Standard disclaimer: I don't own them; I'm just borrowing them for our entertainment.
Author's note: I always wondered how it was that Scott and Alex were separated as children. Since I don't like the "Mr. Sinister" explanation, I came up with my own. I hope you all like it.
A Tale of Two Brothers
Part I -- Solomon's Dilemma
Offutt Air Force Base was like a small, self-contained town sitting on the edge of Omaha, Nebraska. Like any small town, it had been rocked by the tragic deaths of Major Summers and his wife in a private plane accident. The fate of their two small children, survivors of the crash, was much discussed among the base community. And it was discussed heavily in the house of Linda and Benjamin Masters.
After church, they hurried after the priest.
"Excuse me, Father John?"
"Yes," the base chaplain peered over his glasses at the couple.
"We were wondering if we could talk to you about the Summers children," Ben Masters said.
"Oh, of course," he replied. "Such a tragedy. Please, lets go back to church; we can talk there."
The Masters quickly came to the point -- they wanted to take the two children. "Linda and I can't have children," Ben finally finished. "The boys would be a blessing to us."
Father John smiled. "I've always said the Lord will provide. I'll call the case worker in charge and we'll set up an appointment."
* * *
Less than a week later, the Masters were sitting in a cluttered office in downtown Omaha. The case worker looked throughly relieved.
" ... the best thing, of course, is that you're already approved for adoption and on the state list. It will make things go so much easier. In fact, there probably won't be a problem with you taking immediate custody of Alex."
Linda Masters was startled. "I thought it was clear; we want both the boys. We don't want to see them separated."
The case worker looked at her with tired eyes. "Neither do we. But with the eldest boy, well, it might be a moot point. The latest report we have from the hospital isn't good. They don't think he'll survive."
Linda was devastated. "But what about Alex?"
"I think Alex is going to have wonderful, loving parents," she said gently. "I think you'll be able to help him put this tragedy behind him."
* * *
Before they knew it, the Masters had temporary custody of Alex Summers. It was the first step in the legal process of adopting him. The six year old was sad and frightened, but he quickly began to respond to the warmth of Linda and Ben. As the legal custodians of Alex, the court allowed them to dispose of the Summers family's effects. A trust fund was set up for the parents' life insurance payments. The Masters moved all the children's personal belonging to their own home and packed up anything of sentimental value the boys might want later -- photographs, their father's military decorations, model planes, and some other items. Anything left over was sold and the money added to the trust fund.
Now all they had to do was wait for Scott's condition to improve. So they waited. And waited. And waited.
* * *
Eight months later, Scott was still in a coma. The doctors despaired of his recovery. During those eight months, the rest of the world had continued. The Masters had officially adopted Alex. On the advice of the Social Services Department, they did not adopt Scott, but they made it clear, again, that they wanted to take him. The case worker merely shook her head and made the appropriate notes in the file.
Ben Masters had decided to leave the Air Force at the end of his duty in Offutt. He had received a wonderful offer with a firm in Hawaii. Linda, Hawaii born and raised, was thrilled, but she immediately saw the difficulty.
"The offer is wonderful, Ben, but what about Scott?" she asked.
Ben was surprised. "What about him?"
"If we leave Nebraska, will we lose any rights to Scott?"
Ben sighed. His wife's ability to believe in miracles astounded him. "Scott's in a coma, sweetheart," he said gently. "You know -- he's not coming out of it."
"They don't know that. They thought he would die, and he hasn't," Linda insisted.
Ben knew when to bend. "Linda, this is a wonderful chance. Hawaii would be a great place to raise Alex. And if Scott recovers, he can join us there. The boys will be back together. I promise."
The Masters left Nebraska with Alex, hoping that everything would work out all right in the end. After they left, Scott Summers opened his eyes.
* * *
Ben listened to the case worker in Nebraska with concern. He knew what Linda's reaction would be. She wouldn't hear what the case worker was trying to tell them.
Just as he expected, Linda was ready to fly right back to the mainland. Who cared if they were still in a hotel looking for a house to buy? Scott was awake and that was all she needed to know. Ben hated to be the one to tell her it wasn't going to be that simple.
"Dear, they told me the boy is conscious, but -- there are problems," he began.
"Of course there are problems!" Linda responded indignantly. "He's lost his parents, he's been in a coma for almost a year ..."
"He has no memory, Linda," Ben told her bluntly. "Nothing. He knows his name, and that's about it. There may be other mental problems as well. Social Services are advising we leave him in Nebraska for the time being, until a full evaluation can be done."
"Leave him? We can't leave him," she insisted. "He's Alex's brother. He belongs with us."
"Linda, we need to think of Alex as well." At his wife's puzzled expression, he continued. "If Scott *does* have problems, we have to think of how that will affect Alex. Right now, he's doing great. But will he be able to understand that his brother has mental problems, probably emotional problems? Will he be able to cope?" He expressed the reservations of the case worker back in Omaha.
Linda looked at her husband squarely. He knew that steely expression. "Okay. Perhaps it would be best for Scott to be fully evaluated in Omaha. But he's coming here, Ben. Eventually, he's coming here. I won't let the boys be separated."
Ben nodded and let it go. He knew this discussion would have no resolution until Scott Summers was with them.
* * *
The years passed. Three to be exact. For three years, the Master continually checked on Scott's condition. Unfortunately, the case worker's reservations appeared to be accurate. Practically every time they called, Scott was in the hospital. He suffered from severe migraines, but no one knew the cause. He also had periods of emotional withdrawal and his school grades were not good.
But no one considered the medication Scott took for the migraines had side effects relating to mood and emotional stability. No one recognized that Scott's repeated hospitalizations made keeping up at school difficult. Social services was overwhelmed with children that needed help. The individual attention Scott needed just wasn't possible.
Late one night, Ben and Linda were having "the conversation". The conversation about Scott that they had been having for three years. Linda's patience was gone. She wanted Scott brought to Hawaii -- now.
"I'm sick of waiting, Ben," she said. "It's been three years. For three years, we've just accepted everything they've told us. And let's see, what was that again? First they said he wouldn't survive, then they said he wasn't coming out of the coma, then they said he was brain-damaged ..."
"Linda!" Ben couldn't believe his wife's obtuseness. "Every time we've called to ask, he's been in the hospital. Think of Alex -- would this really be good for him?"
"Scott is Alex's brother," she replied. "He needs him. If Scott needs medical treatment, we have hospitals here in Hawaii. Good ones. We're going to take Scott, Ben. Now."
Ben sighed. "I'll call them tomorrow. We'll make the arrangements we need."
* * *
The next day, Ben listened with growing horror to the case worker. He went home that night with a heavy heart.
"Linda, I'm sorry," he began. "I've got bad news about Scott. He's gone."
Linda felt the blood drain from her face. "He's ... dead?"
"No, not that." Ben could barely bring himself to tell the truth. "He's run away; they don't know where he is. Scott's gone."
Linda fell to the floor and began to wail. "It's all my fault," she sobbed. "I should have insisted. We should have ..."
"Linda, sweetheart, I'm sorry. It's my fault. I told you to trust them. I thought they'd be able to look after him ..." Ben put his arms around his wife and together they cried for a fourteen year old child they had never really known.
* * *
The Masters did not let the situation end there. They hired a private detective to try to find Scott. The investigation was short. Scott had made no attempt to cover his tracks, and the investigator followed him as far as Des Moines. But once in the city, Scott, like so many runaways, disappeared. With heavy hearts, the Masters realized their chances of finding Scott were not high. They broke the news gently to Alex and tried to keep hope alive as best they could. And as the years went on, that became harder and harder to do.
* * *
I wasn't able to find any information (like names) for Alex's adoptive parents, so I named them and made up the backgrounds. And don't worry -- the story's not going to end on this sad note. Chapter 2 is in progress. :-)
