by C. E. Wilson
“I guess that all depends on the judge. I hope he keeps the program in effect. If not, maybe we can find some funding for it from somewhere. Do you know whose name the house and property are in?”
“I think the judge put in Hunter’s name, so if he did get more funding, then Hunter would always be in charge. At least that’s what the older boys said. They wouldn’t have any reason to lie about it.”
“Ok, I’ll talk to Hunter tonight about it so we can always have a backup plan. I enjoy this work so much and want it to continue until I’m too old to do it anymore.”
Simon glanced over at Justin. “Can I ask you a question that’s none of my business?”
“Sure. I’ll answer truthfully.”
“Did you ever date a woman, or did you always know you were gay?”
“No, I never dated a girl, and I always knew I liked guys and not girls. I was born this way. Most that are not gay think it is something that you can control, and you choose to be gay. That’s not the case. You are born gay or straight. Some are born bi-sexual, which they like both sexes.”
“So, if I like some of the guys at the house that makes me gay?”
“Do you want to kiss them?”
“What? No, I don’t want to kiss them. They are guys. I like them like friends, not boyfriends.”
Justin shrugged his shoulders. “Then you’re not gay. If you were, you would want to kiss them and put your arms around them. Since you don’t, then your straight.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I was worried about it because you said if you like boys. I like the guys but not like that. I want a girl to like and to like me and be my girlfriend.”
“Most boys do. Only a few are actually gay. Most are straight. It’s just that they tend to hang out together, and so it might seem like there are a lot of them, but there isn’t.”
They reached the house, and Simon went upstairs and laid down on his stomach. His back was a little sore, so he didn’t want to lay on it. Justin went into the kitchen and saw Hunter and Steve making cookies. He went in and sat down at a small table in the kitchen. Hunter looked over at him and smiled. “How is Simon doing?”
“He did very well. Levi only did the outline today, and next week he will start filling it in with color. The flames have to go over Simon’s shoulder, so I told Levi that was fine. He’s trying to center the dragon so his scars will feel like the scales he’ll put on them. His back should feel like scales when he’s finished. Levi said to get the next one lined up for six weeks from now. That’s how long it’ll take him to finish with Simon.”
“I’ll call John and have him come look at the three older ones first, and if one of them can’t be helped with surgery, then we’ll schedule them for it. How old did Levi say they have to be?”
“Levi said he won’t do anyone under sixteen because of them growing so much before then. So, Simon said Mark was almost as bad as Steve, but Steve’s too young. I’ll have John look at him when he does the others, and then we can schedule the one that will be eighteen first and then go down the line like that.”
“Do they all have to be dragons?”
“No, they can be anything they want. I had shown Simon my dragon, and he liked it really well. On Simon’s last appointment, I’ll take the next one with us so they can pick out what tattoo they want on their back.”
Chapter 11
Steve said, “Justin, can I see your tattoo?”
Justin got up and took his shirt off and turned around with his back to Steve. “Oh wow, Justin, I love that. Can I touch it and see how it feels?”
“Sure, you can. I think this would be a good tat for you for the scales or maybe a fish or alligator. Something with scales.”
“What about a snake? Like a King Cobra or something like that. Do you think your guy can do that?”
“Can I see your back, and I can let you know if I think he can make it happen with a snake. Of course, he’ll have to have the final say in it since he’ll have to do the tat.”
Steve took his t-shirt over his head and turned his back toward Justin. Justin ran his hand over the boys back and got tears in his eyes. He blinked hard to keep them from falling down his cheeks. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, it feels like it would accept a snake. You have four years to decide for sure what you want, though, so maybe by then, you’ll want something else.”
Justin’s eyes went to Hunter, and he was blinking as hard as Justin was to keep the tears from falling. Neither man could understand why a parent that was supposed to love and protect their child could do something like that. Steve asked, “Can I go see Simon’s tattoo?”
Justin said, “You’ll have to wait until I change his bandages. He has to keep stuff on it and bandages while it heals. He went to his room, though, if you want to go see him and talk about it.”
Steve started from the room and then stopped and turned back to Hunter. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, Hunter. I’ll help with the cleanup. I just want to see what Simon has to say about that needle going in his skin.”
Justin smiled. “You go ahead, Steve. I’ll help Hunter with the cleanup. I can’t cook, but I can wash dishes.”
Steve laughed, then turned and ran out of the kitchen.
Justin reached over and gave Hunter a quick kiss. “I was hoping to get some time alone with you, babe. I wanted to talk to you about something. When we get this bunch all out of the house, are we going to get more? Is the judge going to finance the house again, and whose name is the house is?”
“Wow, I guess you did need to talk to me. As far as I know, we’ll keep going. The judge has set a lump sum in trust for the house. The house is in my name, so I’ll always be in charge. I really didn’t want that, but the judge said if something happened to him, I'd still have the house for any boys that need it. I think the way he talked that Mr. Willis also made a deposit in that account. He said if anything happened to him and I needed more money than was in the account to call Mr. Willis, and he’ll help out.”
“Good I was hoping a plan was in place or we would have to make one up. I want to be able to do this for the rest of my life. I want to help kids that can’t help themselves and get them safe and loved.”
Hunter started to say something, but his phone rang. He picked it up and looked at Justin and said, “Judge Stone.”
Hunter answered the phone. “Hi, Judge Stone. How are things going?”
Judge Stone asked, “Is Justin home to stay with the boys while you come to my house?”
“Yes, he’s right here next to me. What do you need?”
“I have a ten-year-old boy here for you to come to pick up. You do have a bed for him, don’t you?”
“Yeah, we have a couple of empty beds. Same thing for this little man?”
“Yeah, he’s beat all to hell and back. I got John coming tomorrow to check him out and dress some of his wounds. He’s scared to death, and that’s why he’s at my house. I brought him home with me so you could come and get him. I swear I’m going to throw the book at this guy that did this to him. Damn dad. He will think dad when I get done with him. His stepmom is going to be doing some time too. She didn’t stop him or call. The neighbor had to call the police to come and save the boy. Got both of them in jail right now.”
“I’ll be there in about ten minutes. I’m leaving right now.”
Hunter hung up the phone and explained quickly to Justin, where he was going, and why. Justin took his keys out of his pocket and handed them to Hunter. “Take my truck. It might make him feel a little better to be in a smaller space than the bus. How bad is he?”
“I don’t know yet for sure. The judge said he had John coming by in the morning to check him out and to dress some of his wounds. Must be bad enough.”
Hunter grabbed the keys off Justin and ran out the door and jumped into the truck and took off.
Hunter was at the Judge’s house within the ten minutes he told the judge it would take. He knocked on the door, and the judge opened the door. “Come o
n in Hunter. He might respond better to you than he does me, and the Mrs. Poor little fellow is scared to death. He needs some Hunter special treatment.”
Hunter followed the judge into his kitchen. The child was sitting on a pillow on a chair. Hunter sat down beside him, and the judge’s wife was trying to get him to eat a sandwich. Hunter picked up half the sandwich and took a bite.
Then he took the other half and handed it to the boy. He watched Hunter take another bite, so he took a small one. Hunter glanced over at him. “My name is Hunter. What is your name?”
The little boy just shrugged his shoulders. Hunter laughed. “That’s a silly name. I don’t know; it is weird. Is your name Billy?” The little boy giggled and shook his head. Hunter said, “I live with a friend and sixteen boys. Would you like to come and live with us? I promise no one will hit you again, but you have to tell me your name.”
“Jordan is my name. My dad said I should be able to play basketball since I was named after Michael Jordan. I can’t play, though. I can’t get the ball up to the net.”
“Well, that’s not always the case. I’m named Hunter, and I can’t hunt anything.”
Jordan giggled again. “You're silly. Am I going to go live at your house?”
“I don’t know. Can you wiggle your ears?”
Jordan tried his best to wiggle his ears, but they just wouldn’t wiggle. “No, I guess I will have to go back to my dad, and he will beat me again.”
“Does he beat you, or does your stepmom?”
“Both of them. This time wasn’t so bad. At least I can sit on a pillow, and it doesn’t hurt so bad.”
“I guess you will come with me then. My boys will like having a little brother. You can bunk in with Steve. He’s only two years older than you are.”
“Is he going to hit me too?”
“No, Jordan, none of the boys will hurt you. They have all been hurt too and know what it feels like, so they don’t do it. Do you have a suitcase with your clothes?”
“Yes, the police made me put all my clothes in. They said I wouldn’t go back, but they didn’t know where I was going, so I just got it all. I didn’t have room for my toys, though. The policeman said whoever got me could come and get my toys from the house if I wanted them.”
Hunter looked at the judge and raised a brow. The judge shook his head. “Just buy him what he needs. I don’t want him anywhere near that house. I don’t want you to be compromised. You might want to home school him too.”
Hunter nodded and got the boy’s hand and his little suitcase. “Come on, Jordan, let’s go meet your new brothers.”
Jordan eased off the chair and grimaced. He was hurt badly, but Hunter would wait until he got home to check his back and all. The judge’s wife gave Hunter the pillow so he could sit on it on the way to the house. She also wrapped up another sandwich for him. Hunter took him out to the truck and put his pillow in the seat. He picked up Jordan and set him on the pillow, making sure he was comfortable. He put his suitcase on the floor of the passenger side of the truck. He walked around and waved at the judge, got in the truck, and started home.
Jordan kept sneaking glances at Hunter. Hunter smiled. “If you want to ask me something, then you can ask me anything at all, Jordan. I’m here for you and will be here for you until your eighteen and go off to another school.”
“Are the other boys going to hit me? I have been hit all my life. I don’t want to be hit anymore.”
“No, sweetie, no one is going to hit you at our house. That’s my number one rule. No hits from anyone and the other boys respect that because they all have been beaten like you have.”
“What if they get mad at me. I sometimes trip and fall, and my dad always beat me for that. If he wasn’t home, then my stepmom beat me.”
“If you trip and fall, the only thing the other boys will do is pick you up and help you to where you’re going. You don’t have to worry anymore about being beaten. We don’t do that at our house.”
“Do you think I’m a wimp for not wanting to be hit? My dad said I was. I should man up and take it.”
“No, you’re not a wimp. I wouldn’t want to be beaten, and I don’t think much of your dad. He seems to be the one that needs to man up and act like a man. He’s the one that’s a wimp because he takes out his frustrations out on you instead of who he’s mad at, and that isn’t on you.”
“Can I tell you a secret?”
“Yes, of course, you can. I will keep your secret if I can. If it is about you being hurt, then I can’t. I have to tell the judge about it, but other than that, I can keep it.”
“OK, my stepmom used to touch me in a bad way. We learned at school what good touch was and what bad touch was, and she was doing the bad touching. If I told her to stop, she would beat me with an electric cord from her electric pan.”
Hunter was so angry he couldn’t say anything. He just nodded his head. He was about to cry and scream, but that wouldn’t help Jordan. Thank God Justin would be there to help this boy get past this. How could a mother do that to her son? Hunter shook his head and grasped the wheel a little tighter.
When he got control of himself, he said, “Jordan, if anyone does that to you again, you come to tell me right away, and I will take care of it. I promise you. The other man that lives at the house is Justin. He’s a doctor that takes care of your thoughts, and he’ll help you to get over this all right?”
“Is he mean?”
“No, Justin is a very nice man. He’s my age; he loves the boys as much as I do. He’ll be very nice to you and help you. How much does your back hurt?”
“It’s my back and my butt. The judge said it was bleeding when I got to his house, but he said that you would take care of it when I got to your house. He said he had a doctor coming to look at it in the morning. Is that Doctor Justin?”
“No, that doctor is Dr. Willis. He’s a really nice man too. He’s our doctor for the boys.
“Justin is a different type of doctor. He’s only a doctor for your head. He’ll help me fix you up tonight until Dr, Willis gets there tomorrow morning.”
Hunter turned into the driveway and drove up to the garage. He pushed a button, and the door opened, and he drove inside the garage. “Don’t get out yet. I’ll come around and lift you out, so you don’t hurt anything more.”
Jordan sat there until Hunter came and got him and lifted him out of the truck and stood him on the floor. Hunter noticed blood on the pillow and wanted to cry. He got Jordan’s pillow and little suitcase out of the truck and got his hand and took him into the house by way of the kitchen.
Chapter 12
Justin was just finishing sweeping the kitchen floor when Hunter came in with a small boy that looked like he was totally lost. He wanted to wrap this boy in his arms and never let him go. Justin smiled. “Who do you have there, Hunter?”
“Justin, this is Jordan. He’s our new boy. He’s hurt badly, so I need you to help me fix him up for the night, and then John will be here in the morning to check him out and do what he can for him.”
Justin nodded and looked Hunter in the eye. “I see some blood on his shorts. It’s that bad?”
Hunter nodded, and Justin saw tears in his eyes. Justin felt the same as Hunter did and would love to give the parents some of the same. He went over and knelt down in front of Jordan. “Welcome to our house. I promise you that no one here will ever hit you again. You can ask any of the boys about how often they get hit, and they’ll all tell you the same thing. Never. We don’t believe in hitting anyone.”
“Hunter said you were a head doctor, but I wasn’t hit in my head. I was hit on my back and butt mostly but some on my legs at the tops too.”
“Do you know what your mind is?”
“Yeah, like in your brain?”
“Exactly. I’m a mind doctor. I make your mind better so you can think better thoughts and not think about what happened to you.”
Jordan nodded and looked up at Hunter. “Hunter, can I sit down? It hur
ts to stand for a long time.”
“Let’s get you up to your room, and Justin and I can put some medicine and bandages on your back and butt, and maybe it will feel better.”
Justin saw Jordan wince when he took a step. “Jordan, how about if I give you a piggyback ride up to your room? Hunter can put you on my back, and I’ll make sure not to touch your sore places.”
Jordan smiled. “Yeah, that sounds like fun. I’ve never done that before.”
Hunter picked up Jordan and put him on Justin’s back. He said, “Wrap your arms around Justin’s neck so you can hold on. Justin, you can grab him anywhere from the knees down.”
Justin nodded and grabbed his knees gently, and they started to go to the stairs. When they got to the bottom of the steps, Justin asked, “Are you ok, Jordan?”
“Yes, thank you. I’m fine. I like this. When I get better, will you still do this piggy thing with me?”
Justin chuckled. “You bet I will. Anytime you want a piggy thing, you just let me know.”
Hunter asked, “Jordan when was the last time you had a bath?”
“I don’t remember Hunter. My stepmom didn’t let me take a bath very often, but when she did, she did the bad stuff with me. I didn’t remind her about the bath because of that.”
“I think you need a bath, so here’s how it’ll be. I’ll be in there with you to wash the blood from your back, then I’ll leave and let you finish on your own. How’s that?”
“You’re going to let me take my own bath? Jordan frowned.”
“You do know how to take a bath, don’t you?”
“Well, yes, but I have never taken a bath by myself before. I mean, I know how to wash and all, but my mom always had to be there to watch me and look at my stuff. You know?”
Justin stopped mid-step. “Hunter, what’s he saying?”
“Abuse by his mom. We’ll talk later about it.”
Justin started up the stairs again. He asked, “What room is he going to be in?”
“I’m thinking about putting him in with Steve. They are the closest in age, and I think Steve can help him get used to the place.”