Saving an Angel

by Jason Finigan

This story is set in an alternate reality, and assumes the technology and capabilities of this reality's 23rd century are present in modern-day society.

Portions of this story contain copyrighted characters from other authors. The characters from the following stories are used with permission: A New Day "Dawns © GunRunner; One Door Closes, Frontier, and A New Door Opens © MultiMapper; Sentenced to Life © JeffP; Enterprise Tour and Enterprise Tour: The Early Years © Greybear; Memories: Down Under © Boi From Aus; Ark © Akeentia; and Out Of The Past © DarkStar. The following characters are used with permission: Mark Owens © Slash; Johnny Carter © ND from his story Nick and Ashley.

This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

THIS STORY IS COPYRIGHT © 2007-2008 BY JASON FINIGAN. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DISTRIBUTION FOR COMMERCIAL GAIN, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, POSTING ON SITES OR NEWSGROUPS, DISTRIBUTION AS PARTS OR IN BOOK FORM (EITHER AS A WHOLE OR PART OF A COMPILATION) WITH OR WITHOUT A FEE, OR DISTRIBUTION ON CD, DVD, OR ANY OTHER ELECTRONIC MEDIA; WITH OR WITHOUT A FEE, IS EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED WITHOUT THE AUTHOR'S WRITTEN CONSENT. YOU MAY DOWNLOAD ONE (1) COPY OF THIS STORY FOR PERSONAL USE; ANY AND ALL COMMERCIAL USE EXCEPTING EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS REQUIRES THE AUTHORS WRITTEN CONSENT. THE AUTHOR MAY BE CONTACTED AT: jasonfinigan@yahoo.com.

From the last chapter:

"You like him, don't you?" I asked.

"What do you mean? He's a nice guy for sure, and helped out a lot."

"No I mean you really like him, as in you'd like to date him," I said, still giggling.

"I don't know, Kyle," Ryan said with a sigh.

"I do, I think you're falling in love with him, and you even asked him out for a date."

"Asking someone over for dinner is hardly a date, son," Ryan said.

"Do you like him? I mean, more than just as a friend?"

"I don't know, Kyle," Ryan finally answered. "He's a really good looking guy, and I do like him. I just don't want to rush into something."

"I know, Dad," I told him. "But I like him too, and I think you and he should go out together. I think you'd be really happy together.

"I don't know, Son, but we'll see," he said.

Chapter 5

"Um, Dad?"

"Yes, Kyle?" Ryan said.

"We're still in the parking lot. Didn't you say you needed to get some things for my room?" I asked snickering.

"Oops," Ryan said, as he started the car back up.

"Now I know you're in love!" I said, beginning to laugh.

"Oh a wise guy huh?" Ryan said, reaching back to try and tickle my ribs, which I easy evaded.

"Yeah, but honestly, Dad, I think Jason's a pretty cool guy."

"Well my young match maker, I would have to agree with you there, but I want to get to know him a little more before I commit to a relationship with him. And to put it frankly, you're more important to me right now," he replied.

"I know, Dad, and I love you for that. But I know you're lonely. You love me and everything, but I can tell you want someone you can love, like your Mom and Dad had each other."

"You're right, Kyle," Ryan said, tears forming in his eyes. "The one thing I wanted more than anything since I lost my parents is a true family. It's something I've never thought possible because I'm gay."

"Well, you just asked Jason out for a date!" I told him. "Besides, I kinda like the idea of having two dads."

"You're an incredible young man, do you know that?" Ryan said, turning around to look at me.

"Aw, Dad," I said, blushing.

"I'm serious son. You have a way of making me see things that I never would have on my own."

"That's because I'm just a kid," I giggled.

"That you are, but you're something more than that. You're my son, and I love you very much. Now what say we go get you some things for your room."

"Yes please!" I said excitedly.

Ryan pulled out of the apartment parking lot, but this time, rather than heading for the Burlington Mall where we had gone before, Ryan took us to the Mapleview Mall. This mall was much larger, and to me looked nicer. A kid like me could get lost in a place like that.

"Okay, Kyle, we don't have much time before this place closes and there are a few things I wanted to get for your room," Ryan told me as we got out of the car.

"Like what, Dad?" I asked

"Well, like some blinds for your windows, and I need to get you your own set of sheets and a blanket for your bed..."

"Oh, how about a Spiderman set, Dad? I saw one in Zellers before and I thought it was really cool!" I exclaimed, getting excited.

"Are you sure that's what you want on your bed?"

"Yeah I am, Dad," I replied.

"Then that's what we're going to get. We also need to get you a few more clothes and I'm thinking you need something to do in your room."

"What do you mean, Dad?"

"You'll see," he said, smiling.

I was curious as to what he meant by that, but it didn't take me long to forget what he had said and get excited over the things he was going to be getting for my room. The first place we went into was a store that sold blinds and drapes. It was a pretty big store, but I didn't see much that interested me. Some of the blinds looked cool though. There was a display at the front that had a sample window with blinds built into it. I thought that was so neat.

Ryan did manage to find something that I liked for my windows, which was a type of wood blind that I could open and close with a string. Vinyl blinds are okay, but they look cheap and I knew they'd break easily. Next we went to Sears where I found where the blankets and bed sheets were sold. The Spiderman set that I had seen in Zellers wasn't there, but I did find a set that looked even better, and would actually fit my bed.

He must have seen me drooling over it because he picked up the comforter and the bed sheets right away, then told me to pick another one.

"Well, what are you going to sleep in when these are in the wash?" was what he had asked me.

In the end, I ended up picking the Spiderman set and also a Pirates of the Carribean set. I thought Johnny Depp was so cool in that movie and it was a lot of fun. Ryan had also picked out a couple pillows for my bed as well.

After I had picked out my bed sheets, we went to the clothing department where Ryan picked out some really nice looking clothes for me. I had to admit, the ones he bought for me at Zellers were okay, but they were nothing compared to the quality of clothes in Sears.

Once all of that had been picked up, we ended up carrying five large bags, plus the blinds out to the car. The sun was starting to set, and I knew that it was getting late. I didn't know what it was that Ryan wanted to get for me before the stores closed, but I knew I'd probably like it a lot.

With everything loaded, and Ryan and I buckled in the car, he drove us out of the parking lot, and we headed further north in the City. He soon approached another plaza, but this time it had a large pet store, a home décor store, and also a big electronics store. It wasn't Futureshop, instead it was a Best Buy. Ryan parked the car just outside of Best Buy and we got out.

"Dad, what are we doing here? Isn't this store just like Futureshop?" I asked him.

"Yes, Son, but I like buying my electronics from Best Buy better."

"Oh, Okay. But what do we have to get here? You've already bought me a really cool computer."

"Well, you'll see soon enough, Son," Ryan said, that same smile of his plastered on his face.

Walking into the store, he didn't head for the computer section this time, rather he went right over to the video section. There I saw every type of TV you could imagine. I loved the flat screen TVs, especially the large projector screen they had hanging from the ceiling.

"Well, what do you think, Son?" Ryan asked, stopping in front of a row of LCD TVs."

"They're pretty neat, Dad," I said.

"I'm glad you like. How about you pick one out?" he suggested.

"Are you serious, Dad? I can have my own TV?" I asked excitedly.

"Of course I am. You deserve it," he replied.

"I've never had my own TV before," I told him.

"Well now you will. So go ahead, and chose."

I started down the line of TVs, and more or less stayed near the smaller ones, the TVs that were only fifteen or twenty inches. I kept looking over at the larger TVs, but didn't let myself consider any of then.

Ryan probably noticed this and walked over to one of the larger TVs. It looked to be a twenty-seven or thirty-two inch TV. "What about this one son?" he asked.

"Dad, that one is too much money. I don't want you to have to spend that much on me. My mom couldn't spend that much and I was happy with what she got me."

"Kyle, Son, listen to me. I want you to have the best I can get you. Trust me when I say that it doesn't matter what it costs, if you like something, I will get it for you, within reason."

"Oh so if I wanted that big overhead projector?" I said suggestively, pointing to the large screen on one of the walls which had a movie playing on it, a wicked smile forming on my face.

"I said within reason, Son," Ryan said laughing.

"It's just that I've never had someone buy so much for me, and I don't want you to go broke just to make me happy. I already am. I have you for a Dad." I told him seriously.

"Son, listen to me," Ryan said, squatting down in front of me and holding onto both my hands with his. "I want to do this for you. Money isn't an issue here. What's important is you. Now I can get you those smaller TVs if that's what you want. But I'm betting you'd be more happy with the larger ones."

"I love you, Dad," I said, giving him the biggest hug I could. I could feel my eyes beginning to moisten, but I didn't let myself cry. I was the happiest I had ever been in my life up to that point.

"I love you too, Sport, now lets get that bigger TV," he said, standing up.

"Okay, Dad, but I want the black one instead." I told him, holding his hand and looking up at him.

"Why the black one, Son?" he asked.

"'Cause I like the black one. The white one looks like it belongs in a hospital, and I don't like hospitals. I never did."

"Okay, Son, we'll get you the black one," he said. Waving a sales associate over; my father talked to him about the TV, which turned out to be a twenty-seven inch, making sure it would be suitable for me. In the end he was satisfied with the TV and we placed it in the cart. He then took me over to the DVD player section, and I picked out a matching black DVD player, the same brand as my new TV.

Lastly, he took me to the entertainment department. This department was huge! It had every DVD movie I could ever have imagined watching, and a huge selection of games. Ryan must have seen the expression of awe on my face because he began to chuckle lightly.

"Now it's time to get you something you can play with," he told me.

"What do you mean, Dad?" I asked.

"I want to get you a game system and a few games we can play together," he said.

"Are you serious?" I almost screamed, happily.

"Of course I am, Son," he said, looking almost as excited as me. "Which one do you think you'd like to get?"

"Well, I like the Xbox 360, but it's too big, and the Playstation 3 isn't really any good, but do you think I could get a Nintendo Wii?"

"I like how you think, Son," Ryan laughed. "Let's check with them to see if they have any Wii systems in stock."

As it turned out, they had just received a shipment of Wii's earlier in the day, and there were a few left. I ran over to look at the games available for it, and was immediately impressed with the look of the games. I did see that there were some Gamecube games still available that I'd love to play, but they weren't on the Wii yet. A little depressed about that, I went to look at the selection they had for the Wii. It was pretty good and two games stood out right away. Those were the new Mario Party eight, and The Legend of Zelda games.

Those were two games that I had played with on my Gamecube that my Mom had bought me. It was a second hand machine, but it worked beautifully and I often played Mario Kart and Zelda on it whenever it was raining outside. I picked out the Wii games I wanted, and went back over to Ryan, who was discussing the various controllers for the Wii with an associate. The associate noticed that I had picked up the Zelda game, and showed Ryan the controller pack for it, which actually had a shield and a sword. I thought that was so cool.

Ryan decided to get it for me after seeing the excited look on my face. "Anything else you wanted to get, Son?" he asked me.

"Well, there were a couple games I wanted, but they're not for the Wii, Dad," I told him.

"Which ones are those?" the associate asked me. I saw that his name was David from his name tag.

"They were Mario Kart, and Pokemon XD for the Gamecube," I said.

"That's not a problem," David told me. "Both those games will work on the Nintendo Wii. In fact, all the Gamecube games will work on it."

"Really?" I asked, looking at Ryan hopefully.

I guess he could see that I really wanted those games and he smiled at me and nodded his head. "Go and get them Son," he said.

I rushed back over to the games and grabbed them off the shelf. The associate helped us find everything we needed for the system, and eventually walked up to the front cash area to pay for everything. Our cart was full. I had never seen so much in a shopping cart before.

As the cashier was scanning all the items, I was watching the monitor that showed how much everything costs, and my eyes began to get wide in shock. Ryan was spending a small fortune on me, and I didn't even know what I did to deserve it.

"Dad?" I asked him.

"What is it, Son?" he asked, handing his credit card over to the cashier.

"That's a lot of money for all this," I said, looking at the cart full of electronics just for me.

"Well, I told you, Son. I want you to have everything you need, besides, you better believe I'm going to be sitting down next to you on your bed playing Mario Kart and whooping your butt."

"Oh yeah?" I laughed. "I'll show you, old man."

"I'm sorry, Sonny? What was that? You have to speak a little louder?" Ryan said, stooping over, and holding his hand out to his ear while speaking to me in a mock old man's voice.

This had the effect of making me laugh uncontrollably. I thought it was the funniest thing that I had ever seen Ryan do. For his part, Ryan was laughing right along with me, and finished buying all my stuff.

We had timed it just right, because the store was closing at that moment when we left. Ryan opened the trunk of his car, and started loading it up, putting the TV in first. I kept the bag of games in my hand, and when he closed the trunk, I walked over to my side of the car and waited until he had unlocked the car before opening the door and climbing inside. Once I had closed the door again and did up my seat belt, I opened the bag up and took out the games, one at a time.

I couldn't wait to start playing them right away, but Ryan said I'd have to wait for the next day to play.

"Why's that, Dad?" I asked him.

"Well, it's getting late, and I need to put the blinds up in your window and you need to make your bed. Then you need to take your shower and get ready for bed."

"Okay, Dad," I said reluctantly. The truth was, I was kind of tired, but I really wanted to have a chance to play my games.

"I'll set it up for you first thing tomorrow morning after breakfast, then we need to get you to see your Doctor."

"Can I play them after we get home then?" I asked him.

"I don't see why not, but I was thinking that maybe you'd like to go see Greg tomorrow too."

"Oh yes, I'd really like to!" I said, already forgetting about the games in my hands.

"I thought you might. And who knows, maybe he'd be able to come over for a visit and the two of you can play together," Ryan suggested.

"You really think he could?" I asked.

"Well, I need to check with Miss Jacobs about that first, but we'll see."

"I hope he can. I really miss him, Dad."

"I know, Son," Ryan said softly, and drove us the rest of the way home.

After getting out of the car, I helped Ryan carry the stuff into the house. I took some of the bags, including the Wii and my games, while he took the TV, the DVD player, and the rest of the bags.

Once inside, we headed upstairs and put everything in my room. Ryan then went downstairs and came back up shortly afterwards with a cordless drill and some screwdrivers.

"You get your bed made, Son, and I'll put the blinds up. This shouldn't take too long," Ryan said.

"Okay, Dad," I replied and started taking things out of the bags. I decided I wanted to sleep with my Spiderman set, so after taking off the comforter and sheets that were on there already, I ripped open the plastic and started to lay out my new set on the bed. I had made my own bed so many times when I was with my Mom that it didn't take me long to get it done. I thought it looked really cool. The new Spiderman movie had been out in theaters for quite a while and I was hoping that we'd get the chance to see it one day.

In the time it had taken me to make my bed, Ryan had already attached the brackets that would hold the blinds in place. Once they were up, he tested them to make sure they worked, which they did.

"Alright son, you're all set to go. Now, get yourself undressed and in the shower," he told me before scooping up the comforter and sheets I'd taken off the bed.

"Okay, Dad," I said.

Ryan left my room to give me some privacy, and I got undressed, leaving only my underwear on. I then went into the bathroom, and closed the door. I didn't usually like taking showers as much as I did having a bath, but this time I didn't mind so much, since I was getting pretty tired and I was anxious to sleep in my new bed under my new blanket.

Once I had finished my shower, I put my underwear and the towel I used to dry myself off with in the hamper then walked out of the bathroom and into my room where I put my Pajamas on. Ryan had bought tem for me at Sears and I thought it was really neat that he was able to find some that had Spiderman on them.

Leaving my room, I put the towel in the hamper and went downstairs, where Ryan was sitting on the couch in the living room watching some TV. He noticed me when I came into the room, and smiled up at me.

"Well, now that's much better don't you think?"

"Yes, Dad," I said rushing over to sit beside him on the couch. "Thank you so much Dad. I love you a lot," I said, wrapping my arms around him.

"You're very welcome, Kyle," Ryan said, giving me a soft kiss on the top of my head.

He let me sit with him on the couch for a few minutes before telling me to get up and get into bed. "I'll be up there in a few minutes to say goodnight," he said.

"Okay, Dad," I said, then gave him a kiss on his cheek and ran up the stairs to my room. I practically jumped into my bed, as I pulled the blanket down and climbed in, then pulled it back over top of me. Luckily the house was kept cool by the air conditioner, otherwise it would have been too hot in my room to be able to sleep under the covers. As it was, I was pretty comfortable, and I lay there enjoying the feeling of having my own bed, and being under my own Spiderman covers.

A few minutes later, Ryan came up the stairs to tuck me in. Little did he know that I had tucked myself in already and loving the feeling of the blanket over top of me.

"Well, Buddy," he said walking into my room. "I see I don't actually have to tuck you in."

"Nope. I like these blankets. They feel really nice. Thanks, Dad," I said.

"No problem, Son. I'm glad you like them. Now you get some sleep and I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

"Okay, Dad," I said, already beginning to fall asleep. "I love you."

"I love you too, Son," Ryan said, leaning forward to give me a kiss on my forehead.

Walking away from my bed, I saw Ryan turn off the bedroom light and then look at me before closing the door slightly and walking out of the room. I smiled to myself as I began to drift off, soon fast asleep in my new bed.

* * *

Waking up in the morning, I bounded out of bed and rushed to the bathroom to relieve my bladder. Once that was finished, I brushed my teeth and combed my hair. Then I ran down stairs to see if Ryan was up; which he was. He was busy in the kitchen making us some breakfast.

"Hey there, Buddy," he said seeing me get into my chair at the table. "We're just having cereal and toast with jam today. We have a lot we need to get done. I've already made the appointment for you to see Doctor Samuels and we need to be there in an hour."

"What about Greg? Did you call the lady about letting me see him today?" I asked him.

"Not yet, Son. They're not open yet. But I promise I will before we leave."

"Oh okay. I hope she lets me see him."

"I'm sure she will, Kyle," he said. "Now hurry up and eat. Then you need to get your teeth brushed and have another shower."

"Another one? But I had one last night," I said.

"Yes another one. You're going to see the doctor today and I'm not going to bring you to him after you spent all last night in bed."

"Okay," I said, giving in to his logic.

"Hey cheer up," he said. "At least you'll be all nice and clean to meet your friend later on."

"Yeah, I will," I said, immediately feeling a bit better about taking another shower.

I finished up my breakfast pretty quickly. Even though I was pretty hungry, I only had two bowls of cereal and two pieces of toast. As usual, he had a glass of orange juice out on the table for me to drink.

"Okay, get your butt to the bathroom and have a quick shower. Make sure to wash yourself good," Ryan told me when I had finished eating.

"I will, Dad," I said and took off to the bathroom to have another shower. My mother made me do the same thing whenever I went to go see the doctor, even if I had a bath the night before. That was the only difference with living with Ryan. Here I had showers while when I was with Mom, she usually had me take a bath. Most of the time she ran the water herself then left me to get washed.

Since I was already pretty clean, I didn't spend too much time in the shower. All I did was make sure that I was as clean as I could be, even washing my hair again. When I was done, I got out and dried myself off with a dry towel and put it in the hamper. I then picked up my Pajamas and carried them to my bedroom, walking out of the bathroom naked as the day I was born.

What I didn't expect was to see Ryan climbing the stairs right at the moment I came out of the bathroom, and as soon as I saw him, I tried to cover myself up and moved as quickly as I could to my bedroom.

Ryan didn't say a word to me, and I guess he went into his bedroom while he waited for me to finish getting dressed. I put on some clean underwear and socks, and picked out a really cool looking shirt and some shorts that Ryan had picked up the day before at Sears.

Hanging on the door to my room was a full length mirror, and I went over to it to look at myself. I had never seen myself in the mirror dressed like I was, and what I saw made me gasp. I couldn't believe that what I was seeing in the mirror was me. I looked entirely different.

I opened up my bedroom door, and went to look for Ryan in his room, but he wasn't there. I then went downstairs where I found him sitting at the kitchen table.

"Hello there, Buddy," he said, seeing me walk into the kitchen.

"Hi, Dad, I'm sorry about earlier. I used to do that when it was just my Mom and me, and well, I forgot that I couldn't do that," I said, blushing from embarassement.

"You don't have to be embarassed about that, Kyle. I used to do the same thing when I was your age. My parents thought it was cute. Sometimes I even showed off to them." That caused me to giggle as I imagined Ryan as a kid running around the house naked. "I don't mind it at all. I'm pretty open about such things, but it would probably be best if from now on, you brought a change of clothes into the bathroom, or just put a towel around you when you are done in the bathroom. Okay?"

"Okay, Dad. And thanks," I said, much relieved that he wasn't upset with me.

"No problem, Buddy. And may I say you really look good this morning, Son? You look like a brand new you," Ryan said.

"Yeah! I think it's neat. I couldn't believe how good I looked in the mirror when I got changed."

Ryan laughed. "That's my boy. Well, it just goes to show you that the clothes do make the man."

"In that case, Dad, we need to get you to a tailor quick!" I said, giggling.

"Oh it's going to be one of those days is it, Son?" Ryan laughed.

"Yep!" I replied.

"I can play that game too."

"Bring it on... old man," I snickered.

"Old man huh? Well this old man is going to kick your butt at Mario Kart when we get back home," Ryan said to me playfully.

"You'll be eating my dust."

"We'll see," Ryan said. "Now get your shoes on and lets get you to the doctor."

Once we both had our shoes on, we left the house and climbed into his car. Doctor Samuel's office wasn't that far from where we lived. In fact, he actually lived on the same street as we did, just further down away from downtown Burlington.

A lot of doctors liked to be in a clinic setting or in a large building. But not Doctor Samuels. He preferred to work right out of his home, which was almost as impressive as Ryan's. His office was actually in the basement. Doctor Samuels was a kind man, though he was definitely getting older as he had white hair.

In almost no time at all, we reached Doctor Samuel's home, and Ryan parked the car around back where all Doctor Samuels' patients parked. Getting out of the car, we went to the back door, and opened it, going down the flight of stairs where Doctor Samuels had a waiting room. He didn't have a nurse to help him out, as he preferred to do things on his own.

Just as Ryan and I had sat down, the door to his office opened up and a younger boy and his mother came out of the room, with Doctor Samuels right behind them.

"Now you make sure Jimmy gets that medication Mrs. Reese. He needs to take those pills twice a day in order for that infection to clear up."

"I will, Doctor," the woman said, shaking the doctor's hand. "I'll call you if we need anything else."

"You do that. Take care of yourself Jimmy. And here, have a sucker," Doctor Samuels said, handing the boy a basket full of suckers.

"Thanks, Doctor!" Jimmy said, reaching his hand into the basket and picking out a blue sucker. The wrapper was off faster than I thought possible and he was beaming as he put the sucker in his mouth.

"You know, Doctor, you should use suckers to cure illnesses. It seems to work better than needles," Mrs. Reese said laughing.

"I might just do that," Doctor Samuels said. The boy and his mother then went up the stairs leaving the doctor, Ryan and myself in the waiting area.

Then the doctor looked at me, and I wondered if he recognized me, since it had been a while since the last time we met. "Kyle? Oh my God Kyle? I was so worried about you when I heard what happened," he said, coming up to me and giving me a big hug.

"I missed you too, Doctor," I told him, putting my arms around him and hugging him back.

"And, Ryan, I'm so glad to see you too. It has been a long time."

"Yes it has. I don't think we've seen each other since the funeral," Ryan said.

"Yes, and I'm sorry about that. I should have kept in touch with you more often. I liked your parents very much, and you were always such a lively young man."

"I wouldn't have minded it at all Doctor, but after they died, I had to take over the business, and things just got hectic," Ryan said.

"I understand. Now, listen. I know you've brought Kyle here for a check up, and I understand from the CAS that there are a few other things I need to look at, but I want to give you a check up as well."

"Doctor, don't you think I'm a little old for you to give me my check up?" Ryan said.

"Nope, until you get to be my age, you're still a young whipper-snapper to me. And since you'll never out-grow me, the chances of that happening are nill."

"Well you got me there, Doctor," Ryan said, snickering.

"You're damned right I do. Now, lets get you both in here and I can give you both a look over."

He led us inside his office, which also served as an examination room, and motioned for me to hop up onto the table.

"Okay, Kyle, this is just going to be a quick check up but with a few extras tests I need to take okay? You can go ahead and take off your shirt and shorts, and give them to Ryan," Doctor Samuels said, waiting for me to do as he asked. He then proceeded to check my heart rate and my breathing just like he used to.

One thing I was uncomfortable with was when he put his hand down the front of my underwear and pressed down on the side of my legs. I really never knew what he was looking for, but every time he did that my mother was in the room, so I guess she knew what he was doing and was okay with it. Once again he put his hand down the front of my underwear and pressed down on the sides of my groin. This time I asked him why he was doing that.

"Well, Kyle, it's because you have several glands down there called Lymph nodes which are part of your immune system. What I'm doing is checking to make sure they aren't swollen," he replied.

"Oh, but why would they be swollen?" I asked him.

"Well, they usually get swollen if you have an infection that is making you sick."

"Oh, but I'm okay right?"

"Yes, you are," he said, removing his hand and going to the sink to wash his hands. "Okay, do you remember that I said I needed to do a couple extra tests?"

"Yeah," I said uncertainly, not knowing what kind of tests he was talking about.

"Well, for the next test, I'd normally ask your dad to wait outside as it can get embarrassing because I need to look at your bum," he told me. He was right. As soon as he said that I could feel my face flush again.

"Why do you have to look at my bum?" I asked him

"Do you remember talking to a lady from the CAS yesterday?" Dr. Samuels asked me.

"Yeah, she was really nice," I replied.

"And she asked you some questions about what happened to you at the home you used to live in right?" he asked me.

"Uh huh," I said, still not getting why he needed to look at my bum.

"Kyle, Dr. Samuels needs to look there because he needs to make sure that Gary didn't do anything that hurt you inside your bum," Ryan explained to me.

"Oh," I said, understanding at last. "Can Dad stay while you do?" I asked Dr. Samuels.

"Yes he can," Dr. Samuels said. "Okay, I need you hop off the table and remove your underwear for me. Then I need you to face the table and bend forward a bit. Can you do that for me?" he asked. I looked over at Ryan, and he nodded his head, so I did as Dr. Samuels asked.

I felt so embarassed to be so exposed to my doctor like this, I kept looking up at Ryan who had moved in front of me and was gently rubbing my back. I could feel Dr. Samuels opening up my bum cheeks, and something cold and slippery go between them, touching me where Gary had before. I let out a yelp and jerked away from him, putting my arms around Ryan. Tears bagan to fill my eyes, and soon I was crying softly into his chest.

"It's okay, Kyle. He's not going to hurt you. I promise," Ryan said, trying to reassure me. It didn't hurt, whatever Dr. Samuels did, but feeling him touch me there brought back all the memories of what Gary did to me.

"I'm sorry, Kyle. I know you don't want to be touched there. I didn't hurt you when I did that did I?" Dr. Samuels asked me gently. I could tell he was sad, but I didn't know why.

"No," I answered honestly between sobs.

"You want to know something, Kyle?" Dr. Samuels asked me.

"What's that?" I replied, still holding onto Ryan, but now looking at Dr. Samuels.

"I went through something similar when I was about your age," he said. "something that I haven't told anyone for many years."

"What do you mean?" I asked him.

"When I was eleven years old, an older boy who used to babysit me one night made me take off my clothes and then forced himself upon me. He hurt me so bad inside that I had to go to the hospital. If it wasn't for the fact that my parents came home a few minutes later, I might have died because I was bleeding a lot.

"Really?" I asked him, my eyes wide open in shock.

"Yes. I was in the hospital for a week, and I didn't want to be touched by anyone for a long time afterwards. So I really do understand what you're feeling, Kyle," he said.

"Did the boy who hurt you go to jail?" I asked him.

"Yes he did, for a long long time. So you see, I'm not going to do anything to hurt you down there. I just want to make sure that the boy who hurt you didn't do any damage inside. Okay?"

"I guess. You promise it won't hurt?" I asked.

"I can't promise that, Kyle. But if it does you need to tell me okay?" he said, to which I nodded my head. Ryan now held me as I leaned forward once again. I could feel the doctor pushing something against the opening in my bum, but it didn't hurt. After a few seconds, which seemed to take forever, he said he was done, and gently wiped my bum with a soft, wet cloth. He then told me I could put my underwear back on.

"Are you alright, Son?" Ryan asked me.

"Yeah, it didn't hurt. It just felt funny," I replied.

"I know," Ryan said.

"Here you go, Kyle," Dr. Samuels said, handing me a sucker which I gladly accepted, putting it into my mouth. "That's for being a brave boy for me," he said, which made me feel warm and tingly inside. I smiled up at him, and continued to suck on the sucker, which just happened to be my favorite kind.

"Is Kyle okay?" Ryan asked Dr. Samuels.

"Yes. I couldn't see any tearing of the walls of his rectum, so I'd say that Kyle is very lucky," Dr. Samuels said.

"Does that mean Gary didn't make me bleed in there?" I asked.

"That's right, Kyle," Ryan said.

"Alright, now I just need one more thing. Kyle, do you think you'd be able to pee in this?" Dr. Samuels asked me, holding out a small cup.

"I think so," I answered.

"Good. Why don't don't you go into the bathroom and pee into the cup for me, and when you're done, just put the lid back on it okay?"

I took the cup from him, and went into the bathroom. As it was, I did have to go, and pretty soon was able to fill up most of the cup. When I was done, I put the lid on just as the doctor had asked me to and I washed my hands. After leaving the bathroom, I gave him the cup, and went back over to Ryan.

"Excellent," Dr. Samuels said. "Alright then, let's get you on the scale so we can see how much you weigh." I did as he asked, and stood on the scale, waiting for him to adjust the little markers at the top.

"Kyle, have you been eating properly?" he asked, a look of concern on his face.

"Well now I am. Dad makes sure I eat lots of stuff, but I ran away from the group home I was living in and didn't get a lot to eat for two months after that. At least, not until Dad found me," I answered him.

"Well, it looks like you've only gained a couple pounds since the last time I've seen you and you are looking a little thin." Then to Ryan he asked, "How has his eating been lately?"

"Lets just say I need to go grocery shopping, Doctor," Ryan laughed. "Last night he ate a large amount of Chinese food, and this morning he finished off a large breakfast."

"Okay, I'm glad that he's getting some food into his system. Just do me a favor, Ryan and don't let him eat too much all at once as his body isn't used to it."

"Okay, Doctor, I will. Could you give me a list of things that he should be eating to help his body get used to food again?" Ryan asked.

"Yes, I'll do that. Don't give him too many snacks, as his system might not be able to handle the sugar intake yet. I'll want to see him again later on, probably in about a month, to see how he's doing."

"I'll make sure he gets what he needs, Doctor," Ryan said.

"Ryan, please. Call me Derrik. Your parents used to, and I would prefer it if you did too."

"Okay, Derrik," Ryan said.

"Alright, you're done, Kyle. You're next, Ryan, strip and get on the table. Kyle, I know how you like orange suckers, so why don't you go ahead and take a couple more from the basket over there on the counter, and then go play with the toys while I take a look at your Dad," Doctor Samuels suggested, first pointing to the basket, then to the pile of blocks and cars that were on the floor on the other side of the room.

"Okay, thanks!" I said.

Doctor Samuels gave Ryan the same check-up he gave me, except for looking at his bum and making him pee in a cup, and within a half hour, told Ryan that he was as fit as ever. He then gave Ryan a bottle of some sort.

"These are some vitamins I want you to make sure that Kyle eats every morning. He might as well have one now. They'll help his system cope with the loss of vitamins he went without during his stay on the streets. And even then, I'd recommend you keep him on vitamins until he's finished puberty. And this," he said also handing Ryan a sheet of paper. "Is a list of foods I want you to make sure he has every day."

"Okay, Derrik, I'll do that. Thanks so much. Hold, on... finished puberty? He's only ten, Derrik." Ryan said.

"From what I can tell, he's well into the start of puberty, part of that may have been a result of what he went through at the group home. I can't say that for certain, however. But it's nothing to be concerned about. Just keep an eye on him, and if you see anything that concerns you, or if he complains about some discomfort, give me a call right away."

"Thanks, I'll definitely do that. And you know, Kyle and I would love to have you over for dinner one day. You meant a lot to me and my family, and I want to continue that relationship," Ryan said.

"Thank you, Ryan. I might just take you up on that offer soon. I've missed that house. It felt more like home than this old place does."

"You're welcome over anytime," Ryan told him, shaking his hand.

"I'll see you next month, Kyle," Doctor Samuels told me. "You be good to Ryan, he's a good man and he'll take good care of you."

"I will, sir. Thanks a lot."

"You're very welcome."

Ryan and I left Doctor Samuel's office, and got back into the car. Instead of driving back to the house however, Ryan began to drive on another street entirely, one I was beginning to recognize.

"Dad, what are we doing? Isn't this the way to the group home I was in?"

"Yes it is, Son. While you were in the shower this morning, I managed to get a hold of Miss Jacobs and she's going to meet us at the group home so you can see your friend Greg."

"You mean that? I'm going to get to see him after-all?" I asked excitedly.

"Yes you are, Son," Ryan said.

"Thank you, Dad! You're the best ever!" I almost cried. The rest of the way to the group home, I talked non-stop about all the fun Greg and I used to have. I think I had talked for so long, that I didn't even notice when Ryan parked the car in the parking lot.

"Okay, Kyle, we're here. Let's go see your friend," Ryan said.

Well, it looks like Kyle will be going back to the group home after all, but this time to see his friend Greg. I wouldn't be surprised if Kyle and Ryan do more than just visit. You can reach me at: jasonfinigan@yahoo.com. You can also visit my site at: www.jasonfinigan.net