir."

"I'm Nick, we talked yesterday.  This is Tom Richards, and Jim Gorden Tom's administrative assistant."  Everyone shook hands and Tom told Oliver where they were going.  "We will stop this side of the city, so we can get to the Hospital early and then to the Sooker facility."

Oliver stiffened at the mention of the Sooker facility.  It did not go un-noticed by Nick and Tom.  Nick said, "I take it you are familiar with the place?"

"Of course, I had to drive Dr. Dummesel there along with his so called 'friends'."

Tom added, "I can almost guarantee that we are going there for very different reasons.  You see, we are closing the place down permanently, and transporting the boys back to Haven and safety."

Oliver smiled, "Thank goodness for that.  I don't know what he did there, but it wasn't good. I could feel something evil whenever I was near that man. The trips were always late at night; they stayed about an hour.  It was creepy, Very creepy."

"Well, let me introduce you to the four new owners," Tom said, turning to the boys.  "Oliver, this is Neal, Travis, Mitch and Brian."

"Hello boys."

"You work for us?" Mitch asked.

Oliver looked at Tom.  "Yes, he does.  But he is an adult, so you four be nice or you will deal with your fathers."

"Jeez, Dad, we're not monsters." Neal whined.

"Speak for yourself." Travis said, and then made a growling noise.

Oliver growled back and made a sudden jump in Travis's direction getting startled yelps out of the boys, and then hearty laughter as his hand touched Travis.  Oliver then said, "Now, with that out of the way, I have a couple of rules, No pranks or loud noises on the bus, and no more than two people moving around at one time.  If the red seat light comes on, get in a seat right away.  Any questions?"

"You're no fun." Neal groused.  "No pranks on the bus, Jeez." he muttered.

Soon everyone was loaded up and they started on their way.  Tom and Jim rode in Tom's van; Lee and Linda were with Andy and Jimmy in the big van, and everyone else rode in the bus. 

Sheriff Henry went over the lists of names with Neal, Brian and Travis.  The boys didn't like any of the staff people and so none of them would be offered employment and there seemed to be reason to investigate several of them.  Most of the kids that they knew were the younger ones.  Neal did know some of the older ones, but not by their real names, so he knew he would have to point them out.  Sheriff Eric Henry had arrest warrants already processed, for the boys who had repeatedly raped Neal.

It was about six o'clock when they pulled into a nice motel.  Oliver had stayed here several times and had called and reserved all of the rooms on the top floor.

Danny and Donny were not very happy that they were stopping.  They really wanted to see their Mom, and their Dad, if he was out of ICU.  The restaurant was very nice and the prices were reasonable.  The adults were tired of course, but the boys were all still excited about tomorrow and they stayed up talking and watching TV.

By eight the next morning, everyone was up, dressed, and ready to have breakfast and get on with the day. The first stop, was the hospital.

To be continued...
          See 'The Last Phoenix' Chapter One ... Coming soon

Authors Notes:

Okay, Cliff Hanger resolved.  I didn't kill off the twins' parents, although it was so tempting, but I need them for something else.  This Phoenix thing sounds interesting, and soon you will see why.  'The Last Phoenix' will be appearing here on the Padded Room in the near future.  You will see the boys take control of the facility where they were abused, and rescue the current residents.  I hope you will enjoy the new story.  I've taken AAKD (Add A Kid Disease) to new levels.  Chapter 1 adds almost 40 new kids!  That's just chapter 1!  Don't cry TSL, I couldn't give them all J names, you have used Just' about all of them.
It looks like some evil is brewing and aiming itself at Tom.  I hope the Haven bunch is up to the challenge.
Just what is so special about Travis's book?  Have any of you figured it out?  This mystery is for you, Arli.
Let me hear from you.
Str8mayb

Editor's Notes:
Cool, He already put the words Editor's Notes in here. Boy did that ever save me time. {It was so you weren't in a hyper-link again.} (Thanks, I actually figured it out, and I appreciate it.) I loved the section where Donny had his talk with Andy. That was so sweet. Things are really going to be interesting when 'The Last Phoenix' starts. I highly recommend that you read it. If you don't you will miss a lot of this story. I used quite a few tissues while I worked on it, and I used up a lot more on just this chapter you have just finished. Thanks Str8mayb. You did a great job. I'm sorry, but I couldn't manage to bring it up to ten thousand words.
Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher

Editor's Notes by 'Goos':

I am writing these notes because TSL is busy writing about ME. I do want to thank Str8mayb for resolving the Cliffhanger so nicely. I was getting tired of flying all over Earth trying to find him for the CHP! Now I can go after Str8mayb's friend ACFan.

As usual, I love to see the amount of love and caring that flows from all of those in Haven. Miracles come from Love and Care and it looks like many more miracles are in the works.

Thank you Str8mayb for such a wonderfully heartwarming chapter.

Til we fly again,

'Goos' and TSL