Kept Promises

by dcat8888

A new addition to the 'family'

Title: Kept Promises is a Hardcastle and McCormick fanfic. I did not invent these

characters, we can thank Patrick Hasburgh and Stephen J. Cannell for that. No infringement is intended. 2-6-07

Rated: PG

Notes:There are two endings to this story…The first was my initial thought, the second is based on various conversations and the fact that after I wrote the first ending, I guess I'm leaning toward the second….please let me know which you prefer. Also a very big, huge thanks to Susan Zodin for all the beta reading and editing. It is very much appreciated.

It had been a fairly long and productive day. Little did Mark know what was about to happen. He had spent about half of it down at UCLA. Between his one 9am law class and his study group session at the law library, he even had time to sit down and discuss a recent lecture with one of his classmates and the professor. He got back to Gulls Way a little after 2pm and sat down with the Judge for a quick sandwich before going into the Judge's library to study some more. Hardcastle worked quietly in the den finishing up a recent case, updating his files and pulling out something new to go over. When it came time for dinner, the Judge grilled up a few burgers for the two of them to eat, and after dinner Mark excused himself to the garage to work a little on the Coyote, something he'd been neglecting for a few weeks.

"I'm going to see if I can find out where that noise is coming from and get it fixed once and for all," Mark mentioned to Hardcastle on the way out the door.

"Hey just promise me you won't work on it too late? You have class tomorrow, right and you don't want to be wiped out for that."

"Yeah, yeah, I promise," McCormick said waving him off.

"Seriously, if you can't figure it out, we'll take it out to Benny and let him work on it. Don't put a lot of time in it okay?" Hardcastle said. "You need to get your rest too."

"I'll get to bed, don't worry, but I really want to figure out where that noise is coming from. It's my car, you know." The screen door slammed closed behind him. Mark shook his head….after all this time living with Hardcastle, he still made him promise all kinds of goofy stuff and oddly enough, McCormick always seemed to keep them.

Hardcastle went back to his files, he knew McCormick wouldn't spend too much time on the noise in the Coyote and he'd get to bed at a reasonable time. After four years he knew McCormick was a man who kept his word once he gave it. The Judge worked for about another half hour and then he was going to watch a John Wayne movie. Most of the day had passed. They'd both fallen into their comfortable routine. So there Hardcastle was sitting behind the familiar desk in the den looking over some files when he heard the doorbell. He glanced at the clock on his desk and saw that it was just after 8pm. His normal response would have been to call out to McCormick to get the door, but the kid was not in the house, so grudgingly Milt got up to answer it.

"Sonny?" Hardcastle looked up and was surprised to see Mark's father standing at his door.

"Hi there Milt, is the kid around?" Sonny said without fanfare. He didn't even display the usual cheesy smile.

"I'm fine Sonny, how are you?" Hardcastle answered and asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Sonny said, still maintaining an absence of emotion. He pushed himself past Milt and into the house.

"Why don't you come on in, Sonny," Hardcastle let out a heavy sigh and followed Sonny into the den.

"So where is he?" Sonny scanned the empty room looking for his son.

Milt took off his Yankee cap and scratched the top of his head. "Obviously he's not in here right?" he said looking around. "Do you see him?"

"Cute, Hardcastle. What…he's out in the gatehouse? On a date? Or did you finally throw him out of here?"

"No Sonny, I wouldn't throw him out of here to fend for himself, that's your MO, remember?" Sonny didn't respond, he just started to head out to check the gatehouse, but Hardcastle grabbed his arm. "Hold up there just a minute, Sonny. You don't just breeze in here like this. This is my house you know? You want to tell me what exactly is going on?"

"I just want to see Mark, he's my son, right? Is there a problem with that?"

"Hey, you don't come into my house with this kind of an attitude, Sonny, I don't care whose father you are. Are we clear on that? Are you in some kind of trouble or something?"

Sonny held out his hand defensively and nodded his head. "Listen Hardcastle, I'm sorry, but I need to see Mark, I'm not in any trouble, but I really need to see the kid. It's important, and I'd like to go through this with him first, is that okay? You know, blood is blood."

"I've heard that from you before Sonny." Hardcastle let out a deep breath, "I can't really stop you from seeing him Sonny, but after Atlantic City and the thing with the bar you gotta know how I feel. I'm getting tired of cleaning up after you leave him hanging out to dry. The kid cares about you and when you keep walking out on him, it hurts him deep, you know, a place where no one sees."

"Maybe I won't leave a mess this time. Did you ever think of that?" Sonny asked.

"I'll reserve judgment on that right now," Hardcastle gave him a sarcastic grin. "I think he's out working on the Coyote out in the garage, least that's what he said after dinner." Milt started to lead the way. "You better be telling me the truth, Sonny."

"Seriously, Judge, I need to see him alone." Sonny knew if Hardcastle followed him out, he'd stay and listen to the whole conversation and right now he didn't want that to happen. This was between him and Mark. He watched the judge who wasn't budging an inch. "I promise, no funny business, no trouble. I just need to talk to him."

Hardcastle motioned for him to go find McCormick. A promise from Sonny Daye wasn't the same as a promise from Mark McCormick. For a father and son they were completely opposite in every way. It bothered him to be left in the dark especially when it came to Sonny. Trouble followed him like a pesky sibling. But Milt gave him the benefit of the doubt. He had said there was no trouble. Maybe this third time would be a charm. Then again, with Sonny Daye, it was more like three strikes and he'd be out. Hardcastle started to brace himself for the aftermath.

Mark's head was buried under the hood and he was mumbling some unintelligible curse type words as Sonny came walking up to the dimly lit garage.

"Maybe if you turned some more lights on, you could see what you're working on," Sonny remarked.

Mark slowly lifted his head out from under the hood as he recognized the voice and saw Sonny standing in the garage doorway. "Sonny? What the hell are you doing here?" He gave his father a big grin.

"It's good to see you too, kid," Sonny said, not surprised by his son's reaction to his presence.

The kid let out a bit of a laugh and then he took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Sonny. I'm just surprised. What's it been? A year?" He reached out to shake his father's hand.

Sonny shook it warmly and put his other hand over it and held it an extra couple of seconds. "I sent you a Christmas card, didn't you get it?" Sonny said.

"Yeah, that was two years ago, Sonny. And Hardcastle had to pay for the postage. You forgot to put a stamp on it. The Pony Express doesn't run out here anymore." Sonny grinned at his son's sarcasm.

They kept the conversation light for a few minutes until Sonny asked Mark if they could go out to the gatehouse and talk. Mark wondered what trouble Sonny was in now and just how it would affect his life. He took a deep intake of air into his lungs and braced himself for what was about to happen.

Hardcastle kept watch over the gatehouse for any kind of activity. He wanted to be on alert in case he was needed. He'd seen Mark and Sonny walk out of the garage and over to the gatehouse, and then he saw the lights go on inside. He paced around the main house, waiting for one or both of them to come over, but it never happened. It was killing him not knowing what was going on between the two of them. It was about a half hour later when he heard the Coyote fire up and he got to the window in time to see the two of them drive off together.

Milt waited up all night, pacing and listening for any noise that would indicate Mark was back at the estate, but he never heard the car pull up. Hardcastle was getting worried. It was about 10:30am the next morning when McCormick finally drove the car through the gate. Hardcastle was inside the house, but as soon as he heard the car, he went to the front door and met up with Mark as he was stepping out of the car.

"You want to tell me where you've been all night? And where the hell is Sonny? You know you missed class?" Milt's voice had an edge to it.

"Judge, my parole is up, remember? You don't get to ask me those questions anymore. I'm a big boy now. And it was a mock trial today that I wasn't a part of, so I didn't really miss anything. I can take care of myself."

"Oh you can, can you? So I can't care about what's going on with you? I hear the two of you drive off in the middle of the night and you don't show up till 10:30 the next morning, without Sonny. I just start to wonder, you know?" The Judge responded with an agitated tone.

McCormick didn't have the energy for a snappy comeback for him, he'd been up all night, so he gave him a half-hearted smile instead and said, "It wasn't the middle of the night, it was about 9 o'clock and I'm sorry, I should have called or just come back here, but I just needed some time alone."

"You guys aren't in any trouble, are you?" Milt added. The kid seemed different, sort of sad. "Or is he in some trouble and you did something stupid to help him out of it?"

"Judge, this isn't what you think, honestly." McCormick cleared his throat. He looked over at the Judge who wasn't buying what he was saying. "No, we're not in any trouble. Listen, can we go inside and talk about this, I think I really need to sit down. I'm not sure how to explain this." The Judge watched him closely, McCormick seemed almost dejected. Damn that Sonny, what did he do now?... was all he could think. Obviously it had something to do with whatever Sonny had to tell him. How bad could it be? Mark didn't wait for the Judge to respond, he just walked around the car and up into the house.

They went in the front entrance and the Judge asked him if he wanted a sandwich or something.

"I'm not really hungry, Judge, but thank you for offering." He walked into the den and the Judge followed closely behind.

As Milt followed him, he debated about whether he should initiate the conversation or let the kid do all the talking. It was getting easier to bad mouth Sonny with every passing time he showed up, but this time his instinct told him that he needed to hold back and let Mark do all the talking. He knew in time, he'd get the whole story, he knew McCormick that well now after three plus years. So he went and sat on one of the leather chairs and McCormick sat down across from him.

"I don't even know how to start this one," Mark began.

"How about at the beginning," Hardcastle suggested, trying to keep the mood light.

"Okay, see, about 32 years ago, Sonny met my Mom, and it's basically been downhill since then," McCormick said sarcastically.

"I don't think you need to go that far back kiddo, I've heard that story before, what's going on now? Where were you guys all night?"

McCormick cleared his throat and leaned forward and put his head in his hands. "This shouldn't be this tough."

"Do you want me to play twenty questions here?" the Judge asked him. "Just let it out, we'll figure out what to do."

McCormick lifted up his head and gave him a bit of a glare. "Sonny didn't say anything to you at all?"

"I'm in the dark here, kiddo. He came up here, knocked on the door, asked where you were, said he had to speak to you alone and off he went, then the two of you drove off in the middle of the night, and now you're back here alone, that's all I know. If you're not in any trouble, just tell me what this is all about, we'll work it out." He paused, then continued quietly, "Even if you are in trouble, tell me, maybe I can help, you know that."

"This isn't something you can help with, Judge. It's not what you think," he stood up and walked over to the window and looked out, as if he was searching for an answer outside. The Judge impatiently waited for him to start talking and before too much time had passed, Mark finally began. "Sonny has another son."

"He what?" Mark nodded. Somewhat surprised by this new revelation, Milt said with a smile, "Another son, huh? So you have a half-brother? How bad can that be? Sonny sure gets around, doesn't he? So is this brother of yours in some kind of trouble? Another safe cracker maybe?"

Mark turned back toward him and gave him an odd sort of smile. "You could say he's in a heap of trouble, but not the kind you're thinking of."

"What? A murder rap? Assault? Armed Robbery? Or is Sonny cutting you out of his inheritance for this new son?" Milt tried to lighten the mood. He had no idea where this was going.

McCormick cut him off, he wasn't in the mood to joke. There was nothing funny or illegal about what he was going to tell the Judge. "This kid, …uh,….he's uh, he's got cancer." Mark said, meeting Hardcastle's eyes. There, he had said it, and it was hard to get the words out, even harder to hear them out loud. He didn't understand why. Just saying it shouldn't be all that hard, yet it was. "And he's just a kid, 16."

"Cancer? What?" Milt said, with a hint of sensitivity in his voice. He didn't understand where this thing was going, but he knew that it was upsetting to McCormick. "Come over here and sit down and tell me what this is all about."

McCormick walked back over to the chairs and sat down. "I can tell you what I know so far. The boy's name is David Rutherford. Like I said, he's only 16 and he's got some sort of cancer called ALL, it's a type of leukemia. I don't know all the particulars about it yet. His mother was someone named Lydia Stevens, she died in a car accident when David was just a few months old. She was a dancer in Las Vegas, she and Sonny barely knew each other. They hung out for a few months till Sonny got a gig up in Reno and then he was gone. Sonny never knew she was pregnant or that she died, I guess. He hardly remembered her at all. He knew nothing about the kid. So David got adopted by this couple, the Rutherford's, Jack and Mary, when he was a baby. Jack Rutherford is a cop. When David got sick, Jack decided to try to track down his real folks. And he ended up finding out that Lydia Stevens had died and that Sonny Daye was most probably the kid's father. He went through all of Sonny's aliases like I did and tracked him down about a month ago."

"Ok, I don't quite get it, what does this kid having cancer have to do with Sonny or you? Neither one of you are doctors. Is this some sort of hereditary thing? Are you in some sort of danger because of it?"

McCormick let out another breath. "This boy…David, he needs something called a bone marrow transplant. And the best place to get one from is from a blood relative."

Now it was becoming clearer to Hardcastle. The Rutherford's needed to find David's real relatives in order to treat him. "What is it this bone marrow thing exactly?"

"Well, I don't have all the facts yet, but from what I know so far, it's something that's inside your bone and the doctors go in and take some out of a healthy body and give it to someone with cancer and sometimes the good marrow helps them recover, or it helps them have a remission. It's like a last resort. This kid, he's had this ALL for over two years now, he was in remission for awhile and now it's come back. The doctors are saying this might be his last chance to beat the disease."

"And the Rutherford's, his parents, can't give him some?"

"Sure anybody can and they tried, but it's like blood, you have to be like this perfect match. And the best matches come from blood relatives. Identical twins are the best, but siblings usually work about 35 of the time."

"So you've been at the hospital all night getting matched? Is that where Sonny is now?"

Mark shook his head no, "It's not quite that easy Judge. It never is when Sonny is involved, you know? I dropped him off at the airport, he had the red-eye flight back to Atlantic City."

"He left town? Just like that? He's leaving you to hold the bag on this? This is his kid."

"They tested him last week, he had the procedure out in New Jersey. He wasn't a match, parents usually aren't, but then he thought of me, that even though I'd be a half-brother to this kid, just maybe I would be a match. He called up Mr. Rutherford, told him about me and flew out here to tell me in person." Mark attempted to justify Sonny. He could see Hardcastle was angry at the singer for leaving.

"That's really nice of him to fly out here for both of you, mighty big of him," Hardcastle rambled. "He still shouldn't have left, it's not fair to you or this kid. He should be here for both of you."

"Judge, he doesn't know the kid from Adam, you know how he is. It's probably better this way. This kid shouldn't have to know Sonny. Look at how he is with me? He's not gonna be any different just because someone is dying. At least he had the test and then got the idea maybe I could help. He doesn't want any attachments, Judge. It's out of his hands now, that's how he sees it. Thank God he thought of me, maybe I can help, you know?"

The Judge gave up for now on bashing Sonny, "So if you weren't at the hospital or with Sonny, where have you been all night?" The Judge asked him with a tone of concern in his voice.

"I met Mr. Rutherford, well, Sonny and I went over to the hotel when we left here. He's a cop, like I told you, from back in Illinois, he's spent a lot of time trying to track down Sonny for the last year and a half, since David got out of remission. And you know how hard that is…between dealing with figuring out the alias of the month, and the fact he doesn't stay in one place too long. And Mr. Rutherford didn't know anything about me at all. He went and found Sonny singing in Atlantic City and begged him to take the test. I guess Sonny denied he was the kid's father at first, but he finally relented to a blood test too and that clinched it. Mr. Rutherford was pretty relentless in sticking to Sonny until he got what he wanted for his son. Anyway, when Sonny got the results and learned he wasn't a match, he told Mr. Rutherford about me. Probably the best thing he's ever done huh?" Hardcastle nodded his agreement. Mark continued, "Funny thing is the Rutherford's had brought David out here to be in some sort of experimental treatment trial at Children's Hospital. That's why they're here. And Sonny agreed to fly out to introduce us."

"I'm glad he could stick around for a couple of hours," Hardcastle interjected, but he could see his digs at Sonny were not helping the situation, so he added, "at least he did a good thing by thinking of you and introducing you to the Rutherford's."

"Let's forget about Sonny right now, Judge. I don't think I have the strength to get into his head right now."

The Judge quickly dropped the topic. "Did you meet this kid?"

"No, it was too late to visit him in the hospital last night. And I'm not too sure Mr. Rutherford is all too keen on having an illegitimate, ex-con give anything to his son, let alone meet him."

"Oh, come on? How does he even know those things about you? Did Sonny tell him?" Hardcastle was flabbergasted.

"Sonny told him about him and my mother and Mr. Rutherford ran me through the federal computer. He's got a lot of connections, kind of like someone else I know," he said hinting at Hardcastle's skills. "Cops are the same all over, they know everyone and how to get the information they want."

"Does he also know what you're up to now with law school and how many criminals you've put behind bars?"

"Not really, Judge, my life wasn't the focal point of the conversation last night, you know?"

"He's not going to hold your past against you, is he? I mean, you could save his son's life, that's gotta be worth something to him."

"We didn't talk for very long, it was late and Sonny had to get to the airport. Mr. Rutherford said he'd talk it over with his wife and they'd think about it."

"Ok, so you didn't stay there all night. After you took Sonny to the airport, what happened? Where did you go?"

"I just drove around, up the coast a ways, trying to think, make some sense of all of it. I'm kind of stunned by all of it, you know? I want to do whatever I can, no matter what. I told that to the Rutherford's, that I want to be tested. I mean, if I have the chance to save someone's life, brother or not, I gotta do it, right? And even if I'm not a match, I think I gotta be there for him somehow. He is my brother, right?" Mark's voice dropped to a whisper. "I can't just let him die without knowing him, without helping him. I'm not like Sonny. I won't walk away without doing something. I hope the Rutherford's will see that. I want them to know that."

"That's for damn sure," Hardcastle said. "It's a helluva thing you're gonna do, Mark…it takes a lot of courage." He paused, then added, "I'm real proud of you."

McCormick hung his head to avoid eye contact. "I'm not a saint, Judge, it's just what I think is the right thing, that's all. You'd do the same thing."

"Even if they never let you meet this kid, you're still willing to do this?"

"Sure, wouldn't you?"

Hardcastle nodded his agreement. "So now what? What are you going to do now?"

"I thought maybe I'd go back to the hotel, try to talk to the Rutherford's a little more. Let them get to know me. Even though Sonny can be a jerk, I'm different. I'd like them to see that." He paused, then asked, "Will you come with me?"

"Do you think that I'd be of help?"

"Well, let's see, a retired Los Angeles Superior Court Justice, it's helped about a million times in the past," Mark smiled.

"Let's get going then."

It was a quiet drive over to the hotel where the Rutherford's were staying. Mark explained that they were staying at the hotel while David was having the trial treatments done at Children's Hospital. Hardcastle suggested that even if the Rutherford's wouldn't let Mark meet David, that he should attempt to do it on his own, by going to the hospital.

"Whatever ever happened to law and order, Judge? Following the rules and all that? Did you forget that lesson? The kid's a minor and you want me to go breaking in to a hospital room?" McCormick said with a smile.

"Oh, you know what I mean, we'll work on it. It's not right that they won't even let you meet this boy. You're brothers for crying out loud."

"Thanks, Judge," Mark said, "I appreciate you backing me up on all this. Let's just take it slowly and see what happens. Maybe they'll change their mind."

"I'm sure as hell gonna try to convince them. They're gonna know how you've turned your life around and what kind of a man you are, if I have anything to say about it."

McCormick let a grin wash over his face. The only thing he could think was that it might be Sonny's blood flowing through his veins, but it was Milt's spirit that was lit up inside him.

Mark knocked on the hotel door and Mr. Rutherford answered.

"Morning, Mr. Rutherford, I was wondering if I could talk to you again, about David," Mark began.

"My wife and I are getting ready to go see him at the hospital, we're in kind of a hurry. Maybe later," Rutherford said, trying to close the door.

Mark stuck his hand in the door to block it. "Please Mr. Rutherford, just for a few minutes, I promise. It's important to me," Mark pleaded.

Rutherford bit his lip and reluctantly agreed, opening the door and allowing Hardcastle and McCormick into the hotel suite. Mrs. Rutherford heard them enter and came into the sitting area from the bedroom.

"I'd like you to both meet a very good friend of mine, this is Judge Milton Hardcastle. He's a lot like you Mr. Rutherford, you see... Sonny is my father, but Judge Hardcastle here, well, he's like my adoptive father," Mark grinned and added, "and he's a former cop too."

The two men shook hands and the judge nodded toward Mrs. Rutherford. The four of them all sat down and Mark continued to talk.

"Mr. and Mrs. Rutherford, I'd really like to meet David, if you'll allow it. And I want to help, no matter what, whether you let me meet him or not. I'm going to be tested. I'd like to do it today if I can and if I'm a match, I'll do whatever I have to do to make it happen. I want to help him, not just because he's my half-brother, but because it's the right thing to do. And even if you don't let me meet him, I'll still go through the testing and the transplant if I'm a match, for the same reason. But I really would like an opportunity to know David."

"We talked about your background last night, Mr. McCormick. I'm not so sure I want my son to know you," Mr. Rutherford said. "Your father, he really isn't much of a father, you know?"

"I understand that Mr. Rutherford. I can't do anything about having Sonny for a father. As for myself, I have made some mistakes and I paid for them, and I've changed. My life is completely different now. I know you're concerned about your son's health and the sort of influences you want him to have. I'm not a parent, but I do understand that. And I want you to know that I'm not like Sonny either. I love Sonny because he's my father, but I don't respect the kind of life he leads. I can assure you though, if I give you my word on something, I keep it," Mark explained. "I am glad though that Sonny thought of me and told you about me, because I'd like to help, and well, because," he smiled, "'cause it's pretty cool to find out I have a brother."

The Rutherford's listened carefully to what Mark was saying.

Hardcastle decided to step into the conversation. "Mr. Rutherford, I know you're aware of Mark's past. He doesn't hide it, nor does he use it as an excuse. He went to jail, served his time, successfully completed his parole and now he's in law school, studying to be a lawyer. Over the past three and a half years he's helped the Los Angeles Police Department put away nearly 70 criminals. He's risked his own life to do it on numerous occasions and has been cited by the LA police for bravery twice. I trust him with my own life or with anyone's life I would hold dear. I think you should reconsider his request. He's saved my life too many times to count, and I would think you'd want him to save your son's life too. Don't judge him based on Sonny Daye, look at the facts, look at who he is right now….his integrity, his character…and make your decision based on that. Give these boys a chance to meet, to get to know one another, don't deny them their birthright, their heritage. I think that Mark needs to know David just as much as David needs Mark."

Jack Rutherford looked over to his wife Mary, both of them had stoic looks on their faces. It was easy to see that their lives revolved around David. Jack cleared his throat, "We didn't know all that, Mr. McCormick. I guess I owe you an apology, it's the cop in me, I hear "ex-con", and my mind goes in a negative direction. And after tracking down and meeting Sonny and hearing his life's story, I guess I made assumptions. I apologize." Mark nodded his understanding.

"Mark, why don't you come with us today and we'll introduce you to David," Mrs. Rutherford finally spoke up. "We want you to meet him and we thank you for wanting to help."

Mark broke into a grin a mile wide. "I'd like that, I'd like that a lot. Thank you."

The Judge offered to treat everyone to a quick lunch down in the hotel restaurant before heading over to the hospital. As they walked out of the hotel room, McCormick pulled Milt to the side and said to him, "Judge, you must have been one helluva lawyer, that was quite a case you made for me in there, thank you."

"Listen, kiddo, here's something to remember, when you speak the truth, there's no way you can lose."

At the hospital, Mr. and Mrs. Rutherford went in to see David first. Because of the experimental treatment, David was in an isolation room. The treatment, while it was killing his cancer cells, was also depleting his good blood cells, leaving him weak and unable to fight off infection.

Mr. Rutherford came out of the room about twenty minutes later and went out into the waiting room where Mark and Milt were. "He's awake now. He gets tired very quickly. We explained to him about you and Sonny and we gave him the choice, Mark," Jack gave the hint of a first smile, "and he wants to meet you." Mark smiled in return. "We didn't tell him anything about you, other than you're his half-brother. We'll leave the rest up to you, whatever you two want to know about each other is okay with us."

"Like the Judge said, I'm an open book, I won't hide it from him, but it is in my past. I'm more interested in getting to know who he is."

"Ok then, you'll need to come with me, you need to 'get dressed' so to speak. You've got to wash your hands, then put on a gown, cap and gloves. We have to try to keep the germs to a minimum. Right now, just catching a cold could kill him. His immune system is compromised," Jack explained.

"I understand, I'll do whatever I need to do," Mark said. He nodded back to Hardcastle and then followed Jack to the prep room.

Mark went through all the preparations and looked to Jack to lead him to the room where David was. "Are you going to get ready?" Mark asked, seeing Jack still in his own clothes.

"No, only two people can go in at a time. Mrs. Rutherford will introduce you, then she'll give the two of you a chance to get to know one another."

"Thanks Mr. Rutherford, I appreciate your giving me this chance. I give you my word, that I won't hurt him."

"Call me Jack, I got a feeling we'll all be giving each other a chance. Can I call you Mark?"

"Absolutely," he held out his hand and they shook.

The room was rather bright and well lit when Mark opened the door and walked in. Mark wasn't quite sure what to expect, but David was sitting up comfortably in his bed, wearing sweatshirt and sweatpants and a baseball cap. He had an IV going into his left arm, but from a first glance, you couldn't really tell he was sick. His room was filled with cards, they were taped to every spot on the wall and a TV quietly played in the background. Mrs. Rutherford was sitting on the bedside chatting with her son. She turned her head when she heard the door. "There you are, come on in, Mark," she said warmly, motioning him to come over. "David, this is your brother Mark. Mark, this is David," she introduced them to one another.

David lifted up his right hand and Mark noticed it immediately and reached down to give it a shake with his gloved hand.

"It's quite a surprise for both of us, huh, David?" Mark said.

David nodded, "I'm glad you're here," he said in a quiet voice. "Sorry you got to wear all the gear. Does it feel as dumb as it looks?"

"Yeah, it does, but it's a small price to pay," Mark smiled and saw the same grin reflect from David's face. They had the same color eyes too.

"David, be nice," Mrs. Rutherford said as she got up from the bed. "I'll let you two get acquainted."

"Thanks, Mom," David answered in the same quiet voice. Mrs. Rutherford reached down and kissed his forehead and then she turned and touched Mark's arm, to say thank you. Then the two brothers were alone.

Mark spotted a chair and sat down. He noticed that David was wearing a Chicago Cubs hat. "You're a baseball fan, huh?"

"Anyone from Illinois is a Cubs fan," he answered, and smiled. "But really, no, I just gotta wear a hat," he explained, lifting it off his head to reveal a bald head, obviously due to his treatment. "Do you like sports?"

"Yeah, the usual ones, basketball, football, a little baseball, and I used to race cars too a few years back."

"Really? Wow, that's cool, what kind of cars, Indy?"

"Stock, modifieds, the Can Am circuit," Mark explained. "You follow cars?"

"Not a lot. But I got interested when I got my license last summer. I got a friend who's really into in it. He'd love talking to you about it." David paused, "My Dad said you drive a really unique car, but he didn't say you raced cars."

Jack Rutherford must have noticed the Coyote. How could anyone miss it? "It's a special design, an old friend of mine, designed it and built it. He made it to race."

"Do you have the blueprints? I'd love to see them," David said, sitting up a little more.

"Yeah, I have them, I'll bring 'em with me the next time I come if you want? You're interested in engineering and design?"

"Sort of, but I really like chemistry too. I'm leaning toward going to medical school after college," David explained.

"Medical school huh?" Mark sounded surprised.

David nodded. "You're probably thinking I'm getting ahead of myself, right?" referring to his cancer. "I oughta take one day at a time right? I could die and all?"

"Uh, no, I was just thinking you must be one smart kid to get into medical school," Mark answered quickly.

They gave each other that familiar grin.

"So we're really brothers, huh?" David started.

McCormick nodded, "Half-brothers, if you want to get technical."

"You didn't know my mother then? Lydia Stevens?"

No, we've got different mothers."

"My Dad said that Sonny is an entertainer, and that he works a lot."

"He's always on the go," Mark didn't really want to tell him about Sonny right at this moment.

"Have you met him, or did he leave you and your mother before you knew him either like he did me.

This kid was sharp indeed. Mark cleared his throat. "I've met him, I went looking for him a few years back, just like your Dad did. And yeah, he left me and my mom when I was five. I didn't really remember much about him at all."

"Does it make you mad?" David asked. "That he did that to you? To us?"

Mark's lips turned upward, "Yeah it made me mad, it still makes me mad, but some people just aren't meant to be parents, I think. Sonny is one of those people. I've learned to accept that. Your folks seem pretty great though."

David didn't want to talk about the Rutherford's, he wanted to talk to Mark and he understood that Mark didn't really want to talk about Sonny. "It's just you and your mom now?" he asked Mark.

"My mom died when I was 12, and I wasn't lucky enough to get adopted, so I spent time in group homes and stuff."

David watched Mark closely and for a few minutes the only sound in the room was from the TV. "I heard my parents yesterday afternoon when they were talking…they thought I was asleep…my dad said you were in prison. I know he didn't want me to meet you."

Mark briefly let his head dip down and he nodded the affirmative. It figured this kid knew, Mark already realized he was sharp and the fact that parents should know better than to talk in a 16 year-old's room. The old 'they thought I was sleeping,' excuse always worked…he'd pulled it himself. "I was, I'm not there anymore and I don't ever plan on going back, David. And I figure you're old enough to decide for yourself who you should meet."

"What did you do?" David leaned back against the mound of pillows on his bed. He obviously was interested in this story. And he already made up his mind he wanted to meet Mark McCormick.

"Nothing I'm proud of. I was charged with Grand Theft Auto and spent two years in San Quentin. And before that, probably when I was about your age, I had a juvenile beef too. I was lucky it was only two years of my life."

David watched him closely trying to decide how he was going to feel about this new brother of his. They both looked each other in the eye for the answer they could not only trust but also believe.

"Not exactly what you expected in a brother, huh?" Mark finally asked him.

David grinned when he said that. "Like I had any choice in the matter? It's sort of like this cancer, you get what you get. I am glad though that you're here now, and if it wasn't for Sonny or ALL, we might not have ever met. The way I see it, it was all supposed to happen the way it's happening. I wish you could have had my mom and dad for parents, 'cause there's no way you would have ever gotten into any trouble. My dad would have never allowed it."

Mark laughed, "Oh yeah, you think so?"

"Yeah, big time, I mean, I get grounded when I miss curfew by 10 seconds."

"David, if you're uncomfortable about me being an ex-con, its okay, I understand," Mark wanted to get it out in the open. "I'm willing to go through the testing and the transplant and if that's all you want, I promise that's what'll happen. It's up to you, I won't press you."

"I have cancer, Mark; I can't dwell in the past when it comes to anything." He paused. "It doesn't scare me or anything if that's what you mean. Heck, you're not an axe murderer, all you did was steal a car, right? You never hurt anyone, did you?"

Mark quickly let a thought of Weed Randall slip into his mind. There was no need to tell him about that. "Nope, my rap sheet doesn't have axe murderer on it. But seriously, if it bothers you, I'll understand. I know your parents are concerned."

"My mom thinks you're nice, I can tell and my dad's a cop, he's hard-wired to think like that. I think it's bothering you more than it's bothering me. Maybe you don't want me to ask you about it, would that help?"

"To be honest, David, you can ask me anything. I'm probably a little defensive about being an ex-con, but if it's something you want to talk about, ask away."

David decided to change the subject. "My friend James, he's got an older brother, they're like ten years apart and Tony, that's his older brother, man, he lets him do whatever he wants when they're together, he buys him stuff and takes him to movies and stuff and tells him all kinds of things, answers all his questions," David explained.

"And you think I'm gonna be like this Tony guy?" Mark asked.

David nodded and grinned at him. "Well, yeah, and I got the cancer thing going too."

"I'm beginning to see the real you now, you're a scam artist. Do your parents know this about you?"

"Oh sure, they encourage it."

"We're definitely brothers, that's for sure. You got a smart mouth, I like that." A bit of awkward silence came between them again. "Let me ask you something tough," Mark paused. "How are you really handling having ALL?"

The smile quickly left David's face. "It pretty much sucks," he began. "Although the girls seem to dig the bald head for some reason. Can you imagine me with a bald head in your race car? The chicks would be all over me."

"They probably would, we'll have to go cruising and test that theory." Mark took a moment and let out a little laugh. "Are you scared?" Mark asked.

"Yeah," David let out a deep breath, "all the time, but I try not to think about all the 'what if's'. I talk to a shrink and that helps too. And there's a support group back home that I go to. But the best thing is that you're here right now. That's big time help."

Meanwhile out in the waiting room Milt was busy chatting with Jack and Mary Rutherford, they had quickly fallen into a friendly conversation and found themselves on a first name basis.

"Milt, are you one of Mark's teachers in law school?" Jack asked.

Milt nodded no, "I'm the Judge that sent Mark to prison," he began. "That surprises you, huh?" He could see the look in both Jack and Mary's eyes. Then he proceeded to tell them the whole story about McCormick being a part of his rehabilitation project.

"You've sure done a lot for him," Jack said.

"No, he's done a lot for himself, I just pointed him in the right direction. He did all the work. I'm proud of him for that, but I don't take any credit. I really hope that you'll honestly give him a chance to show you what he's all about. I hope you can see beyond him being an ex-con. And I know and understand your concerns about Sonny, but Mark's not like him either."

"And you've known him for three years now? Can someone make a change that quickly?" Jack still sounded doubtful.

"You see, Jack, McCormick didn't need to change. He's always known right from wrong. With him, like I said, it was more of a pointing him in the right direction and making sure he stuck to it. He gets it now. He's on the right road. He's done really good work with me over these past three years. He'd make a heck of a cop," Hardcastle said, the words almost surprising him as he spoke them, "but he's going to be a fantastic lawyer," he grinned.

"What you've done for him is marvelous," Mary remarked. "Opening up your home, I think you do deserve some credit." Milt didn't want to agree. That was never what it was about to him.

"You're sure more of a father to him than Sonny Daye is," Jack added. "He doesn't even want to meet David."

"Sonny's a piece of work, that's for sure. I try not to bad mouth him too much around McCormick, but sometimes it slips out. I mean no matter what he does, he's still the kid's father. The couple of times he's been around Mark have been pretty disastrous. And then he skips town without warning, leaving the kid and me to pick up the pieces. I think he cares for Mark, but he just doesn't know how to be a father, or maybe he just doesn't want to be a father."

"I think that's what worried me when he told me about Mark and then I ran him through the federal computer, 'like father, like son,' was what I was thinking." Jack turned to Mary, "How many times have you told me not to judge a book by its cover?"

"I lost count," she laughed.

Hardcastle got serious. "Just talking with Mark this morning, I know he wants to do whatever he can for David. He's already committed himself to it. I can't stress how much you can trust him."

"Milt, we're learning that," Mary said, "I already feel that both of you are part of our family."

"And he's been in there with David for over an hour already, and David hasn't fallen asleep, I'd say he's a miracle worker," Jack said. "David gets tired out fast and usually drops off in the middle of a conversation."

"McCormick likes to talk, he's liable to keep going and not even notice if David's fallen asleep," Hardcastle explained.

"Ah, but then that's a trait they share, David started talking from the moment we brought him home and he hasn't stopped," Mary said. "Remember when we took him to downtown Chicago that time and he bothered and pestered that street mime into speaking?"

Jack and Milt both laughed. "David can spot a phony a mile away, Milt. Looks to me like we can all trust Mark."

Back in the isolation room the two brothers continued their conversation, "I bet my Dad drilled you relentlessly, didn't he? He loves playing bad cop," David said laughing.

"It wasn't too bad, except when he turned on the heat lamp," Mark chuckled. "And to think you'd rather be a doctor than a cop? I thought kids wanted to do what their parents do."

"Then you should be a singer," David said referring to Sonny, then he paused and added, "What kind of a job do you have?" Mark hadn't gone into the Hardcastle part of his life yet.

Before Mark answered, he thought about how ironic his own statement to David had been, about kids doing what their parents did and the fact that he was now in law school, following in the footsteps of the Judge and not Sonny. "I'm in law school right now, thanks to a very good friend of mine. I'd like you to meet him someday. He's really helped me turn my life around ever since I got out of prison."

"You're going to be a lawyer? Man, they make big bucks, just like doctors, we could sort of corner the market, don't ya think?"

"I'm not doing it for the money, David," Mark commented, then added, "But it sure will be nice, won't it? Tell you what, I'll give you free legal advice and you can take care of all my medical problems."

"Deal," David said, holding out his hand again and they shook on it.

Mark glanced at David's face and he looked like he was getting weary. "It looks like you're tired, and I gotta go hit the books, I have an exam coming up on Friday." He started to get up.

"No, really Mark, I'm not tired, it's okay, just stay a little longer all right? There's a lot more I want to talk to you about. This brother thing is pretty cool, you know," David said, with his voice getting softer and softer. Mark noticed him sinking down further into the pillows.

"I'll come back, David, you just need to rest now, best thing for you. Plus, I have to talk to the doctors about getting tested and everything. I can stop back tonight, how would that be?"

David knew he was fading, it always happened when he talked too much, "Okay, you promise, right?"

"I promise I'll be back, nothing could keep me away." David still had a hold on Mark's hand and wasn't letting go. "Seriously, I'll come back tonight," Mark said again, sensing David's strong grip.

"I know you will," the teenager said in a whisper. He had one more thing to ask him. "I know it's sappy, but would you give me a hug? Being brothers and all," there, David had tossed it out.

It took Mark a little by surprise, but he didn't even hesitate to get up from the chair and hug him as best he could. "How's that?" he whispered in his ear. "Your friends James and Tony got it right, big brothers do anything for their little brothers, count on it…and you can count on me, David." Mark pulled back. "Now you gotta get some rest, all right?" He started to head for the door. "I'll be back."

"Don't forget to bring the plans for your car when you come back."

"I will. See you later, kiddo," Mark said giving him a smile. It didn't feel odd at all to use the nickname Hardcastle always said to him, it just felt like he was passing it along, like he should.

As he stepped out of the room and began to remove the gown, cap and gloves he wore, he leaned his back against the wall of the changing room and took in a few deep breaths. He heard someone approaching and he quickly wiped the moisture that was forming in his eyes. It was Mrs. Rutherford. "I thought I heard you come out of there. Did he fall asleep on you?"

"Uh, sort of, he started to fade and I didn't want to wear him out," Mark said clearing his throat. "He's probably sleeping by now though. I'll try to remember that that happens. I shouldn't talk so much."

"It looks like the opposite happened," she smiled, as she noticed Mark had a drained look of his own, "he kind of grows on you, doesn't he?"

Mark let out a sigh, "Yeah he does. I still can't get over the fact that I have a brother. He's pretty special, but you probably already know that."

Mary nodded. "I would bet you are having the same impression on David. You know you two really resemble each other, except that he's bald and you have a full head of curly hair. With him being bald right now, you can really see how much you two look alike, but he normally has a full head of straight, dark brown hair, it's almost black," Mary said. "But I think it's the grin, that's where I see it most of all. I could tell last night when you came to the hotel."

"It's just sort of unreal, all this time's gone by and now to find out," Mark answered her, trying to find the right words.

"You're here now, Mark, that's what matters. I'm glad that something brought the two of you together. You both deserve it."

Feeling a bit self-conscious about the discussion, Mark looked away and said, "I should go find out about getting tested and get the ball rolling."

"I spoke with Dr. Nason, that's David's doctor here in Los Angeles, and he said his office would be more than happy to do the test and even answer any questions you'll have. And I imagine you'll have a million questions, I know I did when all this started to happen. His office is over in the next building, the Medical Center Complex. Jack or I could walk you over if you'd like," she offered.

"That's not necessary, but thank you for the offer, I can find it," Mark said. I'll take Hardcastle with me, I'm sure you two want to be with David."

"If you're sure, then okay, just be sure to tell them that you're donating for David Rutherford. He has two patients named David and we've gone through being mismatched once already. Fortunately it was only the paperwork that was mixed up, because if it had been the actual transplant, it could have been disastrous."

"I'll be sure to make a note of it. Uh, I'll be back to see David tonight, after dinner, if that's okay with you and Mr. Rutherford?"

"It's more than okay, Mark, and please call us Mary and Jack. I'm sure David is already counting the minutes."

"I'll see you later then," he said giving her a smile.

"Thank you, Mark," Mary reached out and pulled him into a motherly hug. "It doesn't seem like enough just to say it."

Mark walked out into the waiting room and saw Hardcastle and Jack pleasantly chatting about who knew what. They were probably swapping cop/judge stories, he thought, chuckling to himself. Mark went up to the two of them and remained standing. "David's resting," he began, "Mary's heading back in and I want to head over to Dr. Nason's office and see about taking that blood test, before the office closes."

"Did Mary tell you where to go?" Jack asked.

"Yes sir, she did, thanks," Mark said.

Jack sensed that Mark was a bit uncomfortable around him so he decided to try to defuse the situation. "Mark, I'm sorry about last night and this morning too, I hope you can forgive me. I'm just a guy who's worried about his son. I hope you'll understand and accept my apology. It means a lot to me that you came, and even more that you insisted on being a part of this."

Mark nodded, he had learned quickly that both Jack and Mary Rutherford were totally dedicated to their son. "Of course, I just wish this wasn't the way we all had to meet."

"I'll agree with you on that one," Jack said.

Hardcastle stood up from the chair he sat in. "We should get going, huh?"

"Yeah, we can walk over there from here, it's connected through a skywalk," Mark answered, and then said to Jack, "I'm gonna come back up tonight, I promised David I would. So I'll see you then, huh?"

"We'll be here, Mark."

As Milt and Mark headed over to Dr. Nason's office, the judge decided to spark up a conversation since Mark seemed unusually quiet.

"What's the kid like?"

Mark looked at him sideways, "He's great Judge, he's a super kid, you'll like him a lot."

"That's all you got? You were in there for over an hour. What gives?"

"It's all a little overwhelming right now, I'm sorting through everything. I mean first Sonny drops out of the sky and shoots the bomb, and meeting the Rutherford's, and then talking to David. I don't even know quite where to start. Then I remember why I'm here. The kid has cancer. It's not exactly the Waltons' reunion, you know."

"Better late than never, that's what they say. And Sonny did a good thing, for both of you boys," Milt said, trying to be positive when it came to Sonny Daye. "The kid…he's pretty sick huh?"

Mark didn't answer right away. "It's not like the movies, you know, it's for real. When you see him, it's all right there. The treatment's almost worse than the disease. He's bald, real drawn looking, but his eyes are bright. Judge, he's really a smart kid…he wants to be a doctor. I'm amazed he can smile through all of this. I don't think I could."

"You'd do it, obviously you both have the right stuff inside of you."

"I haven't done anything yet, Judge."

"Oh, you know what I mean," the Judge answered.

Mark let out a little laugh, "He's like a total 180 from me, Judge. Clean cut, great student, he probably gets straight A's, you know? And he's got Ward and June Cleaver for parents."

"So you're having a hard time believing he's your brother because of that?"

"It's just weird, that's all. Part of me believes that I'm his brother, and part of me thinks that Tuesday was just a bad dream and I'm gonna wake up real soon."

"I hate to tell you this, but it's not a dream," Hardcastle said, "What's that doctor's name we're looking for?"

"Nason, N-A-S-O-N," Mark spelled it out.

"It's the next office, I saw it on the directory."

They entered the doctor's office and Milt took a seat in the waiting area while Mark went up to the receptionist and began to introduce himself and why he was there. The receptionist quickly called over a nurse and they immediately took Mark back to an exam room. It was barely twenty minutes later when he came back out into the waiting area, armed with a load of pamphlets, ready to head home.

"That was pretty quick," Milt said as they found the car in the parking garage. "Do you have to come back and have the test on another day?"

"No, not unless they screw it up, it was just a blood draw. Now they test it for something called HLA," he said, glancing over one of the brochures. "We need to share the same HLA in order for this to move forward. Keep your fingers crossed."

"And you've got some reading material too?" Hardcastle asked him.

"I talked briefly with Dr. Nason, he and the nurse gave me all this stuff to read over. And I'm supposed to make a list of questions I have and then he'll go over it with me, if I'm a match."

"You might not match?"

Mark shook his head no, "No, I might not, though siblings have a better chance at it than parents, identical twins are the best, and the odds of a half-sibling are even less. We've only got about a 20 chance."

"Like always, my money is on you," Hardcastle said with a smile.

"Thanks Judge, I'm always kind of a long shot, aren't I?"

The kid almost bumped into someone as he continued to read over the material he carried. "Listen, give me the keys, I'll drive so you can read," the judge said. Mark unconsciously reached into his pocket and handed the keys to Milt. "We'll stop on the way home and get some burgers. It was supposed to be your night to cook, but I don't see that happening."

"I'll buy," Mark offered, climbing into the car.

"No, nah, I got it, my treat, maybe a couple of Chuckle's Burgers will toughen up your bone marrow," he said lightly.

Dinner was pretty quiet as they both scanned and re-read most of the material that Dr. Nason had given to Mark. Hardcastle wanted to know what it was all about too.

"It doesn't sound so bad, does it?" Mark asked him.

"Not for you, it does sound like David's gonna have a rough go of it."

"I just wish I knew I matched, that's gonna be huge Judge, I mean if I don't, he'll have to hope for an unrelated donor, and I don't know if he can wait that long."

"I think I'm going to get myself tested and put on this registry," Hardcastle remarked. "I bet a lot of people need this stuff, and it's like a step up from a blood transfusion."

"You have to be under 60, but that's a nice thought, Judge."

The Judge scowled up his face. "How long till they have the results for you?"

"They said a couple of days. Waiting is for the birds." Mark sighed. He paused, then said, "I'm gonna head back up to the hospital, I'll see you later, okay?"

Mark walked into the hospital with a big grocery bag and went up to the sixth floor where the oncology unit was. He stopped at the nurse's station when he got off the elevator and asked the receptionist if it was okay to bring in the bag when he went in to see David. She gave him a smile and told him it was fine. She also called into the room and let David know that Mark was on his way in. That way Jack and Mary, who were visiting with him, could take a break to let Mark in. When she hung up the phone, she asked Mark if he knew where he had to go and how he needed to gown up for the visit. He nodded and went off to the isolation area.

Jack and Mary both came out of David's room and met up with Mark as he was getting ready to go in. "We're gonna head up to the hotel now that you're here. He'll probably try to stay awake 'til visiting hours are over, just because he knows you were coming back," Jack explained.

"If he falls asleep, that's okay, I won't wake him and if I see he's getting worn out, I'll head out, I promise, Jack." Mark replied. He lifted up the grocery bag, "I brought in some junk food, if that's okay with you?"

Mary nodded yes and smiled. "Mark, he's on cloud nine that you're here. He said he slept extra long after you left this afternoon, just so he could stay up tonight. This means a lot to him that you came back," Mary said.

"I hate to see you two running off, I mean, he is your son, I don't want to intrude and push you out."

"In a way, Mark, we're glad for the break. I don't mean that how it sounds, but see, back in Chicago, we had friends and family for support and that really helps. Out here, well it's just been the three of us and we actually can use a little rest, so we're grateful that you're here," Jack said.

"You two have fun getting to know one another. Maybe we'll see you tomorrow?" Mary added.

Mark grabbed the bag and headed into the isolation room.

"It's about time you got here, those two were getting on my nerves," David said, sitting up and crossing his legs. "They worry too much. I kept telling them you promised you were coming back tonight."

"That's what parents are supposed to do wise guy, they worry, you know? Hey look, I brought us some stuff," Mark said tossing the bag onto the bed, landing it right at David's feet. David grabbed it and looked inside.

"Cool, what'd you do, rob a convenience store on the way over?" He pulled out a bag of Doritos and opening them up, he started to munch on them.

"No, smart aleck, remember it was stealing cars, not robbing stores, you gotta get the crime right, there boy."

David stopped eating suddenly as it occurred to him what he had just said. "Sorry, Mark, I was just joking about all the stuff in here, I didn't think." His voice drifted off. "That was really stupid of me to say. I know you're not, uh, well, you know I'm sorry."

"Forget it, no harm, no foul," Mark sat down on the bed and jokingly swiped the Cubs hat off David's head. "This hat is not gonna work out here, I gotta find you something better than this," he put it on his own head and grabbed a Dorito from the bag. David tried to grab it back but Mark dodged his reach playfully and so David went back to searching the grocery bag. He ended up pouring some of the contents out on the bed.

"This is awesome, I haven't had this much junk food ever." He scanned the room and Mark wondered what he was looking for. "I'm gonna have to hide some of it so my parents don't take it away. Do you see anyplace I can store it in here?"

"Did I say I was leaving it all here?"

"Well, no, but…."

Mark reached over and grabbed the Mallow Bars. "If I don't bring these home to Hardcastle, he'll get cranky. You can have everything else," he grinned. "How about under the bed?" he added, ducking his head to look under its frame.

David nodded and started scarfing a Snickers bar down.

"How'd you hook up with this Hardcastle guy?" he asked, and Mark proceeded to tell him all about the judge.

"You still could go back to prison for stealing the Coyote?" David asked after they had talked about the Judge for quite awhile.

"Nah, my parole is up and I think the Judge actually cleared it all up a few years ago and had it cleaned off my record." Mark replied. "Hey, I brought the plans…and here's a picture of the Coyote." He grabbed the blueprints from the grocery bag and pulled out a picture from his pocket."

"They let you drive this on the street? This is so awesome. You own this thing?" David's eyes were glued to the picture. Then he reached for the blueprints and started scanning over the specs.

"Yep, it's quite a ride."

"Would you take me for a ride in it when I get out of here?"

"Absolutely, maybe I'll even let you drive it, you said you have your license, right?"

"Yeah, almost a year now, and I haven't had an accident or even a speeding ticket yet. I don't get to drive too much, but I bet I could drive it. I'd take it slow."

Mark laughed, "I bet you could, too, but you don't drive the Coyote slow. How about I let you drive it on the day you get out of here?"

David nodded his head up and down in delight. "That would be so cool, my parents would be freaked out, but I'll do it!" David reached into the bag and pulled out a can of Mountain Dew. "My mom never lets me have this," he said with a grin. "She says it's got way too much caffeine in it for someone my age."

Mark rolled his eyes and scrunched his face, boy was he going to be in trouble with Jack and Mary. "Just don't overdose on it, okay? Save some for tomorrow."

It was too late, David had downed about half a can in a matter of seconds. "James drinks this all the time, he says it helps him study," he remarked.

"No doubt," Mark said. "It must be the caffeine keeping him up for all hours. Are his grades as good as yours?"

David shook his head no and opened up a pack of Oreo's. "Mostly C's and a couple of B's, but he's on the basketball and baseball teams though and that cuts into his study time."

"What about you, what kind of grades do you get?"

"Straight A's. I got a B once in third grade, 'cause I missed two weeks of school with the chicken pox."

"You had one B your whole life?"

David nodded, "I like school, it's pretty easy for me. How'd you do in high school?"

McCormick grinned, "It's not important anymore. Do you play any sports or other activities?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I was on the golf team when I was a freshman, it was JV, but I really improved my game that year, cut a couple of strokes off my handicap and I would have made varsity my sophomore year, but then I got sick and I just couldn't do it. I play trumpet in the pep band and sing in Concert Choir when I can. That's mostly it." David replied. There was a tiny moment of silence between the two of them, until David started up another conversation. "You and the Judge, you're like private cops then? Chasing after bad guys?"

"No one really hires us, these cases are from Hardcastle's files when he sat on the bench. Most of them got off on technicalities. The way the Judge sees it is…if they've committed one crime, they'll do something stupid again. And I've never known him to be wrong."

"Is that why he got you out of jail?"

"You mean, he thought I'd commit another crime for him?"

"No, not exactly, um, like he wanted to keep you from committing another crime? He sounds like the kind of person to keep you from doing that."

"Maybe, maybe he saw something in me that I didn't even see in myself. All I know is he's the best friend I've ever had."

"Do you miss not knowing or having your, I mean, our real Dad?"

Mark dropped his head and nodded. "Sometimes, and I can pretty much cross those dates off on a calendar," he smirked. "Sonny cares, David, he just does it differently than people like Hardcastle or Jack."

"I don't think he cares, he didn't even want to meet me. This isn't contagious, you know?" David said, pointing to himself. "He doesn't have to be afraid of me. It could be the only time, the only chance I'll ever get to meet him."

"David, I wish I could tell you something about Sonny that would give you another impression of him, but I don't know him that well myself, and the few times I've been with him, I'd just as soon forget."

"He's one of the guys Hardcastle talked about, the guy that keeps committing crimes, only all he does is run out on people, our moms, you and me…" David said, and added, "I snuck into my Dad's desk and read some of the clippings he had on him. Sonny's not even his real name. And he's been in and out of jail. I didn't read everything, but I saw a bunch of it."

"You know you're a pretty sneaky kid, breaking into your Dad's desk, listening to their conversations by pretending to be asleep, what other trouble do you get into?" McCormick asked, smiling.

The teen shrugged, he didn't feel like changing the subject. "Do you ever think you're gonna be like Sonny?" David asked.

Mark shook his head no, "Never, well maybe I used to think that way, but I don't anymore. I know I can change and I can do the right things, it's up to me, not something I'm born with."

"Maybe he doesn't care and maybe he's not much of a father, but I'd still like to meet him before I die," David said quietly.

The awkward silence returned, Mark didn't know what to say.

The next morning, it was McCormick, not Hardcastle who was out shooting baskets at a relatively early hour of the morning. The sound of the banging ball on the cement actually woke Milt up and he looked out the window of his bedroom to see Mark shooting baskets in the foggy morning air.

Putting on some sweats, he went outside to join him.

"This is a first," Hardcastle said walking onto the makeshift court with a smile plastered on his face, "you waking me up by shooting baskets. Is this a new you?"

Mark didn't pause from his routine, he kept dropping in long-range jump shots, "Must be the Chuckle Burgers working on my bone marrow," he said, with a pointed tone, referring to last night's dinner conversation. Hardcastle picked up on the edgy tone and ignored it for now, thinking the kid probably just had some pent up energy. Getting bombarded with a nearly almost always absent father, a new half brother and a potential life-threatening illness, heck, anyone would be edgy. McCormick finally missed one of the shots and had to go retrieve the ball from the garden it landed in. When he got the ball, he moved to another spot and continued to pepper the basket with jump shots.

McCormick must have been out on the court shooting baskets for awhile, Hardcastle thought, as the sweat was running down the young man's forehead and spots were forming on the light t-shirt he wore. Milt needed to try to get him to ease up before he fell over from exhaustion. "You gonna let me shoot too or what?" The judge asked as he watched Mark swish another one. The younger man tossed the ball over to him without answering. Milt took an easy warm-up shot. "Sure is cold out here this morning," he added, referring not only to the damp weather, but to Mark's mood. He blew on his hands to warm them up, as Mark had scooped up the ball and gone back to a succession of jumpers. Milt stepped under the hoop and grabbed the ball, and took another shot, hoping the break in his routine would make the kid talk. Nothing. McCormick took the ball again and went back to draining shots. Hardcastle loudly cleared his throat and laid down a challenge. "You're hitting everything this morning, sport, you wanna try it when someone's guarding you, say for $20?"

Mark bounced the ball over to him and said, "Sure, your outs, it might be the only bucket you score."

Milt took the ball and dribbled around a little and as he went up for an easy hook, McCormick was all over him and swatted the ball away with authority.

"Nice block, you got all ball on that, your outs," Hardcastle said.

Mark took the ball and immediately faked a drive, stepped back and swished a jump shot. "That's two, we're playing 21, right?"

"You been hitting those all morning, big deal," Hardcastle nodded, still trying to ascertain what was going through McCormick's head. This kid either talked everything to death or clammed up like the safe at Fort Knox. The game continued and with each passing play, McCormick didn't miss a shot, and the game suddenly took on a new intensity. They'd always played with a rough edge, but McCormick was turning the usual playful aggressiveness into some sort of anger-laden tirade. The game had shifted from the normal good-natured rivalry into Mark having to prove that he was a superior player. And someone was going to get hurt in the process. In the heat of the game, McCormick had driven the lane hard and Hardcastle had wound up landing on his backside, scuffing one of his elbows on the hard surface, drawing a bit of blood. The younger man barely paused the game to wait for the jurist to get back up. Hardcastle shook it off and got back up on his own and continued on as if it were the natural way they played. Still, there was a different mood to this particular game. On the very next play, McCormick managed to rip the ball away from Hardcastle and Milt called him for a foul.

"It's not a foul, I got all ball, I never touched you," Mark said. He threw the ball against the wall of the gatehouse.

"What's got into you this morning?" Milt questioned. "You trying to dent my house?"

"Why, because I took the ball away from you? That's the name of the game, Hardcase. If you can't take it, maybe you shouldn't play anymore." Hardcastle didn't answer, he waited for the kid to realize he needed to calm down. The young man relented slightly and said, "Okay, here, take a couple of freebies, that'll be the only way you score today anyway." He angrily tossed the ball at him.

Hardcastle swiped it out of mid-air and slammed it to the ground. "I don't think I want to play anymore today, this is a game, McCormick, not a battle," he said and started to walk away. Mark picked up the ball without saying anything further and went back to drilling jump shots.

The judge continued on toward the house, then he stopped and turned around, saw that Mark was still shooting and headed back. He walked right up to McCormick and slapped the ball away from him. "On second thought, let's finish this thing right now. I got two free ones coming." He stepped to the free throw mark and easily put them both through the net. McCormick didn't say a word. The Judge said, "That's 16-2!"

Mark rebounded the ball after the second free throw and took it back to start the play and things fell into the odd routine again, though this time the Judge was playing with the same intensity as the younger man. He quickly cut the deficit to 19-14 and he could see McCormick's insides were fuming. Milt made the mistake of inciting him by adding a verbal insult. "What's a matter, sport, you think you're the only one who can turn it up a notch? I've been playing this game longer than you've been alive, you know?" That comment normally would have merely provoked a smart aleck response, this day, however, this time all Hardcastle got was an icy glare.

Now it was Mark's ball again and this time he practically came charging at the judge, but before both of them would have fallen hard onto the concrete and perhaps cracked their skulls wide open, Milt put his arms around the kid and sort of caught him in midair, pulling him toward the softer ground of the garden area behind the hoop. The ball went flying in the opposite direction.

"Okay, that's just about enough," Hardcastle said, with one hand still clutching a piece of McCormick's sleeve. "What is going on? Hmmm? You're playing like some sort of animal out there, what's gotten into you? If I did something to offend you, why don't you just tell me instead of trying to kill me?" He waited then added, "I think I deserve some sort of an explanation."

Breathing hard and tense in body language, Mark said, "Nothing is going on, I just felt like playing hard. You're the one who came out here and laid down the bet." He pulled out a $20 bill and handed it to the Judge.

"Put that away, I don't want your blood money," Hardcastle said.

He shrugged his arm away from Hardcastle's grasp. He even started to stand up, but Hardcastle reached out, grabbed his arm and pulled him back to the dirt.

"You haven't played that hard," Milt emphasized severely, "since you came here. I'm not buying whatever you're selling. This is old Hardcase, you're supposed to be able to tell me anything. Now what's going on?"

"What if I don't have anything to say?"

"Well, for one thing, that would be a first. Let me try this, does it have something to do with David?"

"You know you're brilliant, how would you ever deduce that?" McCormick smarted back.

"So why are you taking this out on me, I'm on your side, you know?"

McCormick finally took a deep breath, dropped back in the garden and then stretched out. Hardcastle knew he had to be darn near exhausted by now. On a normal occasion of basketball, he'd have challenged him to a pulse bet, but he watched as McCormick tried to control his heavy breathing. Suddenly, Mark let out a guttural scream aimed at nothing in particular.

"Did something happen at the hospital last night?" Milt started questioning him again.

"No, nothing happened like you're thinking, except there's a 16 year old kid up there that might be dying."

"McCormick, you need to get a grip on this," the Judge said, "This stuff just happens."

Mark interrupted him, sitting back up and looking him straight in the eye. "I get it, okay, Milt. I get it. He's dying and I might not even be able to help him, even if I want to, even if I give him every part of my body. It's pretty black and white. I mean what else is there to get?" His frustration spilled through his voice.

Hardcastle sighed, "There's got to be something else you're not telling me, I know you know you're doing everything you can possibly do, so just say whatever it is that's on your mind. You might feel better if you get it out in the open."

"It's..." Mark took his hand and wiping some sweat off his face, "I just..." he paused again, "He's 16, you know, he's got his whole life ahead of him, and he's got everything going for him, a great family, brains, the works." Hardcastle waited, giving McCormick a chance to say whatever it was he was feeling. "I mean, why couldn't it have been me, Judge? Why did he get this and not me?" There, he'd said it and it didn't really feel all that much better than keeping it locked up inside himself.

Hardcastle sucked in a deep breath through his nose. To himself he thought, now I'm starting to get an idea of what this is all about. "Okay, hold up right there. You're getting a little ahead of yourself. Like Yogi Berra says, 'it ain't over till it's over.' David's still got a lot of fight left in him, and you might be able to help him. And secondly, it's not up to any of us to say who gets what and who doesn't…that's a little out of our hands, you know? It's not you who has this terrible thing because the man upstairs has some other plan for you, you know that." Hardcastle paused and wondered how to proceed, "See if I'm following you here…you think because you're an ex-con without the perfect two-parent, two-kid nuclear family that it would be better for you to have cancer."

"Putting it bluntly, huh?" McCormick looked him in the eye and gave him a partial grin. He wasn't surprised that Hardcastle figured out exactly what was bothering him. "I know I shouldn't think like that, but it's there, I can't stop from having this feeling and I just feel so helpless. I'm mad and I just can't help but wonder why him and why not me?"

"You're not helpless, you're doing everything you possibly can."

"Yeah, I've had a brother for sixteen years and I just found out about it on Tuesday. You know if I'd even have found out maybe a year and a half ago, he'd have had a better chance than he has now. Damn that Sonny." He picked up a handful of dirt from the garden and tossed it aside in frustration.

"Cancer or not, you can't let yourself be thinking anyone's life means more than the one you're living. So you weren't born with a golden spoon in your mouth, not too many people are. It's what you do with the life you have, and in case you haven't realized it yet, you're doing just fine with yours—more than fine." Mark shook his head no but Hardcastle wouldn't let him get in a word edgewise. "Don't shake your head at me, it's time for you to think about what you've overcome, and yes, you heard me right. You didn't let your circumstances defeat you, you rose up and you're winning the game you're playing. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. A thing like cancer, it just happens, none of us left here on earth know why. Being there for someone, sometimes that's the only thing you can do, and sometimes that means the most."

"Judge I hear what you're saying, and I've been telling myself the same stuff for the last couple of days and maybe someday I'll see that it's true, but it's just sort of hollow right now. Maybe down the road I'll see the whole point to this," Mark said, taking his sleeve and wiping some sweat off his forehead. "I'm sorry about the game, I don't know what the hell I was thinking. You're right, I shouldn't take it out on you."

"Forget about it."

"You're letting me off the hook?"

"We can go for $20," the Judge suggested, "that would be a start."

Two days later Mark received the phone call from Dr. Nason's office. He was down at the campus doing some research in the law library when the call came in and Judge Hardcastle took the message. Milt was tempted to drive over to the library to tell him, but the kid had said he'd be back within the hour, so the judge impatiently waited for him to come driving up. As the Coyote pulled up, Milt opened the front door and called out for McCormick to hurry up…he had gotten a message from the doctor and needed to call him. Mark quickly made his way to the den, with Hardcastle pushing him from behind.

As he entered the den, Mark turned back toward Hardcastle and said, "Quit pushing me, you're not helping."

Hardcastle went over to the phone and started dialing up the number. He handed the receiver to McCormick, who grabbed it eagerly.

"Hi, Beth, this is Mark McCormick calling, I understand you're looking for me," Mark said. "Sure, I'll hold." He turned to Milt and explained, "I'm holding for the doctor. Is that good or bad?"

Hardcastle shrugged and said, "I think it's good."

"Yes, I'm still here, thank you," Mark spoke into the phone, "Dr. Nason? Okay, yes, sure I understand, I will, uh huh, no," he replied to the doctor's comments. Milt couldn't get a bead on what the conversation meant, and McCormick was showing no emotion one way or another. "Okay, thank you Dr. Nason," Mark concluded and hung up.

"That's it? What'd they say?" Hardcastle asked impatiently

"I'm a match," Mark grinned from ear to ear, "Everything checked out just fine, they even ran the test three times to confirm everything." Hardcastle reached out his hand to shake Mark's in a moment of sincere congratulations and broke into a smile of his own. He let Mark ramble on, letting him bask in the glow of being a match. "I have to go in to his office in the next couple of days for a pre-op physical and to sit down with him and the staff to make sure I understand all the particulars. And best of all, I get to tell David myself. Dr. Nason wants me to let him know."

"That's great, David's got a real good chance. You got good stuff inside you, kiddo," Milt said. "This is wonderful news."

"And you know, since you've given me blood," referring to the few times Mark had been shot and received blood transfusions from Milt, "you'll be in there too, nothing like a little added donkey for the full benefit, right? This kid will have it made." Mark finally felt happy enough to tease Hardcastle.

"You're funny, wise guy, so what was the 'no' for?"

"He asked if I had any colds or infections in the last 6 months."

Hardcastle nodded his understanding. "You know you could have showed some emotion or given me a thumbs up or something, I've been waiting to hear this news for a few days too."

"Are you kidding…your reaction was priceless, I wanted to string you along even more, but this was good. You actually looked happy, Judge."

"Of course I'm happy." An embarrassed scowl came across Hardcastle's face as he heard Mark's comment. "How soon do they want to do this?"

"If everything goes okay with the physical, they want to do the harvest next Tuesday, which means I'll need to get over to the school and check to see what I need to do, I'll miss a few days at least."

"I'll take care of the school, I'll make a few calls, don't worry about that," Milt said. "You should go tell David."

"I can't get in there to visit him till after dinner now," Mark explained, looking at his watch.

"I'll bet you $20 by the time you get there, they will make a special exception for you."

"You know it's almost worth giving you the $20 now just to realize how many people you know and how many strings you can pull," Mark said, slapping him on the back.

"I'm thinking you should pick up a pizza on the way too," Hardcastle added.

Mark shook his head, "Yeah, I'll do that, or have you already called that in too?"

"No, but by the time you stop over at Mario's, it'll be ready. Now get out of here."

The actual bone marrow harvest wasn't a long procedure but the patient usually received a general anesthesia and spent overnight in the hospital. It generally had no long term effects, although most patients had a lower back ache near the two spots that the bone marrow would be harvested from, which was on the backside of the pelvic bone. The back ache could last up to two weeks. Sometimes a patient would have some nausea from the anesthetic too. To McCormick, the prospect of two weeks of slight discomfort would be nothing, compared to what the teen would be going through. While the harvesting was being done to the donor, the recipient would go through several days of intense chemotherapy and radiation to purge as much cancer as possible before he could receive the healthy bone marrow. The hope was that the new marrow would take over and rejuvenate throughout the patient. This severe therapy often left the patient very weak and with little resistance to fight off infection. Since it was critical that David avoid being exposed to outside germs, only the medical personnel and Jack and Mary would be allowed to see David on these days prior to the harvest.

As they prepped Mark for the harvest, Hardcastle went into the room, just to make sure Mark was doing all right. They'd just injected a mild sedative into his IV.

"Hey Hardcase, you come to wish me luck?" he said with a quiet smile.

"Something like that," The judge let out a deep breath, "The nurses got you all prepped and ready to go?"

"Yeah, they just gave me the sleep juice," McCormick said, lifting slightly his right hand to indicate the IV.

"Well, this will be over before you know it."

"Mmmhmm."

Hardcastle could see the young man was starting to fade. "I'll be here when you get out," he said to him. "Make sure you do what the nurses and doctors tell you."

"Like I could do anything else?" he said shaking his head. "I'll see you later…make sure David's okay." He yawned and closed his eyes.

"You got it, kiddo."

Milt sat in the waiting room with Jack and Mary while Mark's bone marrow was being harvested. The three of them had fallen into a comfortable relationship because of the newly-found brothers. David and Mark took to calling them Uncle Milt, Uncle Jack and Aunt Mary respectively.

Finally the nurse came out and talked to them. "The harvest went terrific and Mark is just heading into recovery, he did fantastically well. Dr. Nason actually got more marrow than he expected, which is great news for David. Anyway, Mark will be in recovery for about a half hour and once we get him settled into a room, I'll come and get you, so you can see him."

It was nearly an hour later when she came back. Mark had had some nausea, she commented, but they'd finally gotten him settled into his room and they could go in and see him.

The three of them entered the hospital room, and as Milt went up to the bed and it appeared that McCormick was already sleeping. But he must have heard the activity because he opened up his eyes as Hardcastle came closer.

"Hi there, Judge," he said weakly, "I made it huh?"

"You sure did, kiddo. How you feeling?"

Mark was still a little disorientated and his eyes were a little glassy looking. "Am I at home already? I feel pretty good, Judge, how are you?" he responded sleepily.

Hardcastle had to smile. "Me, I'm fine. The doc said you did great, kiddo, they got even more bone marrow out of you than they thought they would. Which means David will get more."

"Did they take it already?"

"Yeah, you're all done, sport,"

"How's David?" Mark asked

Mary took a step closer, on the opposite side of the bed and she reached down and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. "He's doing fine, Mark, he's worried about you right now."

"Hey Aunt Mary, tell him I feel good," he said with a groggy smile. "Is Uncle Jack around too?"

"Right here Mark." Rutherford couldn't help but laugh at how good the young man appeared to be feeling due to the medication. "You should get some rest, you did great," Jack reached down and gave his hand a squeeze.

"How's David?" he asked again.

"He's fine, Mark, he's thinking of you," Mary answered him. "You should just rest right now." Mark yawned and closed his eyes for a few minutes.

Hardcastle remarked wryly to the Rutherfords, "I think the anesthesia got to him….either that or the doc slipped and removed his brain…it's basically in the same place, as where that marrow came from."

"You're not funny, Hardcase. I'm just still waking up, you're supposed to be nice to me now," Mark mumbled. He opened up his eyes and looked right at Milt. "I just had a medical procedure, you know?"

"I'm always nice to you."

"How do you feel, Mark?" Mary asked. "Any pain?"

He shifted around in the bed a little and replied, "I can tell they did something to me, but it's not so bad."

"David said to tell you he wishes he could stop in and visit you for a change," Jack added.

"Yeah, I know, anything to get out of that room. But we'll get to hang out together outside of this place soon enough." Mark let out a long yawn. "My head feels dizzy, I'm just tired."

"We should get going, Mary, Mark needs some sleep," Jack started. "You take it easy, okay Mark?"

"Yes, we'll see you tomorrow, Mark, you just get a lot of rest and the Judge said he'll take care of you. Thank you so much for doing this," Mary said, giving him another kiss on his forehead.

"My pleasure," he answered. "Anything for my little bro," he added. "A promise is a promise."

Jack and Mary turned to leave and said goodbye to Milt. "This is so wonderful, I'm glad he's okay, and now we just have to get it into David," Jack said. "I'm sorry I ever doubted his integrity." Hardcastle gratefully acknowledged the comment on Mark's behalf.

"He's still kind of out of it, isn't he," Mary looked back to Mark.

"Oh he'll be all right, I know he'll be more talkative tomorrow," the judge said.

"We understand, Milt, we just wanted to thank him, though it doesn't seem like words will ever be enough," Mary said. She gave Hardcastle an unexpected hug. "We'll talk to you tomorrow."

Milt held the door for them and then went back and sat down in the chair next to McCormick's bed. "Aren't you going home?" Mark asked, though his eyes were closed, he knew it was the Judge. "The hard part is over…I'm okay. You should go home."

"Not yet, I thought I'd just make sure you're all right and that you've got everything you need."

"Let's see, blanket? Check. Bed? Check. Pillow? Check. Pain relief, sort of. I think I got everything I need Judge. I'll be okay. Go home."

Hardcastle waved him off without replying and reached for the TV remote off the table next to Mark's bed. "Just sleep, will ya?"

The young man didn't have the fight in him to argue so he just closed his eyes and drifted off.

McCormick woke up the next morning and looked over to see the cantankerous donkey had fallen asleep in the chair and had stayed all night. "Hey Hardcase, wake up! See if I can get checked out of here will ya?"

The judge shot upright from the sleep he was in, "What? Huh?"

"You slept here all night 'Uncle Milt'," he joked, 'You're something else. It's not like I was dying or anything."

"I see your fat lip is back in form." Hardcastle said, standing up and groaning as he straightened.

"And it looks like we'll have matching backaches," Mark said, eyeing up the Judge's stiff body. He shifted around a little in the bed and felt a dull pain in his own lower back.

By midday, Milt had driven Mark home and helped him into the den. McCormick's back was indeed stiff and sore and his movement was really limited. Milt had a good hold on his arm as he led him to the soft leather chair. For once McCormick wasn't trying to play the tough guy role and he gladly accepted the anchor that Milt provided. "You want some lunch or something?" the judge asked.

"Yeah, a sandwich would be great actually, that hospital breakfast food was like eating cardboard," Mark answered, attempting to stand up.

"Sit down, will ya, I'll bring the fixings in here," Hardcastle said.

"I'm not gonna argue with you," Mark said, settling back in the chair. As Milt exited the phone began to ring, so Mark got up gingerly to it. "Hello?"

"Hi Mark, it's me, David. I heard they released you, I just wanted to find out how you're doing today."

"Moving slow, but moving bro, how are you doing?" Mark clutched the side of the desk and sort of stooped over it. The pain shot through his back.

"I'm fighting the fight, I wish I could see you now."

"Hey, just a couple of days till you get the bone marrow and then you'll be on the road to recovery, right? I'll see you after that." Mark promised.

"I know, but misery loves company, I'd like to see you flat on your back for a change," David cracked.

"Just come over anytime after I finish the pool cleaning," Mark kidded, "I'm always good for being flat on my back after that…ask Hardcastle."

"A pool sounds good right about now. I haven't gotten to swim in a long time."

"So right after you drive the Coyote for awhile, we'll hit the pool here, okay?"

"And then get a pizza right?"

"Absolutely."

"Can I have a beer too?"

"Don't push your luck, Uncle Jack and Aunt Mary would kill me if I gave you a beer."

"They'd never know," David quietly laughed. "You've been in tighter spots anyway." He was getting more and more playful when he suggested Mark's checkered past.

"Listen to you! Don't count on me turning you into a juvenile delinquent. Even if we got past your parents, Uncle Milt would be sure to find out though and I'm not ready for that punishment, so no to the beer."

"Now you're cooking," David said.

"Oh come on…he's got you saying that too?" Mark laughed.

"Yeah, when I talked to him yesterday, he mentioned it to me. I tried calling you in the hospital room last night, but Uncle Milt said you were wiped out, that you were sleeping."

"Yeah, I was, from the anesthesia you know, I'm sorry I missed your call though."

"Don't worry about it, I know the feeling you know? Sometimes you just don't want to talk to anyone when you're going through all this. Sleep's the only thing you can do."

"So how's the chemo going?" Mark heard David take a deep breath before he answered.

"It's really intense, but they warned me it would be, in order to get your bone marrow to be accepted without rejection. I'm pretty wiped out, sleeping a lot, but I can take it."

Hardcastle came back into the den with all kinds of food and fixings for a sandwich. Mark whispered to him that he was talking with David. Milt nodded and started working on building himself a sandwich. He saw Mark trying to find a comfortable way to stand or lean, taking his free hand and rubbing the small of his back for relief, but he knew he really needed to just sit down and take the pressure off his lower back, so the judge set down his sandwich and walked over by the desk and swiped the phone away from McCormick. He pointed for him to go sit down in a chair while talking into the phone receiver. "Hi, David, it's Uncle Milt here, hang on a second, your less intelligent brother needs to sit down before he falls over." David started to laugh on the other end of the phone.

Mark started to grumble but he walked over to the one of the leather chairs and sat down. Hardcastle kept talking to the teenager, while he wormed the phone cord across the floor to the end table nearest to where Mark was heading.

"What's he doing standing up? He's supposed to be taking it easy and you're supposed to be taking care of him?" David said from the other end of the phone.

"You know, if I didn't know you better, I'd say you were picking up that fat mouth of his, you know you're supposed to wear off on him, not the other way around," Milt said to David. Now it was Mark's turn to laugh as he settled into a chair. Hardcastle hadn't technically even met the youngster yet, but he sure was treating him like he was part of his family. "Now are you taking care of yourself there? Cuz you need to be ready for this bone marrow of his.

"Yeah, I'd take it today if they let me, but Dr. Nason said they gotta clean out the Chuckle Burgers first and that usually takes a few days."

"Don't knock the Chuckle Burgers there boy, they change the grease in the fryers once a month, that's first class. We'll have to run you through the drive through after you get the bone marrow, cuz you'll probably be craving it." Milt had finally pulled over the telephone cord to where Mark sat and he said to David. "Okay, Dave, I think I got this telephone all set, here's Mark again, I'll talk with you soon."

"Thanks Uncle Milt," David said, waiting for Mark to come back on the line.

"I'm back, David, sorry about that," Mark said.

"So the harvest is pretty painful, huh? You can't stand for very long?" David asked.

"Not really, but it's getting better. They said it would only be a couple of days probably."

"I'm sorry you have to go through all this for me, man," the teen whispered, but then he changed the subject right away. "Hardcase said we're going for Chuckle Burgers." Mark laughed as David had already picked up on Milt's nickname too.

"Yeah, I heard that, you know it's one step up from hospital food? Don't expect much."

"No way, anything's better than hospital food. You know in Chem last year we actually got some mashed potatoes from the local hospital cafeteria and we analyzed what was in them to make them taste so bad."

"Yeah, what'd you find?"

"They were made of everything but potatoes. No kidding, we ran the test a couple of times just to be sure, but there was like a .3 of real, genuine potato in there. It was Russet."

"Come on, you can't tell what kind of potato it was?" Mark asked in disbelief. Hardcastle looked over to him and could only wonder what the two of them were discussing as he took another bite of his sandwich.

"I'm serious, I still have the print-out of the test back at home, I'll send it to you and prove it."

Mark heard David yawn. "Getting tired, huh?"

"Yeah, a little, I should say goodbye for now, but I don't want to."

"I'll give you a call later, okay?" Mark said. "We can talk tonight, you still got a Mountain Dew left, right? Drink one of those later, the caffeine will keep you awake," he tried to joke.

"Yeah, I still have a couple left, I'll drink one later. I better hang up Mark. Take care of your back, okay?"

"You bet, talk to you later buddy," Mark said, hanging up the phone. He pursed his lips and glanced over to Hardcastle. "This treatment is really wiping him out."

"The doctors said it would. He'll get the bone marrow soon enough."

About an hour later Mark told the Judge he was going to go sit outside for awhile. Hardcastle nodded and asked him if he wanted a hand or company, but Mark declined. He got up gingerly and went outside. After a while the judge looked out and didn't see him anywhere, so he went out the front door. Seeing the Coyote still parked, he walked over to the gatehouse, but McCormick wasn't there either. He walked around the grounds past the pool area and found him down near the edge of the cliff, sitting on a bench and looking out at the ocean.

"How'd you get way out here?"

Mark jumped a little bit by the interruption in his thoughts, "I walked, Judge, most people learn it when they're babies. You start by putting one foot in front of the other and before you know it, you're moving along."

"Funny, kiddo, I thought you were just going to sit on the patio by the pool?"

"I needed a bigger body of water to look at, the pool just wasn't working for me."

"All this thinking and worrying isn't going to do any good."

"Neither is telling me things I already know."

"Yeah, and taking out your wise guy remarks on the guy who's just trying to help doesn't do much either." Milt remarked.

Mark sighed. "You're right, I'm sorry Judge, I do keep taking it all out on you, when I want to take it out on Sonny and I don't even know why I want to take it out on him. It's not like he caused any of this. You know David still wants to meet Sonny?"

"You know how that is, you wanted to find him too."

"I gotta find him and convince him to come back, even if it's only for a few minutes. He's gotta meet this kid. I know exactly why. I gotta find a way to make this happen."

"Why don't you concentrate on one thing at a time, like getting through this bone marrow thing first?"

"You're right, I better get back inside, I think I need a nap." Mark tried to stand up, but the back pain tore through him.

"Good thing I found you out here, kiddo, here, let me give you a hand," Hardcastle reached out and helped him to his feet. "That back's still painful huh?"

"Yeah, but I'm used to having a pain back there, it usually comes from a friend I know."

"I'll remember you said that when you need your next favor," the judge grumped lightly as he wrapped an arm across the young man's shoulders and they started to walk slowly back toward the house.

After supper Frank Harper showed up out at Gull's Way. Milt let him in and they both walked into the den, where Mark was sprawled out on the sofa.

"Hiya Mark," Frank said, strolling in with his hands in the pockets of his trousers. "How ya feeling tonight?"

Mark turned to see him, "Hey Frank, I'm doing okay, what's going on?"

"Milt and I are going to play poker tonight over at Judge Harrison's, we didn't think you'd mind, but if you want you can come along. I'm sure Judge Harrison won't mind if you sample his chip dip."

"Nah, I'll pass, I'm just not up for sitting in one place too long, but thanks for the offer, Frank. And besides, Judge Willmington has better dip than Harry."

"That's a helluva thing you're doing, Mark. I had a nephew who had a bone marrow transplant a couple of years back. He's doing great today."

Mark sat up a little and smiled with news of a positive outcome. "Well, my part was pretty easy, you know?"

"Yeah, it looks that way right now!" Frank teased, seeing him trying to find a comfortable way to stretch out. "Even so, it's pretty great of you to do that for a brother you just met. Hardcastle told me all about it," he explained.

Milt was grabbing some cash out of the desk drawer. "Okay Frank, I think I'm set, let's get going, we gotta make a stop before we go over there."

"A stop, where?" Mark asked.

"Frank's helping me out on something," Hardcastle explained.

"You're working a case, why didn't you say something?"

"Because you've already got other stuff on your mind. It's nothing big, don't worry. We just have to check one thing out, then we're going over to Harrison's. If you need anything just give us a call over there."

Mark wondered what the two of them were up to, it was 12 miles out of Harper's way to pick up Hardcastle to go over to Harrison's, but neither one of them looked worried, so he let it pass for now.

"You should just get some rest, Mark," Harper added.

"What are you going to do tonight?" Hardcastle asked.

"There's a John Wayne movie on tonight that I've only seen twice, I thought I'd go for the trifecta, that and call David."

"All right, we'll see you later, okay?"

"Yep, good luck." And with that they headed out.

As Milt and Frank walked outside, Harper asked him, "What's this case we're working on? You haven't said anything. What gives?"

"I need you to help me find someone."

"Is it legal?" Frank deadpanned and followed it with a smile.

"Of course it's legal, I just don't want McCormick to know about it," Hardcastle groused.

Frank opened his car door, paused and looked over the roof of the car toward Milt and asked, "Just who am I supposed to find?"

"Sonny Daye."

"Wasn't he just in town and why wouldn't McCormick want to know, that is his Dad, isn't it?"

"He was here for three hours with a two-hour overlay, McCormick saw him then." Hardcastle got in the car and slammed the door. "Can you just do it and not ask a lot of questions. McCormick said he flew back to New Jersey, so you should start there. Atlantic City, I think."

"And if I find him? What do I do then?"

"Keep track of him, I want to know exactly where he's at, all the time."

Harper started up the car, "This sounds like a job for a private detective, did you ever think to hire one?"

"Yes, I figured that, but I also figured you might know someone who can do that. I'll pay whatever it takes. I just need to know where he's at, in case I need to get him out here in an emergency. Can you do that?"

Harper knew when to argue and when not to argue and this was one of those times. "Sure Milt, I'll take care of it," Frank let it go without expecting any kind of explanation. He was about to get a small one, but that's usually the way it happened with Hardcastle.

"These two kids of his deserve a lot better than Sonny Daye," Milt mumbled, "I don't know why they need to meet him, but if that's what they want, I'll make it happen."

Harper smiled at the windshield, this friend of his was something else. "I'll make sure we keep this quiet, just between you and me. McCormick will never know, I promise."

"You better keep it quiet, because the kid finds out I'm doing this, I'll never hear the end of it."

They started the transplant on a Tuesday. David had proceeded to get weaker with each passing day prior to it leaving him able to only talk with Mark via the phone on just a couple of short occasions. The additional radiation and chemotherapy were horridly more brutal than a cancer patient would normally receive. Mark had read the material that said that having the transplant was like having the flu and all its aches, pains, nausea, vomiting, extreme weakness, diarrhea and other symptoms for anywhere from four to eight weeks. The procedure wasn't a surgical one, as Mark's had been, rather the bone marrow would be infused into David via a central IV line.

Mary and Jack stopped over for dinner at Gull's Way on Tuesday night and reported that David's infusion had begun and that he was trying to sleep as much as possible, and when he was awake, he was very irritable. It would be two to four weeks before the bone marrow would begin to engraft in David's body. He'd be watched closely for any sign of infection and to monitor his organ functions. Blood samples would be taken more often than usual just to determine that everything was moving forward. Mark offered to and was able to donate blood, as David needed transfusions too.

The hardest thing, next to the overall weakness and pain was the isolation. Mark heard it in David's voice every time he was able to chat with him. It was a very lonely time. The recovery would be very gradual, and it would take a long time for David's strength and immune system to show signs of improvement. Dr. Nason had told him that it would be at least two weeks before he could have visitors besides his parents, because of the high probability of infection. That in and of itself was hard for any 16-year-old to take, but factor in the presence of a brand new brother whom he couldn't see and it was easy to see that David could slip into a heavy depression.

Mark's back quickly recovered from the bone marrow harvest, and after a few days he went back to his law classes. He'd spend class time listening to the lecture, often times writing short letters or notes to David. After class he'd run the notes over to the hospital himself or give them to the Rutherford's for them to give to David. In between classes he'd try calling his room, if only to talk with him for a few minutes, just to help lift up his spirits. David complained about having mouth sores from the chemo, which made eating especially tough. Plus with all the medications he was taking, as he explained to Mark during one of their phone conversations, food didn't even taste the same. These were all temporary side effects.

Near the end of the second week, David called up Mark at Gull's Way. Milt picked up the phone and was pleasantly surprised to hear the teen on the other end.

"Hi, Uncle Milt," David began, "Thanks for all the cards you've been sending, and the comic books, I haven't gotten through all them yet, but if you let me keep them for awhile, I promise I will."

"You keep them for as long as you like, David, I'm glad you enjoy them. There's about a million more lying around here. You must be feeling better today, huh?" McCormick came into the den from the kitchen carrying a plate of food for himself. Hardcastle smiled broadly when he saw Mark and tried to indicate it was David who he was chatting with. McCormick set the plate down and waited for the Judge to wrap up his conversation.

"Mark says you like The Lone Ranger the best," David added.

"McCormick tells you too much."

David took the kidding a step further, and he did his own impersonation of Hardcastle, that Mark had taught him, "McCormick said you'd say that too." The teenager even managed to laugh.

"You guys are brothers, that's for sure, both a couple of smart mouths. Here he is, Dave," Milt said, holding the phone out to Mark.

"Hey David, you must be feeling better today, you actually have enough strength to dial the phone, huh?"

"Hi Mark, yeah, I do feel better today, well, right now anyway. I managed to eat my breakfast and keep it inside so far. Mom said she was going to try to sneak me in a Mountain Dew today."

"That's great, David. You'll be outta there real soon at this rate."

"Thanks to you, Mark," David said.

"You're doing the hard part, but enough about that... did you see Dr. Nason today?"

"Yeah, he was in this morning too, he woke me up actually."

"What did he say?" Mark asked.

"Oh, he's pleased with everything, keep staying positive, one day at a time, all that stuff I've heard a million times before," he said in a monotone, then added, "and he said I can have visitors starting Sunday, if nothing changes." His voice clearly was filled with excitement. "That means you and Uncle Milt could come. Do you think he'd come?"

Mark smiled and glanced over to Milt. What amazed him was that both he and David could pick out the genuineness of Milton C. Hardcastle over the phoniness of their own father. "David, I don't think a platoon of infantrymen would be able to keep him away. I gotta warn you though, his bark is worse than his bite, so prepare yourself."

"I'm ready, you know I got this picture of him in my head. It'll be interesting to see if he's anything like what I imagine," David explained.

"Does the picture in your head have green skin, horns, neck bolts and bulging, bloodshot eyes?" Mark asked. "'Cause if not, that's what you should be imagining"

David let out a powerful laugh. When he finally stopped he said, "That's how I picture Sonny, Uncle Milt's more like Grandpa Walton."

Now it was Mark's turn to laugh, "Trust me, David, Uncle Milt is more like Grandpa from the Munsters."

"Can you ask him to come with you?" David said.

"Absolutely and I'll even make him buy a 12-pack of Mountain Dew, how's that sound?"

"Great but, what are you two gonna drink?" David fired back.

Mark had to laugh. "Hardcase is right, you do sound like me, how do you do that?"

"It's the bone marrow," David replied. "Listen, I better get going, I need to take a nap, so I'm ready for Sunday."

"Sounds good, kiddo, you take care. I'll talk to you before then, but for sure we'll see you on Sunday," Mark assured him.

Mark hung up the phone and Milt asked him, "What was that all about?"

"David wants to meet you and Dr. Nason said maybe by Sunday he can have some visitors. He wants me to ask if you'll come."

Hardcastle's face lit up with the news. "You're right, McCormick, a platoon of infantrymen wouldn't keep me away."

David's recovery progressed enough by Sunday that Dr. Nason agreed to let a few more visitors see him as long as they followed the restrictions of wearing gowns, masks and gloves when they went in to see him. He anxiously waited for Mark and Milt to come and see him on Sunday afternoon.

As they entered the room, David sat up as much as he could in the hospital bed and even behind the mask he had to wear they could see he had broken into a grin from ear to ear. "Geez, I was wondering if you guys were in a car accident or something, what took you so long?" he asked them. "Hi, Mark!"

Mark answered, "The Judge here," he motioned a thumb in Hardcastle's direction, "drove the pick-up and that generally means we top out at 20 miles per hour."

"The last time I let you drive my truck McCormick, you broke the suspension, remember? Do you think I'm going to let that happen again?"

"And why did the suspension break?" Mark paused, "Oh yeah, wait, we were chasing after some lowlife, criminal element who was escaping your poor sense of humor. I seem to recall you egging me on to go faster and to drive over that construction site."

Hardcastle brushed off his comment and turned his attention back to David. "Well, we're here now," and he held out his hand to David who took it and gave it a shake. "You must be David? I'm Milt Hardcastle, Nice firm handshake, and you look a man in the eye, that's what I like. You're all right Dave, it's a shame you got this one for a brother though, but maybe he can learn a thing or two from you."

David watched Hardcastle very closely, as if he was determining whether or not he was trustworthy. It didn't take him long to make his decision. "It's really nice to meet you too Uncle Milt, finally. Is it all right that I call you that? Mark wasn't sure if you'd go for it, but I can call you Judge if you prefer, or Mr. Hardcastle, or Your Honor," David rambled and grinned underneath the mask again. He turned to Mark and said, "I thought you said he had green skin?"

The two older men shrugged at each other. "Judge, I don't know where he got that from," Mark said.

"Uncle Milt is fine," Hardcastle set a bag of junk food at the foot of David's bed. "We brought you some goodies. There's Mountain Dew in there too, McCormick said you liked it, just don't drink it all in one shot."

David reached for the bag and pulled out a can right away and offered one to Mark and Milt, Mark accepted while Milt declined. "There's one good thing about all this and that's that my mom is letting me drink this now." He held up the can as if it were gold.

"I think you're being spoiled rotten by everybody," Mark added, looking around the room and seeing the volumes of cards, letters, books and tapes that cluttered his room. By the looks of this mail, you must know everyone in the country." In just a week the amount of 'stuff' in his room had tripled.

"I guess a near death experience brings out the best in folks. People started sending me autographs and pictures from all kinds of celebrities and sports stars. I even got a letter from the President. One of my friend's parents has an uncle that knows him personally and called in a favor."

Milt walked around the room and paused to read some of them. "That's a pretty big deal, getting a letter from the President."

"I think it's cooler to finally get to meet you," David said.

Hardcastle hid a smile from the brothers and then turned back toward the teenager and said, "Now you're cooking! Listen, I've got a proposition for the two of you and your mom and dad too, David. When you get out of here, why don't the three of you come stay out at Gulls Way? You could bunk with McCormick out in the gatehouse and I'll put up your parents in the main house. It'll give us all a chance to get to know one another. How's that sound?"

"Maybe I don't want a roommate?" Mark chimed in. Underneath his sarcasm, he was touched but not surprised by Hardcastle's generosity.

David made a weak fist and playfully punched McCormick in the arm. "That'd be really great, Uncle Milt, I'd love to come and I'm sure my parents would be okay with it too. And Mark and I can hang out."

"I'll talk to your parents about it and we'll get everything set up, you just need to get better there, kiddo," Milt said.

"I'm trying, Uncle Milt."

"We know you are, Dave" Hardcastle said, "We know you are."

Six and a half weeks later David got his release signed from Dr. Nason. The mask would still have to be worn and the Cubs hat was replaced by a Dodger's cap. Waiting at the hospital entrance was Mark, with the Coyote. Jack and Mary pushed his wheelchair down the hall toward the automatic doors and the moment they opened up, David sprung up from the chair, the instant he spotted Mark sitting on the door frame of his car.

"Hey Mark," he called out. McCormick gave him a wave. David came and walked around the entire car, his eyes the size of saucers. "You're really gonna let me drive this?" He was in awe.

"Yeah, I'm gonna let you drive this, unless you're a chicken?"

Jack and Mary came walking up to the boys. "You still can get out of this, Mark," Jack joked. "You haven't given him the keys yet, have you?"

"Dad, come on, I know how to drive," David whined. "Cut it out. Mark, don't listen to him."

Mark tossed him the keys, which David almost dropped, because he was obviously nervous. "Let's go kid, Hardcase is probably burning the burgers already. We need to get home fast. That is, if you think you can drive this thing."

"We'll meet you guys at the house then, okay?" Mary said. She walked over to David and kissed his cheek. Then she stepped over to Mark and did the same thing.

"Moooooooom," David's embarrassment was evident. "We're just taking a drive, not traveling around the world, we'll probably beat you there driving this monster."

"Hey, come on now, David, you're mom's just worried, this is some prime machinery, I'm not sure you can handle it," Mark teased.

David quickly walked over to the driver's side and slid into the car. He'd been waiting for this day for far too long and no one and nothing was going to spoil it, especially two jittery parents or an older brother who liked to joke. "Get in, old man, I'll show you how to handle this machinery."

Mark raised his eyebrows in mocked suspicion and looked over at Jack and Mary and said, "Don't worry, we'll be fine, we'll take all the back roads and not go faster than thirty."

"David, I want you to listen to Mark when it comes to driving his car. He's a professional, remember, and you're not ready for the Indy 500. " Jack said in all seriousness.

"I will, Dad, now will you guys just go, we'll be fine. We'll see you at Uncle Milt's house okay?"

Mark slid into the passenger seat and told David to start the car. He watched Jack and Mary step back from the curb and he gave them a wave, then he turned to David and said, "Let's get going A.J," he said, referring to A.J. Foyt, "put it in drive."

Mark could see the grin under the protective mask and David followed his direction and pulled away from the hospital. David let out a squeal of delight as he drove off, giving the accelerator an extra push. Part of it was the excitement of the car, but most of it was freedom from the hospital and a new lease on life, even Mark realized that. McCormick was genuinely happy for his little brother. And nothing could spoil this ride. In an odd sort of way Mark knew the feeling, being let out of a prison was indeed being let out of a prison and a prison named cancer just made freedom all the sweeter. The two of them didn't even need to speak to one another and yet they both shared in the joy.

About fifteen minutes into the drive David finally spoke up. "Man, this is so great, I don't think I'll ever forget this. This car is totally cool. You are the best brother ever."

Mark laughed. "If I knew it would have been this easy, I would have considered doing it years ago."

"Seriously, Mark, I don't even know how to ever thank you for everything, and I don't want you to think I'm like taking advantage or something, 'cause I don't want to" he paused and turned to look at him briefly, just to catch Mark's eyes, then added quietly, "I really love you for doing all this, you saved my life."

McCormick nodded somberly, but quickly turned playful, "You need to keep your eyes on the road, little brother." After about ten seconds of silence, he added, "I love you too, David. And I'm really happy this has all worked out. I like having you for a brother."

After the dinner of barbequed burgers and a few more hours of David's enthusiastic and talkative nature, Mark and David walked over to the gatehouse.

"Can I ask you something Mark?" David began.

"Of course, anything, you know that." Mark nodded and put an arm around his shoulder as they walked.

"Why did you go and find Sonny?"

They walked a few more steps in silence and Mark gave his shoulder an extra squeeze and he pulled him closer. "You probably already know the answer to that, smart guy, don't ya?"

David sort of shrugged, but he stayed close in the embrace. "Maybe, but I'd like to hear it from you."

Mark smiled. "It's the same reason you want to find him. You want to ask him 'why'.

"Did he tell you?" David asked.

Mark nodded no, "Nope, not anything I wanted to hear or anything I could believe and nothing I could trust. That's what Sonny is all about. He is what he is, David, and he's not going to change just because you or I want to ask him a question. He just doesn't know." Mark stopped him from walking and added, "Your Dad is Jack Rutherford, David, he's been your father from the moment he met you. And he'd do anything for you, he has done anything for you. That's what a father is all about."

David thought about what he'd said and took a deep breath. "Then I don't care if I ever meet Sonny Daye, I got my Dad and my Mom, and I got you for a brother too, that's enough, it's more than enough." He paused and added, "And you've got Hardcastle, he's like your Dad, because he's the same way as Jack is when it comes to you."

Mark agreed with a grin and an easy laugh, "Now you're cookin'," he said, putting David in a light headlock.

They went inside the gatehouse where David had finally started to give in to exhaustion. It had been a long day for everyone. They went up to the loft where they continued to chat a little while longer until David finally fell asleep. Mark shut off the lights and walked back over to the main house to help clean up the kitchen and to talk with Milt, Jack and Mary.

He entered the den where they all were and said, "That is one excited kid, he finally wore himself out, he's sleeping like a log. In fact he might just sleep all day tomorrow. He makes me tired just from listening to him. I don't talk that much, do I, Judge?" Mark asked.

"Ha," Hardcastle exclaimed, "He's just a rookie at talk, you're professional grade. You haven't shut up since I met you." They all shared a laugh.

Mark shook his head and sat down in one of the chairs. "He's really great, what a smart kid with a heart of gold. Next to the Judge here," he threw a thumb in Hardcastle's direction that didn't go unnoticed, "I think you guys are the best parents ever. I can't believe some of the stuff he knows or some of the stuff he talks about."

"He's probably just showing off for you, Mark," Jack said. "It's hard for a kid his age to compete with a brother who's got a car like you have. You're like a celebrity to him."

"Mark, we got you something, it's just a little thank you, but I think you'll put it to good use while we're here, and beyond," Mary began. Jack rose up from the couch and went over and plucked out a wrapped box out of a nearby bag and handed it to McCormick.

"What's this? You guys didn't have to do anything like this," he paused, and looked them both straight in the eyes, "Just having a brother, and getting to know him, like you've allowed me to do is really more than thanks enough."

"Oh nonsense, everyone likes a gift, it's not really that big, Mark, but we hope you enjoy it," Jack said.

"Open it up, McCormick," the Judge added.

Mark began to rip open the wrapping paper and saw that Jack and Mary had given him a 35mm camera, complete with several different lenses, a tripod, flash and about twenty rolls of film. McCormick was stunned and speechless.

"Maybe you should get David one of those too," Milt said. "Looks like you found a way to shut him up for once. Maybe it'll work on the younger one also!"

They all laughed. Jack said, "I can show you how to use it, Mark, if you've never done it before. I have almost the same set-up myself, it's kind of a hobby of mine."

"And this way you can take pictures of you and David and have them forever, Mark," Mary added. "We just thought it might be something you would enjoy."

"Oh I will, it's incredible," Mark's head was down as he was looking over the box and reading the basic features of the camera and trying to think of something else to say to demonstrate how grateful he was. It was indeed a very thoughtful and appreciated gift. "Uh, this is, well, this is, I'm overwhelmed, thank you Uncle Jack and Aunt Mary," he said, finally looking up at them. "And yeah, I'd love for you to show me how to use it. I don't know the first thing about photography, but this is really great. Thank you, thank you both for everything."

"You're welcome, Mark," Mary answered.

"Hey, here's a picture you can take without using a camera, how about a cleaned up kitchen?" Hardcastle said, lightening up the mood.

"Yeah, yeah, why don't you give me a hand?" Mark said. Hardcastle willingly followed.

While they were in the kitchen, Mark said to him. "You should call up Frank."

"Yeah? Why's that?" Hardcastle asked.

"Oh you know that case the two of you are working on?"

"McCormick, what the hell are you babbling about?"

"You can call the dogs off on finding Sonny, we both decided we don't need to find him," Mark explained. "But thanks for keeping him on a short leash just in case."

"I don't know what you're talking about, you're not having some sort of side effect from the bone marrow transplant, are you?" the judge asked. " Who said I was looking for Sonny Daye?" McCormick just gave him a stare. "Fine, don't answer, so why did you two decide you don't need to see him--just out of curiosity?"

"We know who our families are and that's good enough, in fact it's more than good enough." McCormick dropped the conversation, he figured out that Hardcastle and Harper had been up to no good in finding Sonny Daye after he found a receipt for a private detective in Atlantic City lying on Hardcastle's desk. "I'm going to bed, it's been a long day."

"Yeah, I'll finish up in here, see you tomorrow." As soon as McCormick was out in the gatehouse, Milt dialed up Harper and told him they didn't need to keep watch over Sonny any longer.

David had been released from the hospital in May, and it was Dr. Nason's wish that he would stay in LA until the beginning of August so that he could be monitored and then he could return home to Illinois. Jack and Mary stayed at Gull's Way until the middle of June and then flew back home so that Jack could return to work. David continued to stay with Mark and Milt and the two brothers spent the long summer days getting to know each other and doing all the things brothers normally do, going to baseball games, the beach, swimming, eating copious amounts of junk food, talking about girls, and generally hanging out. The topic of Sonny Daye never came up again. David got stronger every day and by the middle of July he was playing cutthroat basketball with Milt and Mark.

When August 10th rolled around, it was really hard to drive to the airport to say goodbye for all three of them.

"So you guys will come out to our house for Thanksgiving right?" David asked them. "It'll be cold then, so make sure you bring jackets and sweaters and stuff. Heck, it might even snow."

"Yep we will, and then you and your Mom and Dad will come out here for Christmas," Milt said in reply.

"And you can call anytime David, okay, you know how to reach me," Mark added. David was suddenly quiet and Mark could tell that he was about two seconds away from crying, so he grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. "The planes fly between here and your house every day David, and if we need to we'll get together right away. I'm not gonna forget about you, I promise. You know that, right?" He felt David nod yes on his shoulder. "You're not gonna forget me, are you?" he added a tease. "I mean now that I gave you all my secrets with the ladies, you're liable to get a steady girl and forget all about me."

David sniffed, laughed a little and responded with an emotional, "No, I'm never gonna forget."

"Then, there you have it, brothers forever," Mark stated. "But really, if you find a girl, I'll understand."

"And Uncle Milt forever too, right?" David said, looking over to Milt.

"Yeah, no one ever forgets Hardcastle, believe me, I've tried," Mark teased. "Now you better get on the plane before it leaves without you." Mark pulled back and David nodded. He still looked sad, but the tears weren't gonna come.

David stepped over to Hardcastle and gave him a hug, "Thanks Uncle Milt, for everything, for letting me stay at your house and for taking good care of my brother."

Hardcastle gave him a quick pat on his back with one arm. "As long as you keep that smart mouth of yours in check David, you'll be all right. Be good, okay, and study hard in school. I want to hear that you're on the honor roll."

David managed a smile and Milt tussled the top of his head, which was just starting to show the signs of some hair regrowth. It was coming in curly like Mark's. "I will." Then David stepped over to McCormick and gave him another hug and whispered, "I love you, Mark."

"I love you too, kiddo," McCormick answered. "Call me when you get home and let me know you got there safely."

David let go and picked up his bag and said, "I'll see you guys." And he walked up the runway and never looked back. He didn't want them to see him cry.

ENDING A

In April of the following year Mark's phone rang out in the gatehouse as he was studying for an upcoming law final.

It was David on the other side. "Hi, Mark," he said, his voice sounded a little different.

"David, hey, how's it going? Shouldn't you be in school right now?" McCormick asked him, glancing at a clock and seeing that it was about 1pm.

"Yeah, I wish I was. I'm back in the hospital Mark. My blood count fell. Something's really wrong, I can just tell. Can you come out here right away like you promised? I'm kind of scared."

"I'll get there as soon as I can, David," Mark said.

Two weeks later, David died. Mark was with him, along with Jack and Mary and Hardcastle.

At the funeral, Mark courageously got up and delivered a eulogy for his brother.

My brother David was a big believer in promises. When you made one to him, he made sure you kept it. And so a few days ago, he asked me if I would do this for him, because he knew that he wasn't going to make it.

I tried to brush it off because I didn't want to hear him talk like that. I wanted him to keep fighting, even though I saw what cancer had done to him, not just to his body but to his spirit. But he made me come closer to him, his voice was so weak and he could barely talk over a whisper and he grabbed my hand as I leaned over to hear him. And he said, "Mark, promise me you'll do this. I want it to be you. I know you don't want to and I know it's gonna be hard, but please promise me that you'll try." I had to say yes, just like I promised him more than a year ago when I met him for the first time. It was in the hospital then too and he made me promise that I'd come back to see him later that evening.

I also promised to let him drive my car and to take him to a ball game and to show him how to surf fish and to teach him how to ask a girl to the Homecoming dance. And I kept everyone of those promises, plus a few more that were just between him and me.

Some of you know more about David than I will ever know, because you've known him a lot longer, you're very lucky for that... his parents, his classmates, maybe even some of his teachers. I envy that, because I only had a short time to get to know him. But I do know that I love him every bit as much as you do. Every day, every moment we had together was special. I'll treasure everything we shared, all the things we did together, every conversation, every picture I have, every time I have a Mountain Dew.

Our lives in some ways were surprisingly similar, yet so very different. We have the same biological father... a man who walked out on both of us, on both our mothers. But before you start feeling sorry for us, just know that was probably the best thing he could do for either of us. Because of our father, we met and I was able to donate bone marrow to David last year and give him some extra time with all of us. David was adopted by Jack and Mary, who showered him with love and raised him to be the wonderful young man he turned out to be... An honor student, class president, an Eagle Scout, a gifted musician, a really good golfer, a friend, a son and a brother are just a few of his many accomplishments. In his nearly 18 years of life, he was not only a willing pupil in so many areas, but he also taught those of us who knew him...how to fight a dreaded disease and still keep a sense of humor, how to help others, how to be passionate about life and living each day with everything you got. I know he taught me. The early part of my life wasn't quite as rosy as his. I made bad decisions and got myself into trouble too many times to count. And yet, on one very lucky day I met a man who gave me a kind of transplant of his own. It wasn't life-saving bone marrow, but it had the same sort of life-saving effect on me and he's the reason I can stand here today. He saved my life in a different way and gave me a chance that I probably did not deserve. He showered me with love in his own way, like any good parent would and because of his guidance I am the man I am today. I'm a man who keeps promises. And David, I promise I'll always love you and I'll never forget you. Thanks for being the best little brother anyone could ever have.

A few weeks later when they were back home in Malibu, Hardcastle found McCormick down on the beach.

"You okay?" Hardcastle asked walking up to where he sat.

"Oh yeah, I'll be fine. Just thinking, you know?"

"That was a helluva eulogy. I know I told you that before but I know you've had a lot on your mind. I'm real proud of you for being able to do it, and I was really touched by the things you said. David would be, too!" They sat in silence for a moment, listening to the sound of the waves lapping the shore. "You're always going to have him in your heart, you know, all the memories and everything, like all the pictures you've taken with that fancy camera you have, that'll help you remember him too."

"Every one of the days we had together was important, right? I don't want to forget any of it. And there's no way to forget someone like David, he's really deep in my heart." McCormick declared.

Hardcastle nodded his understanding. "Well, for two brothers who weren't raised together, you two sure were an awful lot alike. You really made a difference in his life too, Mark," the Judge said, "and not just because you gave him the bone marrow. You gave him your love. He knew that, and that's why he loved you back. That unselfish love is what life is all about. What the two of you had was real and pure. Nothing, not even death, can ever take that away."

"He was a great kid. The world," McCormick paused, "just seems emptier right now." He stared out into the ocean.

"That just means Heaven's a bit better, he'll be waiting for you up there," Milt explained. "Listen, I'm going up to the house. I'm gonna call Gerry and see what he's been up to. I thought I'd ask him if he wants to come out here and stay for awhile. Is that okay with you?"

Mark perked up and gave Hardcastle a smile. He immediately realized just some of the depth of David's impact on those who knew him. Hardcastle was going to call up his own brother and propose a peace offering of sorts, as they hadn't seen each other in several years. "Yeah, it'd be nice to have your brother come for a visit. And it'd be good for the two of you to catch up."

"Now you're cookin'," Hardcastle said with a grin.

As Milt walked away, Mark said to himself and smiled. There's nothing like having a brother around.

ENDING B

In April of the following year Mark's phone rang out in the gatehouse as he was studying for an upcoming law final.

It was David on the other side. "Hi, Mark," he said, his voice sounded a little different.

"David, hey, how's it going? Shouldn't you be in school right now?" McCormick asked him, glancing at a clock and seeing that it was about 1pm.

"I am in school, I'm between classes," David said, plugging his free ear, so that he could hear Mark.

"Is something wrong? What's up?"

"No, nothing's wrong, nothing like you're thinking. I'm fine, I just had my check-up yesterday. But I want to ask you another big favor," David nearly shouted into the phone, as someone passed by him and screamed, "Davey R, what's going on?" David smiled and pushed away his friend. "This is my brother, okay, shut up!"

"David, I can barely hear you, you want what?"

"Mark, I need a favor."

"Listen, I already gave you my bone marrow. What else could you possibly want?" Mark joked.

"I just found out from Principal Maxwell that I'm the class valedictorian. I beat out Sue Hartman. So I have to give a speech at graduation. Can you and Uncle Milt come out here for it?"

Mark grinned from ear to ear. "David, that's great! Sure, we'll be there. Just let us know when and where."

It was a beautiful late spring day, warm and sunny. David's speech was wonderful.

Good afternoon, fellow students, teachers, administrators, staff, family and friends. I am honored to have been chosen St. Dominic's Prep School's Class Valedictorian. This is truly a day I will always remember.

I promised my brother Mark, who's here today out in the audience that I would try not to make this too sappy. We'll see how it goes.

I believe in promises. If you make one, you should keep it. My brother Mark is one of those people. He's kept every promise he ever made to me and I imagine he's kept every promise he's ever made in his entire life. And I'm not ashamed or embarrassed to stand in front of you all today and tell you that I hope someday I can become the kind of man he is.

I've made my own share of promises. I promised my Dad to take out the garbage, I promised my Mom that I would eat my vegetables, I promised my friend that I'd keep his secret about his sister's car, I promised Uncle Milt that I'd be good and study hard. Some promises are harder to keep than others, but to me they're all equally important. Today I want to make a promise to my brother.

Let me tell you a little about him. For one thing we only met for the first time about a year ago. We have the same biological father, but different mothers and I was blessed to be adopted by Jack and Mary Rutherford, my Dad and Mom, who taught me right from wrong and gave me the many advantages I have in this life. Mark was not so fortunate, but he never uses his past as an excuse. He's made himself a promise to change his life for the better. And somehow through all the trials he's had to endure, he managed to come out on the other side. About four years ago, he found or was found by my Uncle Milt, and that story changes depending on which one of them is telling it. Together, they were exactly what each needed... a father and son. And they both deserve those honors. With Uncle Milt's help, Mark turned his life around. Today my brother is in law school.

And with Mark's help, I am alive today. When he found out about me and that I needed a bone marrow transplant, he never hesitated to help. No was never an option he considered. He insisted to my parents that he would not only donate marrow to me, but also that he wanted to meet me and to get to know me. That was the most important promise he made and kept, because he saved my life and because of that I am here today.

He made me other promises during the last year, I got to drive his car, and if you saw it you'd want to drive it too, spend last summer with him and Uncle Milt, go to baseball games and he's told me a few things about dating girls. He's everything a brother should be.

I've learned a lot here at St. Dom's and for that I am grateful, but from my brother I've learned that you can overcome anything, if you keep moving forward. And you'll find people along the way who will help you and love you. And I learned that a real man keeps the promises he makes. I love you, Mark and I promise that I will try to be the kind of brother to you that you have been to me.

So today I challenge you my fellow classmates, as you go forward in your lives, make promises and more importantly, KEEP the promises you make. They could save a life.

By the time he finished, there wasn't a dry eye in the school auditorium.

After the ceremony, people gathered outside on the school grounds for pictures and congratulations. Many people came up to Mark and wanted to meet him and thank him for the part he had played in David's life. He and David were soaking up all the attention.

Later that evening, Mark was sitting in the dark on Jack and Mary's patio and Hardcastle came out to talk with him.

"You okay?" Hardcastle asked walking up to where he sat.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking, you know?"

"This is one of the good days, huh? All the memories and everything, you sure took lots of pictures with that fancy camera of yours."

"Every one of these days is important, right? He's a helluva brother. I swear he's more mature than I am. I don't want to forget any of this. Time can be so short."

"Ah, you won't forget. You know, for two brothers who weren't raised together, you two sure are an awful lot alike. You really made a difference in his life too, Mark," the Judge said, "and not just because you gave him the bone marrow. You give him your love. He knows that, that's why he loves you back. That unselfish love is what life is all about. What the two of you have is real and pure. Nothing, not even cancer or death can ever take that away."

"He's such a great kid. Sometimes I can't believe he's my brother. The world," McCormick paused, "is better because he's in it."

"The world's better 'cause you're both in it!" Milt explained. "Listen, I'm going inside. When we get back home, I think I'm gonna call Gerry and see what he's been up to. I thought I'd ask him if he wants to come out to Gull's Way this summer and stay for awhile. Is that okay with you?"

Mark's head shot up as he gave Hardcastle a smile. He immediately realized just some of the depth of David's impact on those who knew him. Hardcastle was going to call up his own brother and propose a peace offering of sorts, as they hadn't seen each other in several years. "Yeah, it'd be nice to have your brother come for a visit. And it'd be good for the two of you to catch up."

"Now you're cookin'," Hardcastle said.

As Milt walked away, Mark said to himself and smiled. There's nothing like having a brother around.