"See!" Chet declared. "Geez Johnny," Cap complained as Roy stepped over to take a look. "Cap, I...I'm sorry!  I...Roy, can I borrow your truck, PLEASE!" "Yeah, you know where the--" "Keys are, right," Johnny said mainly to himself.  "Come on Coty." "Hey," Chet shouted at him as he hurried away, "aren't you going to punish him or something?" "Look, Chet, I--" "You've got to break him of that, and I mean fast," Cap offered firmly. "Yeah, I know but...you don't...I gotta go," he said red faced as he ducked into the locker room to fetch the keys.  In a moment he reappeared.  "I'll ah...see you guys in a few days if I...I mean I'll try...I mean I'll have to see what...I mean...see you later." Mike paused at scrubbing down the hoses as he watched Johnny and a little boy get into Roy's pickup truck and drive away without even saying hello.  Taking in the small child's face, Mike didn't like what he saw at all.                        ~/~/~/~/~ Johnny rubbed his eyes in the truck parked in the parking lot of a mattress outlet.  'How could such a good morning go so bad so fast,' he wondered.  His son, seeing his red face, had slid to the floor on the passenger's side, and folded himself up again.  Johnny wished he could start the day over, telling himself he would have never have left the house.  Part of him wanted to punish the kid, but the rest of him longed to comfort him.  He debated over going home, but the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to move forward with what he had planned.  The sooner he did, the better it would be for the kid, he was sure.  Feeling the child wouldn't be moving for a while, he went inside the store, and picked out one of the best twin size mattresses they had.  He didn't ask the price, feeling how much could they cost.  He had to pop his eyes back into his head as the cashier rang up the charge, but he reminded himself the kid would be sleeping on it for at least ten years.  The number passing through his mind made his stomach drop...ten years...he was in this for at least ten years.  'God help me,' he thought. Johnny hurried back to the pickup, not waiting for the two men who were to carry the mattress out and tie it on.  Just as he figured, his child was still folded up on the floor.  He climbed inside, and covered the boy with one of Roy's jackets he found sitting on the seat.  Normally he would have helped anyone do such a thing as the two men outside the truck were doing, but this time, he just watched them in the mirror, wishing they would hurry up, and hoping they were tying it tight enough.  Half a mile down the road, he found they hadn't, so he jumped out, and retied it himself. After struggling for fifteen minutes to get the mattress inside and up the stairs into the room he wanted, he came back down to find the kid still folded up; not in the truck, but in the original spot in the living room. 'Always the same spot,' Johnny thought to himself, 'how am I ever going to get him to feel this is his house too, and he doesn't have to stay still in some assigned place.  Assigned...maybe that's it.  Man what kind of head games did those people play with those kids?' He had planned on eating out, but now decided to make lunch instead.  When it was finished he wondered which to do, order the kid to get up and eat, or ask him if he wants to. "Lunch," he said quietly.  "Lunch!" he repeated louder when the boy didn't move.  Johnny sighed sadly.  'Why does this have to be so hard?' he asked himself. Forgetting about the school clothing for the time being, he left the boy inside alone long enough to cut down and bring in some tree branches he had been eyeing for days.  Soaking heavy twine in the sink, Johnny chose each piece carefully, and bit by bit, hauled what he needed up the stairs.  Later, after the rope he had used had had time to dry, he went out into the barn, and cut out a heavy piece of plywood the size he needed.  By the afternoon, he'd finished the hard part, now he needed help.  He dropped down into the recliner to rest and dialed the phone. "Hello, Joanne?"                        ~/~/~/~/~ Three hours later she arrived with more bags than Johnny had time to count before she grabbed them, and headed up the stairs to what would be Johnny's son's bedroom.  Johnny followed her inside, but she chased him back out.  "Uh uh," she told him, "you had your fun, now it's my turn." "Your turn?" "Yep, I haven't been able to decorate a room since we bought our house from you a few years ago." "All right, but keep in mind, it's a BOY'S room." "I know, trust me, you're gonna like it.  Where's your sewing machine?" "SEWING MACHINE?" "Yes!" she laughed, "sewing machine." "In there," he said pointing to the fourth bedroom that he used mainly for storage." "Great, now scoot." Johnny left the room, all be it a little reluctantly. "Oh Johnny," he heard Joanne whisper behind him. "What?" he asked hurrying back, "did it come apart?" "No, it's fine, it's beautiful!" she exclaimed admiring the bed he had made.  "It's just like yours!" "Yeah...well, it's smaller.  I made it a twin size cause...you know." "I'd love to have a bed like this!" "A twin size?  Does Roy know?" "Don't be cute.  I've never seen anyone make a bed like this." "It's just rope and twigs really." "Just rope and twigs.  I've never known you to be so modest.  It's going to work perfectly with what I bought," she told him starting to open one of the bags.  Johnny tried to peer over her shoulder.  "Out," she told him scrunching the paper bag shut again.  He looked at her with puppy dog eyes.  "Please," she begged, "I want to surprise you, and if you don't like it, I promise you can change it, no hard feelings." Johnny went downstairs, and within minutes he heard his sewing machine start going.  He turned to share a smile with his son, but instead saw his scared little bundle of clothes, still unmoving, in the living room.  A cool breeze was coming through the big bay window, and he wondered if the boy was cold.  An obvious shiver soon gave him his answer.  With as slow movement as the boy himself would use, Johnny walked to the couch, and after picking up a soft cotton throw, he covered the boy without making the physical contact that would upset him further. Coty took a quick peek at him as he walked back to the kitchen, then pulled his head deep under the cover.  Johnny rambled around the kitchen, making a dinner of spaghetti for three. "Oh hey kido, I can't," Joanne told him, coming down the stairs and seeing the three plates.  "I gotta get going.  Come look quick." "You done?" "Yeah, well, you can add to it, but yeah." Johnny headed for the stairs. "Aren't you forgetting something?" Joanne asked, gesturing toward the kid. "Uh...no, he'll see it later...hopefully." "Still hasn't moved?" "No...he just needs more--" "Time." "Yeah." "Well let me get your reaction anyway." Johnny braced himself for a boy's theme room.  He wondered if it would be baseball, or puppy dogs, or maybe fire engines, not really liking the idea of trying to pick for a kid what a room should be like.  He prepared himself to smile and be grateful for all her hard work no matter what she'd done to it.  Instead of a theme, he found a very simple room.  A green and blue paid comforter covered the bed, with freshly washed white sheets folded neatly over the top edge, and a nice fluffy pillow laying on top of that.  Simple curtains covered the large window, and the bed had been angled for the sleeper to be able to look through it at the stars, just as his bed was positioned in his room.  A multi-colored rug covered the hardwood floor to help keep little bare feet warmer for the short trips in the middle of the night.  A small wooden dresser was tucked into one corner of the room, and a large wooden trunk sat at the foot of the bed.  Joanne had found the dresser empty, and the trunk full of boxes in the bedroom with the sewing machine, and had polished them up before bringing them in. "I know it's simple, but I figured you'd want him to decide what else he might want to put in here, once he figures out what he likes," she explained a little embarrassed. "It's great Joanne." "There are extra sheets in the bottom drawer, and I put an extra blanket in the trunk for him in case the comforter gets too warm.  I know how you're allergic to polyester, so everything's all cotton 'case he is too." "Thanks." "I hope you don't mind about the trunk and the...they were just sitting in there and there wasn't any furniture in here besides the bed and--" "It's perfect Joanne." "I hope he likes it." "I think he will.  It's a smaller room, and it's a lot cozier than that other one.  Hopefully now I'll even be able to get him to sleep in the bed." Joanne nodded thoughtfully, wondering how the kid could sleep on the cold hard floor.  "You starting him at school Monday?" "I was going to, but now..." "How 'bout you just start by bringing him over to our place for dinner tomorrow night?" "You sure?" "Sure I'm sure.  He's got to get used to us sooner or later." "Yeah I know, but--" "And Chris and Jenny can't wait to meet him." "What did you tell them?" "That someone called you up with a big surprise, and the surprise was a little boy just one year younger than Chris." "Surprised you didn't tell them I found him under a cabbage patch." "Oh don't be silly, they already know you can only get babies from cabbage patches, they'd never believe you can get eight year olds too.  So are you coming?" "Huh?" "To dinner tomorrow." "I don't know...what if he--" "It'll be fine." "All right, we'll see." "Well, I'll plan for you anyway.  Bye now." "Bye Joanne, and thanks again." Joanne smiled back on her way out the door. "Time to eat," he told the ball under the blanket. The ball didn't move.                       ~/~/~/~/~ Later that night, Johnny picked him up and laid him down on his bed in his own new room.  Since the boy hadn't eaten lunch or dinner, Johnny went back down the stairs to bring him up a glass of chocolate milk, and a glass of water in hopes that during the night, he would drink both.  When he returned with the glasses, he found the boy sitting up and looking around. "You like it?  This is YOUR room.  See?" he added opening a couple drawers in the dresser, "I moved your clothes in here."  Johnny pulled out a pair of pajamas and laid them next to the boy on the bed.  "Here, in case you want to try them tonight."  Coty had thus far opted to sleep in his clothes.  Johnny eyed the two glasses he had brought up.  He wanted to order the kid to drink them, but he knew it would never work.  Instead he sighed quietly and walked to the door.  "Well...goodnight." Johnny turned off the light and closed the door, creeping off to bed himself.  In the morning he found both glasses untouched, and the boy's room empty.  Stepping across the hall, he found his son again laying under the large bed in the guestroom.  He had deliberately made his sons bed too low to the ground on the sides for him to crawl under, wanting him to find how comfortable sleeping IN a bed could be.  Now it appeared to have been all for nothing.  Johnny pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to push away the negative emotions that flooded him.  He didn't know whether to shout or cry.  "Coty?  Come on now, time for breakfast.  You didn't brush your teeth last night, so do it now...and change your clothes."  Johnny grabbed his own clothes and headed to the downstairs shower to clean up and get dressed.  Drying his hair as he walked back to the living room, he discovered his son, hair combed, teeth apparently brushed, and clothes changed.  Along with him, he had the same cotton throw Johnny had placed over him, and had left draped over him as he had taken him up to bed the night before.  Johnny stared at him, unsure what to think.  "Can you uh...can you go bring the glasses down out of...uh, never mind.  They're still full, and you might...I'll go get 'em."  Johnny fetched the glasses, and poured them down the sink. "What do you want for breakfast?" he asked, watching the kid from over the counter.  "Pancakes...cereal...why don't we have cereal since we're going over to Roy's for lunch."  Johnny set out two bowls and poured some cereal into both.  He then added milk to one, and sat down to eat.  "You comin?" he asked chewing away at the granola. Coty stood and crept to his stool watching the tall man all the while.  Johnny poured the milk into the second bowl and watched the boy slowly begin to eat. 'Finally,' Johnny thought silently.  'Please let us get through this day without anyone getting bit.'                       ~/~/~/~/~ Joanne pulled her curlers out and started to brush her hair. "Shouldn't you have done that by now?" Roy asked peeking in the doorway, "Johnny should be here in--" "I know I should have done it by now, but the dog tore up the newspaper all over the front yard, then the washing machine started barfing up bubbles, and Jenny tried to water the plants with milk and--" she said laying a towel down and staring him in the eye. "Okay, okay, sorry I asked." "You better be." "Joanne?" "Huh?" "Watch the towel on the curlers huh?  They get pretty hot." "I know that!" she said picking up the towel and moving it to the other side of the sink. "Okay..well..hurry up slow poke," he grinned raising his eyebrows evilly. "You!" she shouted picking up the towel and throwing it at him. Chris and Jenny raced to the door as they saw the Rover pull up.  They had both been waiting impatiently since their mother had told them the previous evening that Johnny would be coming over, and bringing along his new little boy.  They both had pictured a miniature of their favorite and only uncle, and for all appearances, that is what they got.  Still, Chris paused halfway down the sidewalk, and his face fell in huge disappointment.  Jenny flew at her uncle as she always did, and it was all Johnny could do to catch her. "Hey there Jenny Bean." "HI," she shouted back hugging him, "I missed you." "You did?" "Yep, when can we go horseback riding?" "Jenny," Joanne scolded from the porch. "But I missed three lessons already!" "I explained that to you before, your uncle has been busy." "I know, but--" "We'll see Jenny," Johnny promised.  He had missed her too, a happy outgoing child, full of love and tons of energy. His own unhappy replica stood uncomfortably up against the door of the Rover, looking as if he wished he could reach the handle, and climb back in. "Hi," Jenny said to him, undisturbed by his expression and never one to be shy. Before Johnny could say a word, the little girl had grabbed her visitor by the hand, and was dragging him toward the house.  To his surprise, the boy didn't fight back, but allowed himself to be lead.  Once inside, and being directed a bit forcefully toward the stairs to look at his host's toys, Coty shot his father a look of such confusion and helplessness that Johnny bit his tongue trying to keep from laughing.  By the time he turned back from the refrigerator from helping himself to an icecube, the two had disappeared. "I'm sorry she's being so bossy," Joanne apologized. "It's okay, I'm just glad he didn't--" "He's going to bite her if she keeps it up," Roy stated matter of fact before Johnny couldn't finish the same thought.  "You did warn her, didn't you?" he asked his wife. "Oh no...forgot about that.  I better--" "No," Johnny cut her off, "I'll go." "On second thought," Joanne said before he could stand, "JENNY?" "Yeah mom," came a muffled reply. "Bring what you want to play with down to the living room." "Do I have to?" "I wouldn't have told you to if you didn't!" "All right." Ten minutes later, along with her new dark-haired doll of her uncle, Jenny dragged along nearly every Barbie doll, and Barbie doll toy she had.  She plopped down in the middle of the living room, sitting Indian style, pulling her new toy down to sit across from her.  The adults sitting in the kitchen tried to contain their laughter.  Johnny began to relax and enjoy himself.  In almost six years, he had rarely gone very long between being able to see his best friend.  Fourteen days was a very long time, and the couple of minutes here, and a couple more there weren't much. Jenny had her back to the kitchen while Coty faced it.  Despite her angle, her voice often carried back into the kitchen.  While they couldn't tell everything she was saying, they did know she hadn't stopped talking for more than a minute.  Three times Roy had considered calling her aside, and warning her kids don't like kids who are bossy, and three times he decided to stay out of it.  He was tickled by the boy's patience with his girl's games. Chris wandered into the kitchen from where he had been sitting and watching them on the couch.  With a heavy sigh, he dropped into the chair next to his father. "What's the matter with you?" Roy asked, giving his son a teasing nudge. "Nothing," he answered in full pout. "Oh...nothing huh?" "Noooo." "That's a pretty depressed no." "It's just that...MOM said he was MY age...and he's JENNY'S." "No he isn't," Johnny cut in, "he's eight...which make him closer to you than Jenny." "He is not eight!" "Yes he is." "No he's--" "Christopher Roy," Joanne cut in, "that boy is eight years old, and don't argue with your uncle." "If he's eight, what's the matter with him?" Johnny scratched his head, slightly embarrassed.  "He's just little Chris." "Why?" "Not every kid is born with a nice house, and nice parents, and a nice place to live," Roy decided to cut in.  "You probably don't feel like you do, but you and your sister actually have it pretty good here." Johnny stared at the tabletop, trying not to blink, the "nice parents" part of the answer hitting him hard.  Joanne squeezed his shoulder and kissed the top of his head, drawing Roy's attention and making him try to remember exactly what words he had just said.  "Um...Johnny I didn't mean--" "Sokay Roy, I know you didn't.  Let's just...drop it." "What?" Chris asked. "Nothing," his father answered. "What?" Chris asked a bit more demanding. "I'll talk to you later," Roy said sharply, letting him know to stop asking questions. Chris rolled his eyes.  "Can I go ride my skateboard?" "Don't you want to play with--" Joanne started to ask. "I don't play with dolls," Chris answered flatly. "Fine, you can go ride your skateboard, but be back in time for lunch." Chris jumped up and bolted out the sliding glass door, happy to get away from the disappointment playing with his sister in the living room. Johnny watched him go, wondering if Coty would ever find something he'd want to go off and do. "So," Roy asked, interrupting his thoughts, "you got him in school yet?" "Uh...no...not yet." "The longer you have him out, the harder it's going to be for him." "You think so?" "I know so." "I uh...I'm not sure he's ready." "Cause of the biting?" "That...and other things.  He's got a lot to get used to." "I know, but maybe school will be familiar...maybe he even wants to go back.  Have you asked him?" "Asked him?  No...Roy, he doesn't--" "Yeah I know, but, he nods, doesn't he?  I mean--" "No actually...I don't get a thing from him.  Will they even let him IN school until he talks?" "Sure they will Johnny," Joanne reassured him.  "You pay taxes, they can't really keep him out just cause he's shy.  Lot's of kid don't talk a lot.  Maybe the teacher will even be able to help get him to open up a little." "Maybe...I still don't know." "What else can you do?" Roy asked, pouring Johnny a glass of milk. "I was thinking maybe I should try to take some more time off." "Can you afford that?" "No, not really, but...if he does some of the things he's been doing...I can't see the school--" "Let them worry about that," Joanne told him, placing down a plate of sandwiches and a large bowl of corn chips. "But what if he--" "Johnny, the school is filled with all kinds.  They have biters, pinchers, pushers, hair pullers, pants wetters...you name it.  Don't think for a minute they have never had a kid that was prone to bite before.  Nothing's new to them, I promise you.  If they have any problem's I'm sure they'll let you know, besides, there isn't a problem you are going to have to face next week, that you won't have to face in two weeks, or three weeks, or a month.  You're only putting them off for a while.  Roy's right, the sooner you get him in, the better." "Yeah, you're right I guess." "Course I am.  Now where is that boy," she asked aloud, looking out the window for her own son. "Coty, Jen...time to eat," Johnny called out into the living room. Jenny jumped up, pulling Coty along behind her.  "Can we eat in the living room?" she chirped happily. "No, but you can eat at the table with the rest of us." "Aw mom..." "Don't aw mom me.  Sit down." "Where's Chris?" "Never mind where Chris is, sit down and eat your own food." Coty slid into a chair his father pulled out for him, eyeing the whole exchange with a wary eye.  The lady smiled at him, and the red-haired man gave him a wink.  The wink made him frown, but it was a different kind of wink than he usually saw.  He didn't make kissy sounds, and he sat on the other side of the table, not right next to him where his hand could reach for his leg or...  As the adults returned to talking, and started to eat, Coty ate as well.  The corn chips made him thirsty, and he eyed the milk.  Keeping an eye on his boy, Johnny poured him a glass, and placed it in front of him. 'This is how it should be,' Johnny thought, 'now we're getting somewhere.' Chris, knowing he was late, burst through the sliding door, and straight into Coty's chair, causing the glass to fall to the floor from his hand, and smash to smithereens. "Chris!" Roy scolded loudly. Coty slid under the table and ran from the room.  Johnny was pinned into the corner by chairs, and by the time he managed to follow the boy into the living room, he was nowhere in sight.  The front door stood wide open and Johnny raced on to the porch.  A movement behind him caused him to turn around, and there behind Roy's recliner sat his curled up little boy.  Johnny sighed in relief and went to sit down next to him. "It was an accident Coty, nothing's going to happen.  They'll just clean it up...no problem." "Good going Chris," Jenny accused. "Shut up stupid, I didn't do anything." "You just scared him half to death is all." "Jennifer, it was an accident," Joanne told her, "now go sit down and finish eating." "What about Coty?" "Never mind what he's doing, YOU go finish eating.  And Chris, I've told you a hundred time not to call people stupid." "Sorry!" Chris answered hotly. "Christopher Roy!" Roy shouted. "Roy...don't raise your voice," Joanne hissed at him, motioning with her head to the living room.  "Sorry," Roy whispered back.  "Chris, go to you room." "But I'm hungry." "I didn't ask if you were hungry, I told you to go to your room." Chris stomped off. "Loose the attitude," Roy warned in a shouted whisper. A couple of minutes later Roy headed up the stairs. "Hey," Joanne stopped him. "What?" "You're not going to--" "I'll talk to him first, but one way or another, he's going to learn not to talk to his parents that way." "Um, Joanne, I think we're going to go." "Oh Johnny, he won't really do it.  Chris is nine, and he's only ever done it three times, and that was for things a whole lot worse than a little back talk.  He'll probably just ground him for the rest of the day." "Still, we better get going.  I think he's had enough for one day." "I really sorry about that Johnny...it was--" "I know, just an accident." "Look I've been meaning to talk to you.  What are you going to do with him while you're at work?" "Well don't laugh, but I have a call in to a nanny service.  They thought I was nuts when I told them the hours I wanted the person to work but they said--" "A NANNY!" "Well considering the twenty-four hour shift, what else can I do?" "No nephew of mine is going to be left with some nanny.  I'll pick him up from school, and he can just stay here the nights you work.  Chris has the bunkbed so--" "Joanne I appreciate that, but...you sure?" "Course I'm sure.  What's one more kid in the house when you have two already," she said extra loudly as Roy came back down the stairs. "Not that again," Roy muttered. "You said we'd talk about it." "And we will, I've got it penciled in, in two years, seven months, three days, twelve hours, and fifteen minutes." "Did I miss something," Johnny asked. "How's he doin," Roy asked, changing the subject. "Fine I guess, but we're gonna go." "You're gonna go already?" "Yeah.  Thanks for lunch Joanne, it was great." "You barely ate it," Roy muttered. "I'll uh," Johnny stumbled picking up the rest of his sandwich,  "it's great Joanne," he mouthed over a large bite of food.  "Thanks." "So you going to let me watch him for you or what?" Joanne asked again. "Um...yeah!  Sure.  It'll sure beat trying to find some lady I don't even know to watch him.  I'll find out how much they pay those people and--" "Don't you dare.  You try to pay me and I'll sneak into your house and starch your shorts.  Pay me to watch my nephew...I'm insulted." "Honestly though, I'd feel better if you'd...it takes a lot to take care of kids, and since he's not really your..." "Not really my what?" Joanne asked. Johnny smiled.  "Nothin...my mistake." "Then I'll start Wednesday?" "I uh...I guess.  Should I--" "Well you can either get him off to school yourself, or you can come over early, and I'll make sure he gets off to school.  You'd have to find out what time the bus picks him up out there, and then figure out if you'd have time to drive to work once he's gone." "Or I could just drive him to school myself.  He'd be a little early, but that wouldn't hurt anything.  He could even walk it from the station for that matter, it's only a few blocks." "Five blocks," Roy informed him. "Well, five blocks isn't much, is it?" "Depends on the kid." "Well we can try different things, and see how they go," Joanne spoke up. "Yeah, it'll work out...right?" "Right," Joanne told giving him the reassurance he needed.                      ~/~/~/~/~ After a quick shopping trip for the right clothes Monday morning, Johnny had the kid change into them, and took him to school Monday afternoon. After explaining everything to the principal, and being repeatedly reassured that his son would be fine, Johnny was introduced to Coty's teacher.  Miss Cray was a blonde, petite little thing with a genuine smile.  Johnny liked her off the bat.  She was filled in on everything she would need to know, and she joined the principal in trying to get the overprotective father to go home and leave the child behind.  After finally getting the young man to leave, Miss Cray lead the small boy to her classroom.  His appearance tickled her to no end.  He wore a white button down shirt tucked into navy blue pants and a pair of loafers on his feet.  His hair was perfectly combed into place with Vaseline, except for one strand. Miss Cray smiled at her new student.  Miss Cray bent down to ask him if he was ready to go into the classroom.  Miss Cray reached up to straighten the errant strand of hair.  Miss Cray.....was bit. An hour later Coty McConnely was ushered into Miss Kendal's room.  She had been informed of the situation and the incident in a hurried explanation, as the principal was late for a meeting.  While Miss Cray was teaching her first year, Miss Kendal was a seasoned veteran of eleven years, and she knew just what to do with boys like Coty. The first thing she did was to pull a desk forward up by her own desk, and order him to sit down.  The boy looked around at all the faces staring at him, wishing he could disappear.  After being ordered a second time, he sat as told...dropping his face into his hands.                         ~/~/~/~/~ That Friday afternoon, Coty brought a note home from school.  Johnny was being asked to report to the school office Monday morning.  Having no idea what was up, Johnny felt like a kid himself, waiting in the hard plastic seat.  He waited impatiently in his uniform, anxious to get to work and relieve Brice, who had agreed to stay late for him.  Of all the guys to have to ask a favor from, Brice was the last one he'd want to ask, but he'd had no choice. After classes had begun, he saw a teacher lead his kid into the office, and tell him to sit down next to him.  Johnny smiled, but the teacher did not smile back.  Instead she walked into the Principals office, and closed the door.  A moment later, it reopened, and the Principal motioned for him to come inside. "What happened?" Johnny asked nervously sitting down. "Nothing happened really Mister Gage, we just feel you need an update, and you have an important decision to make." Johnny sat up very straight in his seat, waiting for what would come next. "Miss Kendal?  Would you like to--" "I've evaluated your son for a week and I have unfortunately come to the conclusion that he in no way belongs in the third grade.  In fact, it is my recommendation that he be placed in kindergarten for the remainder of the year." "Kindergarten!" "That may be a bit extreme," the Principal intervened.  "Possibly we could--" "In order for a child to move from one grade to another, they have to demonstrated certain skills.  Your son has yet to demonstrate any of the basic skills that any other child would have to demonstrate before being allowed to advance into the first grade.  Therefore, I must recommend again that kindergarten is where he be placed until he is able to do so.  To keep him with his intellectual superiors would be more cruel than kind, and it sends the wrong message to all of the other children.  Besides, considering his size, he would probably be more comfortable." Johnny sat stunned, mouth agape. "As I started to say Mr. Gage," the principal spoke up again, "kindergarten might be a little extreme, we could place him in first grade and take him out of the class for a little while in the afternoons to give him some one on one tutoring.  Next year, if by chance he shows enough improvement by then, it might be possible to place him back into the third grade." "Next year he should be in the fourth grade," Johnny responded vacantly. "Mr. Gage, it is not all that unusual for a child to repeat a year in grade school depending on their level of maturity and their demonstration of certain skills." "I know, my neph-- by best friends boy repeated kindergarten." "There you see?  It's not that big of a deal." "But third to first...that's two years...and you didn't really sound like you thought he'd make it back to third by next year." "Based on Miss Kendal's evaluation...maybe not...but look at it this way...he's so tiny, he'll probably fit in better.  And in the long run, when he's an adult, how much difference is two years going to make if doing this helps him achieve good grades better." "He wouldn't graduate high school till he's twenty!  You can't tell me that won't make a difference.  What if he want's to go to college, and they see it took him till twenty to finish high school?" "If his grades are good enough, and he tests well enough, that shouldn't make a difference, and you're talking about something way down the road.  With enough tutoring, he would have his entire academic career to try to be placed up a grade or two back to where you feel he should be.  On the other hand, I wouldn't push him too hard because you could do far more damage than good if you make him feel he's a failure in some way." "What do you think putting him in the first grade is gonna do?!" "To be honest, I don't like this idea anymore than you do, but based on the evaluation--" "Fine, okay, do what you've got to do.  Just...make sure the teacher knows--" "We'll fill the teacher in.  Are we agreed this is the best thing for him?" "I guess, you're the teachers." "Fine Mr. Gage, thank you for coming in.  I'm sure Coty will do well and advance accordingly." Johnny shook her hand and nodded, unable to bring himself to thank her back.                      ~/~/~/~/~ "First grade?" Joanne shouted waking the family dog late Tuesday afternoon.  "I can't believe Miss Cray would do that.  I mean what's one week?  I wouldn't feel that that would be long enough to make a decision like that!  Let me see that letter." Johnny forked it over.  "It doesn't say anything about it in there," he told her, "that was just to ask me to come in." "Miss KENDAL!  That witch.  I thought you said he got Miss Cray?" "I...I did.  I forgot about that.  Wonder what happened to that other teacher." "Johnny, if this is HER recommendation, I'd demand a second opinion." "Huh?  Why?" "CAUSE SHE HATES BOYS!  Chris had her at the beginning of the year.  He came home in tears more than once over things that teacher said to him." "I DID NOT!" Chris defended himself, looking up from his homework. "Yes you did," Joanne answered quietly.  "Anyway, it took me three weeks of phone calls, but I finally got him moved to another class." "If she's that bad, why don't they fire her?" "Cause anyone with a GIRL in her class thinks she's the bee' knees."  Chris snickered and his mom threw him a wink.  "If I were you Johnny, I wouldn't just go along with it, I'd put up a fight and I'd demand they try him with another teacher.  If you're wrong, they can always move him back later." "But then he might be even further behind." "It's your call, I can only tell you what I'd do." Johnny nodded, deciding  he'd have to be late for work again Wednesday morning.                        ~/~/~/~/~ "I'm sorry Mister Gage, but I don't feel right about ordering a teacher to keep a student in her class that she feels is incapable of learning anything based on his lack of previously learned skills." "Then put him in another class." "Mrs. Sullivan already has twenty-two kids, while Miss Kendal has twenty.  I can not place another student in her class while--" "Can't you move another student to Miss Kendal's class?" "That would hardly be fair to the student in question now would it?" "If it's a girl it might be." "I beg your pardon?" "Nothing, what about Miss Cray?" "Miss Cray is in her first year, and we had an incident with her already.  Anytime there is a biting--" "Biting?" "Yes...and yes, it was your boy." "I'm sorry." "As I was saying, the last thing a first year teacher needs is to have to write up a bunch of biting incidents, even if it's from the same child.  Also, Miss Kendal is much more experienced and capable of keeping that sort of thing from happening." Johnny stared sadly at the hands he had folded in his lap.  "Isn't there anything else--" A knock at the door interrupted him. "Oh hi, I don't mean to bother you, but I really need to talk to you again about my daughter," a heavy set woman spoke, sitting herself down next to Johnny without batting an eye. "Good morning Kimberly," the Principal answered flatly. "As I was saying," Kimberly began throwing Johnny a wink, "I KNOW it's not common, or even a good practice to move a child from one classroom to another just to be with her friend, but my Cynthia is still so unhappy.  She cries every night and I honestly think if she and Kari were together, she'd be getting much better grades.  And as far as being to dependent on another person...well, as you know, I still feel that is something she'll outgrow all on her own.  SO, here I am again...making my pathetic little appeal...Pleeeeaaaase, move my little girl into the same class as her friend?" "Are you SURE this is what you want?" "For the hundredth time, YES!" "And you are aware that moving her now could definitely affect her grades in a negative way.  Teachers have different ways of teaching, and to change midstream can--" "I know, I know, now are we moving her or what?" "Fine Kimberly.  Mister Gage?  We'll try placing Coty in Mrs. Sullivan's class, but if she comes up with the same suggestion--" "I will go with it quietly and cooperatively." "Okay," the principal answered looking a bit duped, "I'll call both children to the office and we'll try to get them resettled in." Johnny smiled at the woman as the principal left the room, and she gave him a great big grin right back. "Boy," she said still smiling, "she was right, you ARE cute.  Tell Joanne I said Hi, and thanks." In another moment, she was gone, hurrying from the room and making excuses about having to get back to work.                      ~/~/~/~/~ With his second chance, Johnny was determined to make the most out of it.  Joanne held up alphabet cards in front the of boy for an hour every night she had him, and Johnny read to him from a stack of books he'd borrowed from Jenny on his nights.  After reading to him for an hour, he'd sit down to read to himself, instructing Coty to do the same.  The first two nights, he showed no interest.  On the third night, he picked up and paged through a few of Jenny's books, but soon put them aside.  As he had seen his father do, he walked over to the bookshelves, and selected something else.  Johnny saw he had picked out a first aid manual.  The boy sat down with it on the floor resting his back against the couch, and looked intently at each page before turning it.  It wasn't a terribly difficult book to read, but one did actually have to know how to read in order to do it.  Still, Johnny was too tickled to say anything, and he let the boy have his way.                      ~/~/~/~/~ The rest of the week passed quietly.  Though Chris and Coty were now in the same class, Jenny seemed to occupy most of Coty's time in the DeSoto house.  At lunch, the girls in their class tended to surround him and try to mother him, making it difficult for him to try to make some male friends, even if he did talk. Monday morning, Mrs. Sullivan's class broke up into groups to work on a Social Studies project.  Once the children got started the teacher sat at her desk to correct some papers.  Looking up, she noticed little Coty McConnely was standing by the window, staring outside. "Coty," she told him, "your group's in the corner by the chalkboard." The boy didn't seem to hear her, his mind obviously a million miles away. Mrs. Sullivan looked down to fill in the grade of the paper she had just checked before getting up to conduct the boy back to where he needed to go.  When she looked up, he was no longer standing by the window, but up on top of the counter in front of it, then he was gone. She let out a little scream, and raced over.  Looking down, she saw the boy on the ground, just below the window.  "Coty!  Don't move!  Don't try and move...sit very still for me.  I'm going to be right there." The other children gathered around the window to see what had happened.  A moment later, another teacher entered, and ordered all the children back to their seats. A few minutes later, Squad 51 pulled up.  Roy hurried over where the teacher was pointing while Johnny was momentarily detained as she grabbed him by the arm, and started to give him an excited explanation to what she saw happen.  By her account, the boy had fallen. "Hey there...Coty?" Roy smiled in recognition.  Looking up, he could see his own son, along with several other children, again be ushered back to their seats.  "Looks like you took a little fall.  Well I just check you out here, okay?" Roy started gently feeling along the boy's limbs, checking for tenderness, and possible breaks.  Finding nothing, he moved to his head, checking for any lumps.  "How bout you just lay back for me, huh?  Just gonna check out your rib cage here." "Hey Roy," Johnny cut in, finally able to catch up, "maybe you should let me--" "S'allright Johnny," Roy said calmly, giving the boy a smile, "I think I've got it." Roy ran his hands down both sides of the ribcage and sure enough, Coty bit him. "Ah.." Johnny started. "Don't say it!" Roy warned letting go of the kid to tend to his hand. "Let me take a look." Roy pulled away angrily. "Look, don't say I didn't warn--" "I said DON'T SAY IT!" Johnny let his grumpy partner go back to the squad, and directed his attention to his son.  "You okay there?  You wanna try standing up?" Coty got to his feet, looking at his father like he expected to be knocked back off them at any second. "You're all right," Johnny reassured him.  "Do you need me to take him for the rest of the day?" he asked the Principal who was watching. "I guess not, if he's not hurt." "You wanna go back to class?" Johnny asked his son, leaving the choice up to him. Coty threw him a hesitant look, then turned to walk toward the doors of the building. Coty's teacher gave Johnny a smile and a shrug before following behind.  Johnny smiled back.  'At least this one's giving him a chance' he thought.  Seeing the expression on his partner's face, he hustled back to the squad. "You want me to drive?" he asked. Roy grunted, and got into the passenger seat. "Guess you need a tetanus now, huh," Johnny stated, struggling not to smile. Roy glared at him, then looked away. "Oh come on, it's not like you've never been bit before." "All I know is MY kids would never do that." Johnny turned brick red.  "Now THAT'S really fair!  I wasn't exactly able to raise him from birth you know!" "He's been doing that since you got him, and he's still doing it!" "What do you want me to do?!" "Nothing Johnny, just drive."                        ~/~/~/~/~ The week returned to normal until Friday afternoon.  Johnny had spent the morning working hard in the barn, and had just fallen asleep for a short nap before having to go pick his kid up from school.  The phone rang by his head, causing him to sit up and reach for his turnouts before realizing where he was. "Hello?" Johnny asked. The voice on the other end asked him to come down to the school immediately, but declined to explain why.  "Hello Johnny," Officer Vince Howard greeted as the principal lead him to his son's classroom. "What are you doing here?" "Missing kid, but we found him." Right behind him Johnny saw Bob Bellingham and Craig Brice, both on their knees, peering into a bottom cupboard in the back of the classroom.  Bob was trying unsuccessfully to lure something out of the cabinet with a piece of candy. "Oh no," Johnny mumbled.  "Bob?  Look, I don't give him sugar.  Watch out," he requested. "This your kid?" Bob asked amused. "Yeah I think it probably is." "Good, YOU try to get 'im out." "You got a screwdriver?" he asked Bob, who had popped the candy into his mouth. "A what?" "A screwdriver!" Johnny answered, backing out and bumping his head. "I'll get it," Brice said as professional as ever. "He won't just come to you?" Bob asked surprised. "No." "Huh...why not?  Whadda ya do, beat 'im?" Bob snickered. Johnny frowned, snatching the screwdriver from Brice's hand, and started to take the screws out of a bracing board that was keeping him from reaching his son.  In a couple of minutes, he was able to pull his little bundle out. "Oh he's a LITTLE kid," Bob spoke as if coming on to an explanation.  "They didn't SAY it was a kindergartner!  Wonder how he got in here.  Hey there little-"  Johnny turned away before the man lost a finger. "Could you put that back for me Brice?" Johnny asked, not wanting to ask THAT particular Paramedic for any favors, but being too annoyed at Bob to care. "Well I'll be off now," Vince said nodding his head and taking his leave. Johnny set the boy down on the teacher's desk to check him over.  He seemed fine until he got to his left hand.  A long bruise was developing across the back of it, swelling up above his knuckles.  Rather than turn him over to Bob and Brice, Johnny carried him out to his Rover, and drove him to the hospital himself. "Just a couple small fractures in his fingers.  I'll splint it, and you should make sure he keeps it on for a few weeks, then bring him back and we'll x-ray it again just to be safe.  Any idea how it happened?" "None." Dr. Brackett crouched down a little in an effort to look the boy in the eyes.  "You don't want to tell us?" he asked encouragingly. Coty looked away, but didn't pull his hand back as the Doctor started to tape on a splint.  "Looks like he got it slammed in something...a door maybe?" Johnny shrugged, "he was fine when I dropped him off, that's all I know."                      ~/~/~/~/~ The weekend went by normally enough, if having a child that barely spoke or moved could be called normal.  Come Monday early afternoon, Johnny's heart sank as the station, along with engine 36, was toned out to his son's school to search for a missing child. 'Please let it be someone else, please let it be someone else,' Johnny chanted in his head as Roy drove along, but it was not to be.  Coty had turned up missing following the lunch recess, and no one seemed to know where he had gone.  The teachers had searched the playground, and several of the rooms, in cupboards and under desks included, but they hadn't found him. The firemen spread out, checking the rooms again, and walking back and forth across a field near by in bad need of mowing.  Three hours later, Mike Stoker finally spotted him, laying under a tree, looking up at a nest of baby birds.  He radioed that he'd been found, then moved to sit beside the boy, watching the birds as well. "It's nice out here," Mike commented quietly as he felt a soft warm breeze blow his hair. Coty looked at him for a minute, then went back to watching the birds. Soon Johnny panted up, and plopped down as well.  "There you are," Johnny chirped happily. Roy, coming up behind him and wiping the sweat from his brow, threw Johnny a look of disapproval. Johnny ignored him.  "What are you doing out here?" Mike gestured to the birds. "Oh...they're pretty cute, huh.  But look, you got to stay in school till it's over.  You can't just...people were looking for you, you know...didn't you hear us?" Two firemen from 36's had walked over, wondering if the missing boy was okay.  They turned back toward their engine in disgust.  "If that was MY boy, he'd be getting his hide tanned for him about now," one spoke a little to loudly to the other. Johnny rubbed at his head, and dropped his gaze to the grass.  He took a quick look at Stoker, and was happy to see that at least one of the guys didn't seem to be ticked at him. "Come on," Johnny said standing, "school's almost over and Joanne'll be here to pick you up soon...I'll ah...I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" If he'd hoped for some reaction or acknowledgment from the boy, he didn't get any.  Coty simply stood and walked toward the parking lot. "Ah...Gage..." Captain Stanley spoke, not quite sure what to say to his Paramedic, "you ah...that kid of yours...you ah..." "I'm sorry Cap." "Just make sure he understands he's never to do that again." "Yes sir." Chet rolled his eyes and looked at Marco, who shook his head back.  Johnny saw the exchange, and dropped his face to the ground like a scolded puppy.  He spent the rest of the shift alone in the bunkroom, suffering his embarrassment quietly.                       ~/~/~/~/~ That Friday when Johnny picked him up from school, Coty again presented his father with a note requesting his presence at a meeting the following Monday.  Because of his strange schedule, he was off that day as well, but he still didn't want to have to wait until then. "Come on," Johnny told him jumping out of the car, "let's go see your teacher." Johnny, now getting the hang of things at the school, walked straight to his son's classroom.  He'd met the teacher the first day he'd been put in her class, but it was only for a short period of time, as the school day had been in full swing. "Hello?" he asked entering the room where she was erasing the board. "Hello," she said curiously, "can I help you?" "Yeah I..." "Coty's dad, right?" "Yeah." "You got my note" "Yeah, but I...I didn't want...there's no sense in waiting till Monday, then telling me...  Look, I've been working with him and--" "There seems to be a misunderstanding." "Oh man, he didn't bite you, did he?" "No...no" she smiled.  "I know to keep my hands to myself.  Actually, I wanted to talk with you about his reading." onto part 5