"You can't change the past.  The past is gone, canst not that recall.  Future may not be at all.  Present is.  Improve the flying hour, present only is in thy power." "Who taught you that?" "I don't know." "Was your mom...do you remember her being nice at all...maybe when you were little?" "No." Johnny was sorry he'd asked.  He had hoped it had been her that had taught the boy how to read, that there was a point where things had gone bad and she had at some time shown the boy some love.  The question of who had put some time into the boy burned inside.  "Coty, did you ever go to school before you came here?" "Yeah." "Do you remember any of your teachers?" "Yeah, Miss Wiskers." Johnny laughed, "who?" "Miss Wiskers." "Was she nice?" "The kids said no but I said yes." "Whaddo you mean?" "They all said she was mean but she wasn't" "Why did they say she was mean?" "Cause you always had to be doing something, no matter what.  Done with your test, read a book, practice your spelling." "And you LIKED that?" Coty shrugged.  "She was still nice.  She let me stay inside." "What do--" "When is was cold out.  I didn't have a jacket, so she let me stay inside.  I had to read...out loud...the whole time...but I didn't have to go outside.  And she didn't tell on me after school." "What--" "After school," Coty grinned, enjoying telling his story.  "I'd hide when it was cold cause I couldn't get in, so I'd just hide.  I wouldn't steal anything, just hide.  Well she caught me.  So then she'd stay after school until mom would get back.  Only sometimes she wouldn't come back.  She talked to her and stuff and boy did I get it.  Then nothin happened and mom kept coming back really late again." "How would you know when she got home?" "Cause the lights would come on." "So you lived near the school?" "Cross the street." "I see, then you'd hide in the school to stay warm...but how would you get out?" "Window." "Then what happened?" "She said she'd take me to the police next time and then we moved again." "But since you always had to be doing something...when you were with this teacher..." "I had to read aloud every night...but I liked it.  She had better books than we had in class." "So, she was a tough teacher, but a nice lady.  What about when you moved?  Did you get another nice teacher?" "No more teachers.  No more school.  She said they were brainwashing me and I'd go to hell.  I didn't care.  I'd find books and read them.  I even read a telephone book once.  I got all the way to R before she found it and threw it away.  I'd read the coffee can...I'd read the newspaper...she couldn't stop me cause I'd do it when she wasn't lookin.  One time she tore all the labels off the cans so I couldn't read them, but then she didn't know what was inside anything.  She didn't do that again."  Coty stopped, frowning deeply. "What?" "Nothin." "Somethin...what?" "She threw them at me." "What?" "It was my fault she had to tear the labels off the cans, so she threw them at me.  Doesn't matter."  He stared at his half full plate no longer hungry. "The past is gone--" Johnny started to recite. "Do you like me?" Coty asked in tears. "Yes!  Of course I do!  I LOVE you." "Why?" Johnny was stunned.  What could he say?  'Cause your my son?'  That wouldn't work, he was his mother's son as well.  "I just...I just do!  It's just something that I feel.  It's...it's wanting to be around you.  It's wanting to do things for you.  It's liking the way you smile and how good you are at reading.  I don't know exactly why it is...I just feel it." "It's wanting to pick me up?" "Exactly...exactly..." "Then it's wanting to be picked up...love is?" "Yes," Johnny agreed with tears rolling down his cheeks, "absolutely." Coty stood up on his stool and allowed himself to fall into his fathers arms, wrapping his own arms around his neck. "So do you love me?" Johnny asked. Coty answered with a whispered, "yes."                        ~/~/~/~/~ "Hey Chris guess what," Davis called out after school the following Thursday. The week for Chris so far had been a miserable one.  Travis had tripped him on his way into the school first thing Monday morning.  He'd tried to laugh it off as rough-housing, hoping Travis had forgotten the picnic over the rest of the weekend.  From the look on the slightly larger boy's face, it was obvious he had not.  Then later that day in the lunch line, Eddie had taken a turn at trying to trip him, and when Chris didn't fall, he pushed him into a couple of girls.  Chris accidentally stepped on the foot of one of them in trying to keep his balance.  The girl told the teacher on duty he had done it on purpose, and he had been sent to the office.  From there, things only got worse. While Davis had yet to lay a finger on him, himself, Chris ignored him and kept walking.  He hadn't been a friend to him all week either. Davis caught up to Chris and punched him softly in the shoulder saying, "Hey, I said guess what!" "What do you want?" Chris asked feeling suspicious of Davis' motives for talking to him. "Travis said him and some other guys are going to follow Coty home from school tomorrow and beat him up off school grounds." "That's a little hard to do since he takes the bus any time Joh...his dad doesn't pick him up," Chris scoffed at the stupidity in what Travis had told the other boy. "Na uh, on Fridays he walks home.  Travis heard the guy tell Sullivan that he could stay after school for Math help on Fridays cause he lets him hike home when he's working, and when he isn't he..." "Who cares.  He won't really do nothin.  Besides, even if Coty does walk home, it's ten time further than Travis's mom will ever let him go." "Dah, what...you think he's gonna ask her first?" "No!" "So are you gonna come?  We're probably just gonna spy on him and then scare him.  It's gonna be fun!" They'd spied on kids before, and it HAD been fun.  At least Chris had thought so at the time.  Once they had followed Howard Winegarten all the way to his piano lesson.  The next day they all made fun of him for taking piano.  It had been dumb really.  Chris and Davis were taking piano from the same lady on a different day, but it hadn't seemed to matter in their teasing.  They'd decided it was different because they'd decided Howard took lessons because he wanted to while their moms MADE them. "So are you coming tomorrow or what?" Davis asked. "I don't know." "Travis said you probably had brain damage at the picnic cause your dad was there, but if you don't come, then we'll KNOW it's cause you really are a chicken and a dweeb." "I'm not a dweeb and I'm not chicken!" "Then come!" "I don't know...maybe." "Then DON'T come, see what I care!" "I SAID maybe!" Chris shouted toward Davis back as he walked away.                         ~/~/~/~/~ "Hey Johnny," Chet chirped early Friday morning toward the end of their shift, "whatcha doin this weekend?" "Huh?" Johnny yawned back, stretching his way into his shirt. "I said, whatcha doin  this weekend?" "Um...camping." "Again!" "What do you mean again?!" "I mean that's all you do anymore!" "Well what do YOU think I should do?" Johnny barked back not seeing Marco break into a grin and duck behind his locker door to hide it. "Glad you asked that Gage my boy...now I already talked to Mike, and he said Beth and him could take Coty for the weekend so you and I could--" "NO!" "No?" "NO!" "But you don't even know what I'm gonna say!" "Chet, it takes no imagination at all to figure out what you're gonna say, and the answer is no!" "You see that?  You see how tense you are?  You need a date, pal." "I need a...  Chet, mind you're own business." "Aw come on Johnny, Marco's already out of town for the weekend and I have everything all lined up.  You said not with the kid around, and I agree with you!  That was out of line.  But the kid don't have to come!  Beth thinks he's the cutest thing since Saint Bernard puppies.  She WANTS to have him for the weekend and YOU need a break!" "From what?!" "From being a daddy!" "Chet...you...you're...you're absolutely NUTS!  You are so far off base with what it's like bein a dad...you're just clueless...really.  I LOVE my kid, and I love BEING with him.  You're just...you're just nuts.  And you know what else?  I feel sorry for you...I really do...cause if you don't stop screwing around and get serious with one of these girls...you're never gonna know what it's like to be--" "Uh uh...no way pal!  You may like playin daddy but not ME!  You lucked out.  You completely MISSED the diaper stage...and the terrible two's and the awful three's and the--" "Oh what do you know about it!" "Plenty.  I'm an uncle to seven kids...SEVEN!  My brother has two, my sister has two, my other sister has--" "Oh who cares!" "Well you asked how I know!  Any time I even THINK about getting serious with a girl, I just go visit one of them.  Your problem is you got off so easy when it came to YOUR kid!" "What the hell is THAT suppose to mean!" "Nothin man," Chet backed off realizing he had slammed his fist down on the wrong button. "NO!  I want to know you MEAN by that!  Come on...you said it...now say what you mean!" "I didn't mean anything Johnny...I'm sorry I brought it up." "Brought WHAT up?" "Come on Johnny, let's go get some coffee," Roy stepped in tugging on Johnny's elbow. Johnny pulled away spitting out, "I'm talkin here Roy!" "I know your talking, but your two seconds away from...you teach your boy non-violence, right?" "YEAH!" Johnny shouted agreeing to the statement as if annoyed at Roy putting before him the obvious.  Taking a deep breath after the word had escaped his mouth, he got Roy's point.  "Right...fine...let's get some coffee." "Dummy!" Marco scolded the second they had left through the door. "Hey, I didn't mean what he THOUGHT I meant." "Could of fooled me," Mike hissed as he left the room buttoning his shirt. "You all right," Roy asked Johnny as Mike entered the kitchen.  He placed a cup down in front of his still brooding friend and joined him at the table. "Yeah I'M fine.  It's Chet who's an idiot!" "Right," Roy agreed quietly. "What does HE know!" Roy nodded. "Bein an uncle ain't the same at ALL!" Again Roy showed his agreement. "And that crack about gettin off EASY.  I mean what does he think I did?  Does he think I KNEW...and just...  Does he really think getting a kid once he's been abused like that is EASIER than raising one from the beginning?" "I don't know," Roy answered quietly, letting Johnny blow off steam. "He's SO clueless.  You have NO idea how hard it's been.  You have no idea how much it hurts to see him hurting...and there's nothin you can do about it!  But I tell you what, I wouldn't trade it for anything Roy, not for a damn thing!  Despite everything, despite every step you end up taking backwards...but I love him so much.  You have no idea." "Oh...I think I might have an inkling..." Roy frowned thinking of his own son. The tones sounded calling them out to an apartment building fire.  With fifteen minutes left of their shift, they had to respond. "Get an inch and a half," Cap barked at the scene to Chet and Marco as he radioed in for a third alarm. "Cap," Roy called pulling on his gear, "the manager says he thinks there are still people inside." "Go but watch your step.  This building isn't exactly new."  Actually Cap had to wonder why it hadn't already been condemned as unlivable. Johnny and Roy swept the building getting everyone out unharmed.  The fire blazed on so they grabbed a hose and joined the rest of the crew to put it out.  Inside, Johnny lead the way up some stairs, Roy backing him up.  As Johnny swept the hose back and forth in front of him, Roy took a quick look over the banister of the open stair well.  They were three stories high and it was a long way down.  Roy felt Johnny tug the hose and they moved ahead.  Roy could feel the hose catch on something, and he climbed down a few steps to give it a solid yank to free it.  Johnny turned back toward him to see what was keeping him as the steps began give. "Johnny?!" Roy called trying to warn him. It was too late, and before Johnny could move back down a step or two, the one he was on collapsed throwing him off balance and over the side. "JOHNNY!" Roy shouted trying to see through the smoke.  "Cap," he yelled into his radio, "Johnny just fell down the north stairwell."  He abandoned their hose, and carefully moved as fast as he could down the wet slippery steps, not wanting to risk falling himself.  The last thing his partner needed was for him to come crashing down on top of him. By the time he reached the bottom floor, Cap was already there trying to carefully remove Johnny's helmet. Roy pushed several empty boxes out of the way to kneel beside him.  "Is he breathing?" "Shallow, how far up were you?" "Three floors." "Oh god." "Johnny?" Roy called trying to see if he was conscious.  Continued shallow breathing was the only reply.  "Get the backboard in here, it's to dark to see what I'm doing," Roy requested. Cap relayed the order and the two paramedics from 110s helped Roy move Johnny outside. "Ow!" Johnny complained as Roy began to inflate the blood pressure cuff. "Hey, just take it easy all right?" "What are you doing?" "What does it look like I'm doing?" "What happened?" "You fell, don't you remember?" "No, I fell?" "Yeah." "How?" "Steps gave." "Oh," he said trying to sit up. "Would you lay down please," Roy asked impatiently. "I'm all right," Johnny demanded rubbing at his head. "You are NOT all right.  You were out cold for five minutes!  Now lay down!" Johnny laid back and allowed Roy to get his BP.  "What time is it?" he asked. Roy took a quick look at his watch.  "Ten thirty," he answered picking up the biophone. "Oh man, WE got to get going.  Are we done here?" he asked sitting up to look around and seeing the other firemen looking for hot spots. "Yes," Roy informed him pushing him back down, "you're done anyway." "Well then lets get going," Johnny whined pulling the BP cuff off his arm. "Would you stop that!" Roy scolded snatching it from him.  "Lay down!" "Roy, I got things I gotta do today.  Like you said, it's already ten thirty.  I've only got an hour to get over to the school." Roy started to search Johnny's head for bumps.  "Johnny, school doesn't get out till three thirty.  There is more than an hour between ten thirty and three thirty.  It's five hours.  More than enough time for you to go to the hospital to get checked--" "I know how many hours it is till three thirty.  But it's only an hour till lunch and I'm gonna need a shower." "What?" "Lunch Roy, you know, the mid day meal?  When I'm not on, I always go over and take Coty to lunch." "Why?" "What do you mean why?  Cause I want to, that's why." "They let you do that?" "Course they do, he's MY kid isn't he?" "Yeah, he's your kid, but Johnny...you're gonna have to miss lunch today.  You really took a bad--" "I'm FINE Roy!  And I CAN'T miss lunch!  Everything I do matters.  I can't just not show up.  Trust is everything right now and I can't--" "Just call the school and have them tell him you can't make it." "And then what?  He spends the rest of the day wondering why?  I didn't come because I" "All right, all right, how bout I go get him and bring him to the hospital?" "He wouldn't go with you." "If you called the school and told them to tell him to--" "No," Johnny insisted shaking his head. "What if they put him on the phone and you told him yourself to go with me.  I'll uh...I'll order a pizza from the hospital and we'll pick it up on the way back.  Okay?" Johnny shook his head, beginning to feel the effects of the fall.  "All right, all right.  If you're willing to go to all that trouble...I guess I'll go to the hospital.  But be NICE to him, okay?" "I'll be nice Johnny," Roy laughed, "I promise."                        ~/~/~/~/~ Roy walked into the school trying to remember which way the principal's office was.  He had been to the school many times for his children's plays and for parent teachers conferences, but he couldn't remember ever having seen the office. "Can I help you," a lady asked him eyeing him suspiciously. "Yeah, which ways the principals office?" "Why," the teacher laughed, "were you a bad boy?" Roy gave her a strange look. "It's down the hall to the end, take a left, down two halls, take a right and it'll be on your left.  Got it?" Roy blinked twice at the cockeyed instructions and started walking in the direction indicated. "Right, two halls, right and on the left," the lady repeated once he'd reached the end of the hallway.  She watched as he disappeared to the right, then reappeared to cross the hall to the left again.  "That's right, now just keep going...you'll find it eventually," she added quietly laughing to herself. Roy tapped on the glass at the room marked Principal.  A lady on the other side of a counter in the room motioned for him to open the door. "You don't have to knock hon, you just come right on it.  Can I help you?" "Yeah, I'm here to pick up Coty?" "Coty..." she prompted him starting to look through a card file. "Gage." "Gage," she repeated.  "I'm sorry, we don't have a Coty Gage at this school." "Oh...aaahhhh," he said tapping the counter trying to remember the right name.  "Mic....McConnely." "Now his name's McConnely?" she asked peering at him over the top of her glasses. "Are you Roy?" a woman asked opening a door to another room. "Uh, yeah...uh Johnny...John Gage was going to call and--" "He's right here," the principal offered opening the door further to show Coty sitting in one of her chairs.  "Your ride's here Coty," she told him. Coty took one look at him and dropped his eyes to pick at the arm of the chair. "Come on Coty," Roy said starting to blush. Coty still didn't move. "Come on, your dad's waitin." Coty took a visible breath and stood to follow him.  As soon as they were in Roy's pickup, Coty slid to the floor by the passenger seat and curled himself into a ball. "Hey uh...you don't have to sit down there," Roy said trying to smile, "the seat is ten times more comfortable." Coty hid his face in his arm and Roy started the engine.  The sooner he turned this kid over to his father, the better. "Hi there Coty," Dixie greeted as soon as they entered Emergency.  "How would you like to go with me to get a soda pop down in the lunch room huh?" "He's not allowed to have pop," Roy informed her. "Oh yeah?" she said a little surprised.  "How about chocolate milk then?" "Only if it's made with Ovaltine." "Huh...regular milk?" "Ummmm, yeah I think so but only half a glass.  No wait, that's after school before dinner.  For lunch I guess he can have a whole glass.  Oh wait, the pizza!  I forgot...Dix, could you watch him while I--" "I've got him," Dixie told him completely baffled, "go do what you need to do." Roy hurried back toward his car as Dixie ushered Coty to the elevator, presumably to take him down to the cafeteria for some milk. "Roy!" Dr. Brackett shouted catching him in the nick of time. "Yeah?" "Got a minute?" "Just a minute.  Forgot the pizzas.  How is he?" "I'm sure he'll be fine in a few days.  Was that Coty I just saw?" "Yeah.  A few days?" "He lost consciousness on us for a few minutes.  We'll need to keep him overnight at least.  Three stories is a long way to fall." "No kidding.  Does he know yet?" "No, not yet.  He want's to go already." "Yeah, I barely got him in here as it was." "Well, it's good that he takes his responsibility toward his kid so seriously." "Did you think he wouldn't." "If you had told me a year ago he was going to find himself burdened with an eight year old...probably not.  Now...from the first moment I saw him with the kid...I know he's a good father." "Yeah," Roy agreed, angry with himself for his original skepticism over Johnny's fatherhood, "you're right.  He's doing a good job.  I don't know how I would have handled it, but he's doin it...despite all the problems." "Speaking of which, do you know anyone that could take Coty tonight?  I don't really want to tell Johnny he's staying until we can get that covered.  I don't want him worrying about it." "Oh boy," Roy said knowing what he had to do, yet feeling scared to death over having to do it.  "I guess I'll have to...I mean--" "You got it covered?" "Yeah, if he agrees to it.  I don't know what else he could do." "You don't WANT to take him?" "No, it's not that it's just...he doesn't know me very well yet." "Really, I'd have thought...never mind.  You sure you're willing to take him now?  Maybe Dixie could--" "No, I'm his best friend.  I'll do it." Dr. Brackett smiled at the floor.  "Good, now can you help me to convince him it's in his best interest to stay the night?" "I'll try," Roy smiled without conviction. "After you." In treatment room three, Roy found Johnny blinking his eyes, trying to stay awake.  It was obvious the concussion was making him sleepy.  "Hey," Roy greeted trying to sound upbeat. "Hey, where's Coty?  You didn't forget to get him did you?" "No I didn't forget," Roy said defensively, then cringing when he remembered the pizzas he'd forgotten now for a second time. "Where is he?  Don't tell me they wouldn't let him come in here!" Johnny demanded sitting up. "What did I tell you about that?" Dr. Brackett asked pushing him back down. "I'm fine doc, really." "Yeah, that's what you said right before I had to catch you.  I'm not doing THAT twice in one day," Brackett said rubbing his sore shoulder from the unexpected save, "now lay back down!" "Then let him in here." "I'm sure Dixie'll bring him back in a few minutes." "What's Dixie doing with him?" "I think she's getting him some milk," Roy told him.  "You want me to go get them?" "No, I can make it as far as the cafa--" "Down!" Brackett ordered once again. "I'm FINE!" "You are huh?" Brackett asked putting up Johnny's x'ray and nodding at what he already knew.  "You feel this bump back here," he asked rubbing his thumb over a lump Johnny's helmet hadn't been able to protect him from. "Ow!" "Yeah, ow.  That's a concussion Johnny.  Now I don't think your brain is going to swell enough over it to be life threatening, but you're staying put till we know how bad it's going to get, got it?" "I can't.  I've got a kid I've got to get home and--" "Roy's taking Coty, and you're checking in." "But--" "If you don't let ME talk you into it, I can always go get Dixie." "Did I hear my name," Dixie asked pushing open the door. Johnny rolled his eyes and laid back in defeat, then winced at the pain it caused. "Johnny, there's someone here I think would like to see you."  She held the door open, but from the examining table, Johnny couldn't see anyone.  "It's okay, you can go in." "Hey Coty," Johnny said realizing who it was.  "Can you get up here?" Dr. Brackett pushed a chair over to make it easier for him to climb up.  Coty sat cautiously on the edge of the table, gazing very seriously into his father's face. "Heed, I'm all right!" "I know what a concussion is," Coty informed him. "Yeah, well, nobody should have said that word to you and anyways, it's not a bad one, is it doc?" "No, no, not too bad, but your daddy IS going to stay over night with us.  That way we can make absolutely sure he stays okay." "Does your head hurt?" "Nnn...yeah," Johnny admitted. "You gonna throw up?" "No...no I'm not nauseous." "How does he know that?" Dr. Brackett whispered to Dixie who smiled in return. "So uh...I guess you'll stay with me tonight," Roy said in a questioning tone. "Yeah," Johnny agreed slowly looking at his son's serious face, "I think that would be all right." Coty dropped his eyes to the bed. "It's just for one night Coty, it'll be all right.  You'll get to play with Jenny," Johnny added trying to sell him on the idea. Coty continued to look at the bed. "You like her right?" The boy didn't move. "Even just a little?  I know you played with her at the picnic, didn't you?" Now Coty shrugged. "Come on...I'll pick you up tomorrow.  Just for tonight." "You won't be home tomorrow," Coty told him softly. "How do--" "You don't look good." "I'm gonna be fine Coty." "I know," he answered still sounding very sad. "Will you be a good boy and go to Roy's for me?" Coty bit his lips. "Okay, I know you'll be good, but will you go to Roy's till I can come home?" The unhappy little boy took a deep breath and nodded.  Johnny pulled him into a hug, resting his face in the boy's hair.  Giving him a final kiss on the forehead, he motioned for him to go.  Roy offered his hand for Coty to hold onto to jump down, but he ignored it, getting off the table by himself. "Roy?" Johnny called to him as he started to follow Coty out. "Yeah?" Johnny looked away, unsure of what he'd wanted to say. "Joanne'll be there too, and like you said, he'll have Jenny to play with." "Yeah but...he hasn't been over there since..." "The bathroom's all redone.  I know he didn't do it Johnny, I know he put it out." Roy said feeling very awkward.  "Look, I'm sorry for all of that.  You have no idea how sorry.  I'm gonna take good care of him tonight cause I owe him one...a big one.  I promise it'll be all right.  Now just try to rest, okay?" "Yeah...I just..." "Worried.  Do you remember the first time you took Chris and Jenny for the night?" "Yeah, I didn't listen to Joanne and let them eat too much junk food.  Jenny puked half the night." "Oh yeah...well okay, bad example.  Anyway, you told Joanne not to worry." "Yeah, and look what I did." "Well," Roy laughed helplessly, "I promise not to let Coty eat until he pukes, now will you stop worrying?" "Nope." "I didn't think so.  If they don't let you go home tomorrow, I'll bring him by." "Okay." "Bye." Johnny sighed at the closing door.                      ~/~/~/~/~ "Ahhhh, pizza, pizza, pizza," Roy chanted backing the car back out of his driveway before it had come to a full stop. Coty looked over at him, then returned to staring out of the window.  Roy picked up the pizza, then returned home to stick it in the fridge.  The only way it'd taste good anymore, he figured, would be as a cold breakfast or midnight snack.  Roy closed the refrigerator door realizing neither he nor Coty had eaten lunch yet. "You hungry?" he asked looking at the clock.  Chris and Jenny would still be in school for another hour and a half.  Roy had decided against taking Coty back to school, feeling he wouldn't be able to concentrate anyway.  "You wanna sandwich," he asked opening the fridge again.  'Why didn't I ask Johnny what he eats?' Roy scolded himself.  "Bologna?  No?  Turkey?  Tuna?" Coty stood in the living room looking very uncomfortable and pulling at a loose string on his pants. "Ovaltine!" Roy said opening the pantry.  Joanne had purchased some a short time after she and Johnny had had a conversation about child nutrition.  When Roy had tried to make himself some chocolate milk in the middle of the night one night and found only the chocolate powder, he had demanded she buy her children the bunny milk syrup once again.  To his knowledge, the Ovaltine had been pushed toward the back of one of the shelves and forgotten.  "Ha," he said reaching over an unopened box of granola cereal she had bought at the same time.  "You want some?" Coty ignored him but Roy decided to make him some anyway.  He stirred and stirred, but still the unappetizing powder remained floating on top of the milk.  "Mason jar," he said aloud as he dropped to his knees to search for one in a bottom cupboard.  After he had mixed it properly and returned it to its glass, he decided it didn't look so bad after all.  "Here you go." Roy put the glass down and decided to mix another glass and try some himself.  "You know it's really pretty good," he admitted to Coty as he tried a sip.  "Aren't you gonna drink yours?" Coty reached up to cover his eyes with one hand. "Oh hey, it's okay.  It'll be all right.  Really.  Your dad's as tough as they come.  You don't think a little old bump on the head is going to keep him down for long do you?  I've know you dad for a long time.  He's fine, I promise.  We'll go see him tomorrow, okay?" Joanne pulled into the driveway just as the phone started to ring. "Joanne?" Roy called walking out into the garage, "We've got a little--" "Aren't you gonna answer the phone?" "Yeah but we got--" "Roy!" she said in an annoyed tone pushing her way past him.  "Hello?  Oh Hi Johnny I--" "What are you doing?!" Roy asked pulling the receiver out of her hand.  "You had better be calling from a bed!" "I am, I am.  Look, I forgot something.  You have to go over and feed the kittens.  Dale does it while I'm working and Coty's at school, but I can't get a hold of him to let him know we won't be home tonight.  Coty knows how to do it, so if you can just take him over there--" "What kittens?" "The kittens we found during the--  We're raising some kittens.  He's gonna be really upset if he thinks they're gonna go hungry tonight.  Can you take him over there to--" "Yes, okay.  It's not a problem Johnny.  As soon as the kids get here, we'll go over there and he can do what he needs to do." "Okay...all right...well...can I talk to him?" "Uh, yeah, sure.  It's your dad Coty," Roy said setting the phone down and moving out of the way so he could pick it up.  Coty didn't say a word, but in a couple of minutes, he hung up the phone. "Do I get an explanation?" Joanne asked nervously, her confidence when it came to this particular kid still gone. "Johnny got a concussion at work today." "Is he all right?" "Yeah, but they're keeping him for a while.  So since he can't go home tonight..." "He doesn't look very happy to be here does he." "He's better than he was a minute ago.  So," he said a little more loudly, "Johnny said you have some kittens we have to go take care of, you know how to do that?  Take care of little kittens?" Coty nodded and rubbed his eye. "Okay, well, we'll go take care of that in a little while.  How 'bout you drink your milk in the mean time." Coty nodded and sat down at the table, picking up his glass.  Behind him, Roy tilted his head back and mouthed 'Thank you' toward the heavens.                        ~/~/~/~/~ Travis and his friends were surprised when Coty didn't return to class after lunch that day.  They wondered if maybe he'd found out their plans for after school and waited nervously for the rest of the day to be called to the principal's office .  When nothing happened they figured he'd just gone home sick.  Chris saw Travis and his pals gathered by the teeter totter after school and wondered what they'd do now that their plans had been ruined.  He also wondered where it left him.  He watched them for a few minutes trying to get up the courage to walk over by them, but then gave up and started for home. "Hey Chris, where you goin?" Travis shouted racing up behind him. Chris shrugged and kicked nonchalantly at the dirt . "Were you gonna come?" Chris shrugged again. "Where's you skateboard?" "Home." "Go get it." "Why?" "Why do you think dummy." "Where we gonna go?" "The parking lot, where else?" "Why don't we go to the church?" Chris asked knowing it had a slope and nice smooth pavement. "What if the priest comes out and yells at us again?" "What if he does?" "He's mean," Davis spoke behind him having listened in with a couple of other boys. "What are you chicken?" Travis sneered. Davis blushed red.  "No!" "Go get your skateboard," Travis ordered again. Chris started to jog home with the other boys following along.  "Get on," Eddie ordered pointing at the handle bars of his bike when he felt Chris was taking too long.  Chris knew his mother would throw a fit if she caught him riding double, but he got on anyway. "Okay stop," Chris ordered when they were still a couple houses away from his house.  "Eddie come on!  Eddie!" Eddie rode right into his front yard, toppling the bike over on the grass.  Chris looked around to see if anyone had seen.  "You jerk!" he mumbled despite the fact that the coast looked clear. "Come on Chris!" Travis ordered impatiently, banking the front wheels of his own board into the grass in order to come to a stop. Chris ran into the house and up the stairs to his bedroom leaving the door standing wide open. "Chris," Roy shouted up after him. "I know, I know," he shouted back, "I'll close it in a second.  I'm just getting my skateboard!" Chris thundered back down the stairs, board in hand.  His mouth dropped to his shoes when he saw his friends standing in his yard, and Coty sitting at his table.  Chris slammed the door shut, hoping no one out there had seen him as well. "What's HE doing here?" Chris demanded. Joanne was about to snap back at him, but bit her tongue not wanting to raise her voice in front of Coty.  "Back up stairs," Joanne said calmly, barely holding on to her anger. "But--" "Follow your mother," Roy instructed quietly, equally angry at Chris's tone. Coty stared miserably at the table top, wishing he could go home. "Mommy," Jenny called announcing her arrival. "Chris, you didn't wait for your sister today?" Roy asked. "I forgot." "You're suppose to walk her to and from school everyday you don't get a ride, but today you forgot." Chris glared at the floor. "Jenny, put your books in your room and come back down.  Chris, go put your skateboard away.  We're leaving in a couple minutes." "Where we going?" Jenny asked happily. "Out to Johnny's for a little while." "YIPPEE!" Jenny shouted racing up the stairs. "No...Jenny," Joanne called after her, not wanting her to be disappointed when Johnny wasn't there and no ride on one of the horses was given.  The girl, however, was long gone. "I don't WANNA go to Johnny's," Chris whined.  "I want to go with my friends.  They're waiting outside for me." Roy looked out the window at a number of kids digging their skateboard wheels into his lawn.  "Well you're gonna have to tell 'em to go.  I don't know how long we'll be and you can't be here by yourself." "Why?" "Cause I said so, now go put your skateboard away." "MAN!" Chris said kicking the bottom step on his way. "CHRIS!" one of the boys on the lawn shouted. Joanne opened the door. "Let ME talk to them," Chris demanded dropping his skateboard, walking out, and pulling the door shut behind him.  "I can't go," he told them angrily. "Why not?" "Cause I CAN'T!" "It was YOUR IDEA!" "I know!" "Man this is stupid!" Travis muttered banging his skateboard against the sidewalk.  Chris heard the door open behind him and he wished inside that the boys would hurry up and leave. "Hurry it up Chris," Roy told him closing the door but watching through the window. "I gotta go," Chris informed Travis sullenly. "Well can you go tomorrow?" "I don't KNOOOW," he answered fully annoyed with the situation, "ask my stupid dad!"  Chris's eyes bugged out when he opened the door to go back inside and he found his father standing right on the other side of it.  "I'm sorry," he whispered seeing the look on his father's face and imagining what the belt was going to feel like. Roy was ready to do just that and he was too busy counting to ten to respond.  Forcing himself to look away from his son, he found Coty watching, only to turn quickly back around in his seat to face straight forward.  The dark-haired boy's shaking shoulders drew the strength out of his anger.  "Put your board in your room," he ordered quietly.  He walked into the living room leaving Chris plenty of space to pass by and go up the stairs. Chris hadn't a clue what had just happened, but he counted his blessings and hurried up the stairs.  Jenny raced down toward him, and instead of making her squeeze past him as he'd usually do, Chris moved to the side and let her through.  Jenny, too happy about going to Johnny's, didn't notice. "Can we go now?" she squealed before seeing Coty for the first time.  "Hi Coty, we're going to YOU'RE house!  Where's Johnny?" Joanne glanced uneasily in Coty's direction.  "Johnny's in the hospital for tonight Jenny." "Oh," Jenny answered gloomily.  "But not tomorrow?" "He'll be home in a day or so I guess, right?" she said looking at Roy. "Yeah hon," Roy said scooping his little girl up, "he just got a bump." "Why are we going to Johnny's then?" "To do the chores for him," Roy answered to Joanne's raised eyebrows.  "The horses will have to be fed too.  I figure he'll remember around midnight, then try to make a break for it to go feed 'em himself cause he won't want to call us that late." "Right," Joanne agreed nodding her head and smiling. The room grew silent as they waited for Chris to return so they could go. "If I have to call that boy," Roy whispered at his wife after a few minutes. "Chris," Joanne called more softly than her husband would have.  "Hurry it up." Chris appeared at the top step. "We haven't got all day." After heaving a sigh, Chris came slowly down the stairs. "Get in the car," Roy ordered his children softly while avoiding eye contact with his son.  He started for the garage ahead of them and got into the car.  With out a word of argument between them, both his children did likewise.  After a minute he realized his wife and Coty hadn't followed.  "Wait here," he said leaving his door open and going back into the house.  Joanne sat kneeling by Coty's chair, talking to him softly.  "He's not mad at you.  Chris said something he shouldn't have is all.  Come on," she added offering her hand.  Roy stepped back, not wanting to scare him again.  Coty ignored Joanne's hand and slid away from her to get off his chair.  Keeping his face pointed toward the floor, he raised his eye's to see what she was going to do.  Joanne looked up at her husband standing in the door way and gave him a small half-hearted smile.  She followed him out to the garage and waited to see if Coty would follow.  Chris sat in the back seat staring at his hands while Jenny had by then become bored with the back seat, and now stood on it, leaning over the back of the front seat. "Where should we put him?" Joanne questioned her husband having no idea where he'd feel the best. Roy sighed, having the same problem.  "Should we put him in the way back?" "I'd rather not.  He's awfully small and if we hit one of those bumps out there, he's gonna get bounced around." Roy nodded, trying to figure again.  "What if we put Jenny in front with us, then he'd only have to share the backseat with Chris.  He'd feel less crowded." "But he'd be sitting right next to Chris.  They don't exactly..." "Why don't we put Chris up with us then?" "Is that where you want him?" "I'm not worried about Chris right now.  I'm worried about getting Coty through the next twenty-four hours." "All right.  Chris get in front," she added more loudly. Chris looked at her, certain he had heard wrong. "In front Chris." "I want to sit in front," Jenny offered happily noticing her brothers slow reluctant movement. "Not this time Jenny.  Sit in your seat nice and put your seatbelt on." Jenny sat down behind the driver's seat where her brother had just been sitting.  "Other side Jenny," Joanne ordered opening the door for Coty to get in. Jenny slid over and smiled, realizing where Coty was going to sit. Joanne waited patiently for him to get in and carefully closed the door for him.  She found herself having to hide a grin at the look he gave her through the window.  It was exactly the same quick glance Johnny would give someone when they were teasing him, except Johnny's mouth would have been smiling. "Scoot over," she told Chris as she got into the passenger seat.  Chris gave a nervous look toward his father before sliding to the middle to sit between them.  He had no idea what kind of punishment this was, but he felt it was worse than anything they had ever done before. As soon as the car pulled to a stop in his driveway, Coty let himself out and headed for the house.  Under one the flower pots he dug out key and let himself in.  He had disappeared up the stairs to his room before any of the others even got to the door.  The remaining four people walked into the living room looking around. "Let me make sure he didn't leave any dirty dishes in the sink," Joanne offered as she headed for the kitchen. A few minutes later Coty stood looking down at them from the top of the stairs.  Now dressed in jeans, hikers, and an opened button-down shirt, he clomped more self-confidently down the stairs with a determined look on his face.  Shawnao danced in circles as he disappeared into the laundry room with the dog's empty bowl, and returned with it full.  Ignoring his company, he then let himself out of the house through the laundry room door. Realizing the bathroom door had not been closed behind him, much less locked, Roy tapped on it and pushed it open when Coty didn't answer or reappear.  Feeling certain the kid had just experted an escape from bathroom to the laundry room to the outside, he raced through where Coty had gone, and spotted him as he slid open the barn door in the distance. "He's gone out to the barn," Roy told his wife as he stepped back into the kitchen.  "I'm gonna--" "Wait a minute," she said stopping him, "look at this." After finding the kitchen perfectly clean, Joanne had figured she would make Coty something to eat from the foods in the house he was used to.  Now she gestured toward several opened cupboards.  Roy looked into them. "What?" he asked, unsure what he was suppose to be looking at. "This," she said gesturing again. "Joanne, they look fine to me." "Hardly any name brands." "So." "Johnny usually...never mind.  I guess I'm being silly," she replied eyeing several cut out coupons on the table and feeling embarrassed as it really wasn't any of her business. Roy shrugged and pointed toward the door.  "Barn," he muttered as he left. "Go with your father," Joanne told her children. Jenny squealed happily and Chris looked at her like he'd just been given the death sentence.  As his children joined him in the doorway of the barn, Roy stood watching the little boy work.  Scoopful by scoopful, he was feeding the horses. Chris, wanting to put some space between him and his father, wandered over to the oats bin.  "You're suppose to use the bucket," he muttered as Coty returned to the bin for the tenth time.  Coty glared at him and continued to walk back to the stall to pour in another scoop. "Hey Coty?" Roy intervened, "why don't you let us do that?"  Taking the bucket off the wall, Roy filled it to move things along.  By the scoopful was going to take forever.  "I'll do it," Chris offered happily reaching for the bucket and momentarily forgetting the tension between him and his father.  Roy moved back and felt a pang of pride as Chris used every bit of strength he had to lift the heavy bucket and carry it over to the one of the stalls.  He missed the look Coty gave them, and by the time he turned back, the boy was busy doing something else. Bu rounded the corner of the barn twitching his tail at the extra people in his territory.  Jenny immediately reached down to pet him. "No Jenny," her father stopped her.  "He's the nasty one, remember?" Coty frowned, picked up the overgrown cat, and slung him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.  The cat in turn nipped at Coty's ear, licked his hair, and started to purr. 'I don't believe it,' Roy thought at the cat's behavior.  Johnny handled the cat the same way, but never had anyone else even been allowed to scratch the thing's ear before.  As Coty reached a high shelf, he put the cat down, and using the natural bracing's in the wall of the barn, he climbed up to reach the shelf himself, and brought down some food. In a moment, seemingly out of nowhere, several kittens came running in and surrounded the small boy.  After feeding the old Tom first to eliminate any possible jealously he produced a shallow pan, and prepared a concoction for the kittens to eat that only a cat could love.  Once finished, he filled two little bottles with formula, and picked up the smallest kitten by the nape of its neck. Jenny's mouth dropped open at the apparent ill treatment of the little thing, and she hurried to her father. "That's perfectly fine Jenny," Roy informed her knowing full well what was on her mind. "But--" "It doesn't hurt them a bit.  In fact it's how Mama cats carry their babies, right there at the back of their neck." By then Coty had the kitten flopped on to its back and feeding hungrily on the bottle.  Jenny smiled as the kitten wrapped its paws around the boy's hand and bottle, as if holding on to it for himself.  Chris cleared his throat as he struggled with the third bucket of oats without his father's notice. "You about done?" Roy asked turning back to him. "Almost," Chris told him heaving the bucket up to pour it in.  He heaved a bit too hard, lost his grip, and the entire bucket fell into the feed trough.  Chris blushed as his father suppressed a laugh.  "I've seen Johnny do that a hundred times," Roy reassured him reaching in to pick it up and dump it himself.  "This sucker gets kind of slippery after a while, don't it," he added noticing the wet handle. Chris nodded and wiped the sweat off his forehead. Coty snatched up the second smallest kitten that was having a hard time pushing its way into the feeding frenzy, and flipped it to its back in less than a second.  Chris watched his ease with the squirming little creatures with envy. "Why do you rub their bellies like that?" Jenny asked after he set the second kitten down and began to rinse the bottles in a sink. "He's probably just making sure it got enough eat," Roy reasoned, "right?" Coty paused in the rinsing and nodded slowly without looking at him. "All right, now what do we have to do?" Roy asked him.  Two of the horses had finished their oats, so Coty jumped up on to one of their gates, and pulled open the latch on both of them.  The horse behind the gate Coty was on pushed it open himself, giving Roy visions of the kid being trampled underneath him.  Before he could react, he realized Coty stayed on top of the gate allowing the horses to pass by and out into the corral without ever being in harms way.  Catching his breath, Roy followed the boy outside where he saw him struggle to turn on a tap over the water trough.  "I'll tell you what," Roy offered.  "I'll do that and you can go do whatever else it is you usually do."  The tap was old, leaky, and needed replacing.  Johnny had turned it off extra hard that morning in order to stop the dripping.  With his hand still damp from the sweaty bucket, even Roy found it difficult to turn back on again.  Wiping his hand on his pants, he heard a loud noise start up in the barn.  Before he knew it, Coty zipped by him and up a near by hill. Joanne heard the noise and ran out of the house and into the yard, gazing up the hill in the direction he her husband was looking.  "Please tell me that's not what I think it is." "HE'S got a dirt bike!" Chris exclaimed writhing with jealously. "I don't believe it," Joanne said shaking her head, "I just don't believe it.  Doesn't he remember what happened with Mike's kid!" "I THINK that's Jason's bike!" Roy informed her. "That's WHAT!  Is he NUTS!" "Joanne, what happened with Jason happened because--" "If you tell me one more time it was his own fault for not wearing his helmet, so help me I'll scream!" "Joanne--" "I can't believe Johnny would DO this!  And with the very same bike!" "Joanne--" "I wonder if Beth knows." "Joanne--" "You know I'll bet she doesn't!  There's no WAY she'd let Johnny have it for his kid.  Not after Jason spent three days in a coma." "Joanne...Joanne...where are you going?!" "To call her.  Where does it look like I'm going?" "Joanne, Coty isn't our kid.  If Johnny wants him to have a bike--" "That is NOT a bike.  It's a motorcycle.  I don't care how small it is, it's a motorcycle, and NOBODY, I repeat NOBODY should ride them!" "Joanne--" "They're death traps Roy.  You'll never convince me otherwise!" "Joanne--" "And I swear Roy, if you ever come home with one...or even THINK about getting one for Chris...I'll divorce you!  I mean it!  I will NOT live worrying about you sitting on top of one of those things.  It's bad enough I have to worry day in and day out over your job.  Don't ASK me to worry about that to!" "Joanne, I don't want a motorcycle.  Okay?" "Would you please get him OFF of that thing?" Joanne pleaded hurrying into the house as Coty rode toward the yard. Roy waved his arms back and forth in the air, hoping Coty would see him AND still come in.  "COTY!" he shouted despite the fact he knew he'd never be heard over the motor. "Dad?" Chris asked. "What?" Roy responded, his eyes fixed on the boy in the distance. "Do YOU hate dirtbikes?" "No Chris," Roy answered distractedly, "I don't HATE dirtbikes." "Then why can't I--" Roy spun around on his son.  "You KNOW why." "But you don't agree with her, right?" "Chris--" "It's not fair!  Couldn't I at least get to ride one without her knowing?  I'm not saying we should lie, just not tell her." Roy knew Chris was referring to a time a year ago when he had taken Chris along with him over to Mike's, and Mike had encourage him to take his new motorcycle for a quick spin.  When he had returned, he'd made Chris promise never to tell his mother.  'What she doesn't know won't hurt her,' he had said at the time.  He knew one day it would come back to haunt him.  "Chris..." "Please dad?" "Even if I did, it sure wouldn't be today!" Chris smiled, realizing it wasn't a 'no'.  "What happened to Jason," he asked, his curiosity making him risk the question. "He rode without his helmet on and he wiped out, smacked his head against a rock but good," Roy told him shaking his head as he remembered the scene.  Joanne and Beth had both hated the bike before.  The accident had further vindicated their beliefs.  "If you ever do get to ride one, you better make d...  make SURE you have a helmet on." "I will," Chris promised. Roy waved his arms again and was happy when he saw Coty start to ride toward him.  A good ten yards away, the boy stopped his bike and turned off the motor.  He pulled off his helmet and looked at Roy with a frown. "Uhhhh, does uh...does your dad let you ride when he's not here?" Roy asked. Coty thought for a moment, then started to push his bike back into the barn.  What Johnny had actually told him was to never ride it when he was there by himself.  On the other hand, Coty doubted his father had ever figured on his being at the ranch with other people there, but not himself.  After Roy's question, he figured Roy was right, and he'd meant never to ride it without him being around. Roy was surprised how readily Coty put the bike away, and he was again envious over how Johnny's kid never whined, argued, or talked back.  He couldn't help but think about how nice it would be to have a kid that knew how good they had it. In the barn, Coty covered his bike with a tarp again.  After letting out the rest of the horses and scooting the kittens into their shelter outside, he put his weight into the door to slide it shut.  The door closed much more quickly than he expected causing him to stumble to his knees in the dirt. Chris looked at him in surprise, and dropped his hands to his sides from where he had decided to help slide the door shut.  Looking nervously up at his father, he silently hoped he didn't think he'd done it on purpose.  "I'm...I'm sorry," Chris apologized, half-heartedly offering his hand to help him up. Coty glared at him and got to his feet without his help, then started for the house. "I'm tellin," Jenny hissed having missed the first part and running up to her dad. "It was an accident Jenny," Roy told her before she could speak. Chris watched Coty walking toward the house and shot his father another nervous look.  "Wait," he said earnestly, hurrying to catch up to the boy.  "I mean it.  I'm sorry." Coty threw him a sideways glance and kept walking.  Chris stepped ahead and stopped in his path.  "Listen, I'm sorry, not just about the door but about everything.  Okay?  I mean it, I'm really sorry." Coty stared at him until Chris moved back out of his way, then continued to the house without a word.  Chris watched until he'd made it in the door before he sulked in after him. "Chris," his father called to stop him before he had gone too far.  Chris stopped and waited to he to catch up. "Look, you can't expect him to just forgive you, not after everything you've done.  If you REALLY want to be his friend, you're gonna hafta earn it, and it's gonna take time." "But...how do I do it?" Roy looked toward the door where Coty had disappeared.  "I honestly don't know." "He did WHAT?" Beth Stoker asked on the other end of the phone.  "Michael James Stoker, I thought you threw that bike away!" Joanne managed to hear before she heard the click.  She had no way of talking to Johnny at the moment, but she was satisfied ONE of the men was going to find out what was what.  The moment she hung up the phone, it started to ring. "Hello, John Gages residence," she said into the receiver.  "JOHN RODERICK GAGE I can't BELIEVE you bought that boy a MOTORCYCLE!" "Give me the phone Joanne," Roy ordered as he and Chris walked in the door. Joanne ducked away from his hand.  "You KNOW what happened with Jason and you KNOW what happened with my brother!" "Joanne!" Roy said making another grab for the phone. "I SWEAR, if you don't get RID of it, I'll--" Roy wrenched the phone her hand, and she left to sit on the couch. "Hey," Roy said into the receiver, "you okay?" "Huh?  Yeah.  There's not much she can do to me over the phone." "Yeah," Roy laughed.  "I ah...I didn't know you got him a bike." "Well I did." "I was watching him on it, he's really good." "Yeah, he's not on it NOW is he?" "No, I asked him if he should be on it without you here, and he just put it right away." "Huh...I hope he had his helmet on." "He did.  Did you know he puts his foot down on the turns?" "Yeah, pretty good huh!  You should see him jump it." "He jumps it?!" Roy said a little too loudly. "He does WHAT!" Joanne shouted from the living room loud enough for Johnny to hear. "MAN, what did you do THAT for?" "I didn't MEAN to," Roy apologized.  "Look, I'll talk to you later, okay?  Ba-bye!" he added quickly, hanging up the phone before Joanne could make it back to the kitchen to yell at Johnny some more.  "What?" he asked her in his innocent voice as she glared at him.  A second later the phone rang again.  "Hello," Roy asked meekly.  "Oh hi.  Ummm, we did that already.  Is that why you called?  No...no, everything's been fed, kittens, horses, dog, Nasty Cat...well no he wasn't nasty with HIM but...well noooo, I wouldn't let Jenny touch him...all right, all right, he's a nice cat, you satisfied?...Umm, Joanne's standing here and...." Joanne put her hand up and waved it dismissively.  "Nope, don't look at me.  I'm not talking to him again until he gets rid of it.  And you can tell him that too." "Okay...okay...STOP WORRYING...he's ah" Roy said looking at the very dusty and very dirty little boy, "fine, just fine....Coty," he said handing the phone off to him. "See what else riding that dirtbike does," Joanne remarked about Coty's dirty clothes before quietly returning to the living room. Coty shook his head at the woman who had suddenly gone crazy, though he had yet been able to figure out why.  Picking up the phone, he again listened for a few minutes without speaking before hanging up.  The only thing Roy could figure is that Johnny could hear him breathing, and knew when he was there. "So ahhhh, is there anything else we need to do?" Roy asked wishing he'd been able to talk to Johnny one more time. Coty scratched at his sweaty head. "Do you want to take a quick shower before we go?" Coty frowned at him, but headed back upstairs, so Roy took it as a 'yes'.  Fifteen minutes later Coty returned to the first floor, squeaky clean and wearing a different pair of jeans.  In his hand he carried his boots and a folded pair of sock along with a clean shirt and a toothbrush.  Roy fumbled through a couple of cupboards looking for a paper bag for him to use since he'd declined to get fully dressed. "Just use his backpack," Joanne said pointing the empty day pack hanging over the back of a kitchen chair. Roy sighed at her melancholy tone and picked up the bag to hand it to him.  After a second, he realized Coty had actually taken the bag from his hand. As he zipped the bag shut, Coty walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.  Pulling out a half full carton of milk, he walked over took the counter, and set a funnel inside the opening.  Next he slid a chair over to the counter, and after eyeing how much milk was in the carton, he carefully measured several tablespoons of Ovaltine into it.  After washing and drying both the spoon and the funnel, he closed the carton, and shook it for all he was worth.  Jumping down, he returned the chair to its place, picked up his bag and carton of milk, and presented himself as ready, all be it reluctantly, to go. "Is there anything else you want to bring?" Roy asked patiently. Coty looked at the floor for a minute, then shook his head. "All right then," Roy said checking to make sure the side and rear doors were locked.  Once finished, he gestured for Joanne and the two boys to move out the front door.  Two feet in front of it, Coty set his bag and carton down and raced back up the stairs.  Moments later he returned with the white cotton throw, his sleeping bag, and a pillow off of his bed.  Without looking at the staring eyes, he stuffed the small blanket into his daypack, slung it over his shoulder, and made an attempt at picking the rest up with his hands.  With the sleeping bag in one hand, and his pillow in the other, the milk stayed on the floor. "I'll carry the sleeping bag," Chris offered as it was the heaviest item.  Coty warily surrendered it so he could pick up the milk. "Tell you what," Roy offered gently taking the backpack from his shoulder, "why don't you let ME carry that?" Coty hugged his pillow, waiting for one of them to make fun of him. "Ready?" Roy asked not wanting to rush him. Coty sighed, took a final look around his home where he felt comfortable, and nodded at his pillow. Roy opened the back of the station wagon to put the bag inside and Chris tossed in the sleeping bag as well.  "Can I sit in the back," Chris asked hopefully, blushing as he remembered the ride there and why he believed it had been that way. Roy nodded and Chris happily climbed in with Coty's gear. "Hey Coty, you wanna sit back here with me?" Chris offered. Coty, already sitting in the back seat, glanced at him, then buried his face in his pillow.  He so obviously didn't want to go, Chris felt sorry for him. "It's fun back here," Chris added a little more quietly. "Leave him alone," Jenny insisted once Joanne had managed to get her to put down the kittens and get into the car. "He's not doing anything Jenny," Roy defended starting the engine. Chris inwardly cheered over his father's comment.  "You can sit on your sleeping bag," Chris tried to persuade once more. "Enough Chris," Joanne said rubbing at her temples and wanting to get home. Chris folded his arms and stared out the back window in a pout.  Jenny on the other hand smiled, and undoing her seatbelt, slid to the middle spot to be that much closer to Coty.  As Roy got the end of the driveway, Coty tossed his pillow into the back, and climbed over the seat with a small thud. "Mommy!" Jenny complained. "Jenny, he can sit where he wants to sit." If a hurried huff, Jenny undid the middle seatbelt and stood on the seat to crawl into the back herself. "Jenny, please sit down and put your seatbelt back on," Roy ordered. Just as huffy as before, the little girl slid to her but, and did as she was told. "Oh, Chris can sit back there, but she can't," Joanne challenged. "One argument at a time Joanne." "Oh are we having an argument?" "One, Coty went back there for a reason," he said not mentioning in front of his daughter that the reason was probably to get a little more space away from her, "and two, whatever we're doing, now is not the time or place to do it." "You just know everything don't you," Joanne hissed quietly, turning to look out her window. Roy ignored her and focused on driving home.  "What do you wanna do for dinner," he dared to ask once they were back in town. "Would it kill you to make a meal once in a while.  It's not like you're working today you know." "If you want me to make dinner just say so...or if you want to stop a  restaurant...tell me that.  Just let me know what you wanna do." "I don't care what you do." Roy sighed hoping the kids weren't able to hear them.  "Fine, I'll decide.  I'll make some soup and sandwiches for whoever wants to eat once we go home." Joanne ignored him and continued to look out the window. "You know, I don't know how it is I'm getting the blame for this." "I'm not blaming you for anything." "Then why are you mad at me?" "I'm not." "You're not...oh." "Well you think it's perfectly fine don't you." "Joanne, how I feel about it doesn't even matter.  I didn't buy the bike, and I didn't tell Johnny to buy it." "You're still on his side." "What side?!  Why do I have to be on someone's side?!  Are you and Johnny at war now or what?" "Don't be silly." "I'm tryin not to be.  But I sure don't like being in the car with you when you're that mad at me." "I already said I'm not mad at you." "Then could you try to act like it?" "But I am MAD.  Am I allowed to be mad?" Roy heaved another sigh.  "Yes, you're allowed to be mad.  Just please try not to take it out on me." "You're the one that decided to get into the middle." "All I did was keep you from screaming Johnny's ear off in front of his kid...not to mention Chris was standing right there." Joanne looked at the unhappy faces of all three children in the back.  She hated to admit it, but Roy was right.  Her mood was affecting everybody.  "Why don't you stop for pizza?" she asked. Roy closed his eyes and pictured the pizza box already stuffed into his refrigerator.  "Sure, why not," he muttered to himself.  It wasn't like he'd gotten to eat any.                        ~/~/~/~/~ Johnny rested his arm over his eyes wishing the time to pass by more quickly.  He wanted it to be tomorrow, and it hadn't even gotten dark yet.  Despite his drowsiness, he continued to fight sleep, refusing to feel like an invalid.  What he really wanted was another excuse to call over to Roy's place.  Try as he might, he couldn't come up with a plausible reason. "Think, think, think," he mumbled to himself trying to work his brain. "Try sleep, sleep, sleep," Dixie answered coming through the door.  "What is it you can't remember?" "Huh?" Dixie tapped her finger on her temple as Johnny had been doing. "Oh, nothing I guess." "Good, then why don't you try to get some rest." "You'd only have someone wake me up every hour." "That's true, but your brain needs the sleep to heal." "I'm fine," Johnny told her resting his eyes for a moment. "Sure you are.  Do you want some water?" "Huh?" "Water.  Do you want some?" "Ummm," Johnny blinked trying to focus, "yeah...sure." Dixie poured a glass and pushed the table where he could reach it.  "Johnny?" she asked his drooping eyes. "Yeah?" "Your water." "Huh?" "Your water?" "Oh, here," he said handing her the pitcher. Dixie took the pitcher and placed it on back on the table, sliding it back out of the way.  "Get some rest Johnny," she told him leaving and turning off the light. Johnny didn't answer.                       ~/~/~/~/~ Coty continued to stare at the round red things on his pizza, long after both Jenny and Chris had finished theirs and gone upstairs to play. "Oh no," Joanne muttered grabbing the plate and sliding the slice back into the box. "What?" Roy asked. "Pork." "What?!" "He's allergic to pork.  We should have gotten a plain cheese one too." Roy paused with his mouth half open, realizing he'd just nearly poisoned Johnny's son.  "Well what do we do?  Should I go buy another one?" "I don't know.  Do we have anything else he can eat?" "I don't know what he eats," Roy said jumping up from his chair to help her look. "Coty, is there anything you can think of that you'd like?" Coty dropped his head forward on to his folded hands.  Despite their attempts at kindness, he didn't like being the center of attention. "Do you like tuna fish?" Roy asked pulling out a can. "Celery?  Carrots?" Joanne asked digging through the fridge. "Spaghetti?" Roy offered holding up a can of premade sauce. Coty peeked at him from between a couple of fingers. "Yes?  Spaghetti?  Joanne, boil up some noodles." "Are you sure that's what he wants?" "He looked at me, that's more than he did with the tuna...and what kid doesn't like Spaghetti.  Johnny LOVES Spaghetti." "Good point," Joanne laughed. Just as she would for Jenny, Joanne cut up the noodles with her fork before handing Coty the plate.  Both Joanne and her husband stood back to see what would happen.  Coty looked back at them as if they were out of their minds. Roy laughed and pulled Joanne out of the room.  "Right, well...you just ah...when you finish, we'll be in the living room, okay?  You just ah...anything you want to go with it in the fridge you just help yourself," Roy told him with a big toothy smile. "Do you think he's gonna eat it?" "How should I know?" "Well it was your idea to make it!" "Shh, shh, shh.  I think I heard something." "Mom?" Jenny asked behind them making them jump out of their skins. "What?!" Joanne asked swallowing her heart. "What are you doing?" "Nothing honey, whaddo you want?" "Can I get my sleeping bag out of the garage too?" "What?" "Chris--" "What's he doing with his sleeping bag?" "He said him and Coty are gonna camp out in his room tonight cause Coty brought his sleeping bag.  Can't I camp out too?" "Honey, he just means he plans to sleep on the floor.  Twenty bucks says that idea lasts all of ten minutes once he has to go to bed." "So can I?" Jenny asked again. "Sweetheart, if you want to go get your sleeping bag and bring it inside, go ahead," Roy told her. "Yippee!" Jenny cried running for the garage. "Roy!  She's just going to get it all dirty laying it on her floor." "Joe...it's a sleeping bag.  It normally lays on the ground." "Oh whatever." Roy smiled, kissing her on the forehead and working his way down her neck. "Coty!" Joanne said opening her eyes and clearing her throat.  "Did you... are you finished?" Coty nodded, staring at the floor. "Are you...do you...does he have homework to do?" Joanne asked Roy. "I don't know.  I didn't take him back to school so..." "I guess they'll just give it to him Monday." "Well Chris is in his class.  We'll just ask Chris." "You're assuming Chris remembered to bring his books home." "Chris?!" Roy shouted up the stairs. "Yes?" "Did you write down your homework for the weekend?" "Yes," Chris answered after a very long pause. "Could you write down a copy of it for Coty and let him borrow your books?" "I...okay," Chris agreed.  "Should I bring them down there?" "Umm...this is silly.  Coty? Do you WANT to do your homework now?" "Roy, if Johnny has him do his homework on Friday night, he should do it on Friday night." "Well I was just thinking maybe he and Chris could do it together tomorrow." "Oh you were were you?" Joanne asked lowering her voice.  "Don't you think that's pushing things a bit?" Roy shrugged trying to ignore the feelings of doubt over whether or not he really wanted Chris to be Coty's friend. "Well anyway," Joanne said looking at the clock, "it IS getting a little late to be starting homework now.  Coty?  How bout you just do it tomorrow morning, okay?" Coty answered with a non-committed shrug. "You can read for a while if you want.  We've got plenty of books.  Roy, show him where the bookshelf is." "Oh, ah...it's at the top of the stairs here.  I'm sure you've seen it before.  It's ah...right up there if you..." Coty started up the stairs, checking behind him to see if he was being followed. "Anything you wanna read, you just help yourself, okay?  Okay." Roy walked back into the living room heaving a sigh.  "I don't know how Johnny does it?!" "Well he's used to Johnny now." "I know, but still." "He's a good boy Roy." "I didn't say he wasn't good.  I just meant--" "Case in point," Joanne declared walking into the kitchen. "What?!" "He washed his dish." "Did he eat it?" "The pot doesn't look any fuller." "Did he throw it away?" Roy asked opening the cupboard under the sink to have a look in the trash can. "Well?" "Nope." "Well give yourself a pat on the back, you got him to eat anyway."                        ~/~/~/~/~ Coty sat against the wall in the hallway with his head resting against it.  From time to time, he glanced at the books on the shelves next to him, but he wasn't in a reading mood; not without his father there to ask him questions about the story.  He read twice as much as his father did, but the man learned every book by asking him what they were about. Chris walked into the hallway from his bedroom, wondering why it was taking Coty so long to eat, and was surprised to find him sitting at the top of the steps.  "Hey uh..." he stumbled feeling shy, "you wanna...you wanna look at my room?" Coty let out a sigh of frustration, wondering if there was a place in the entire house where he could be left alone. onto part 10