Scott was surfing through the television channels, trying to find something suitable for he and his brothers to watch. Gordon was feeling loads better than he had been earlier that morning and had been able to keep the ginger ale and crackers down. He paused in his channel surfing when he heard his laptop chiming on the coffee table in their room. Being careful to not shake the bed, Scott crawled out and retrieved his laptop.
Upon opening the lid, Scott smiled at the image of his baby brother. It'd been a few days since Alan had felt up to calling them via vid phone and it warmed Scott's heart to see his baby brother looking well – or as well as one could be while playing the role of patient.
"Hey Sprout!" Scott said smiling at his little brother who only smiled back.
"Hey Scott! Where are the guys?" Alan asked. Scott noticed Alan was moving his hands back and forth but didn't say anything.
"Virge is on the next bed drawing, John is reading and Gordo is fighting his nap time. What about you Sprout?" Scott asked with a lazy grin.
"Obviously I'm doing a whole lot of nothing. Being in isolation is the pits right now." Alan said before glancing down into his lap. "There is someone I want you guys to meet though."
"Who is that Sprout?" Scott asked as he saw Alan glance back into his lap.
"Her name is Sadie." Alan said, before he started sweet talking to who or whatever was in his lap. Lifting her gently, Alan raised Sadie up into the viewfinder of his laptop and he grinned as he watched Scott's eyes widen. "She's one of the hospital's therapy animals and they decided I should have her hear to keep me company during the day. What do you think Scotty?"
"Wow, she's beautiful Sprout." Scott said before gesturing off screen to his brothers in the room. Suddenly the laptop screen which had encompassed Scott's face totally encompassed four faces and each one showed how in love with Sadie they were
"Wow Sprout, what'd you do to earn a pet?" Virgil asked with a grin.
"Nothing. Karen brought her to me and explained that she's used as a therapy animal in the oncology ward." Alan replied as he gently stroked his finger tips down Sadie's soft nose. "Who's a good girl? Yes you are."
"Uh, please tone it down on the sweetness before I get a cavity Sprout." Gordon said as he washed his hands down his face.
"And what crawled up your behind?" Alan asked defensively as he continued to stroke Sadie's soft fur when she burrowed into his chest.
"Nothing, he's just tired." Scott replied pointedly while fixing his most stern glare on the red head who grumbled slightly under his breath. "I won't hesitate to make you lie down for a nap if you don't cool it Gordon."
"What? I just don't get why Alan's being so sweet and lovey to that rabbit." Gordon said in a huff.
"It's called being kind to animals. Ever heard of it? There's nothing wrong if Alan has a soft spot for animals." Virgil said contritely before leaning more into the camera's viewfinder and smiling at his baby brother who had closed his eyes and was nuzzling with the bunny when she'd crawled gently up his chest to nuzzle his face. "She's a real beauty Alan."
"Thanks, at least someone appreciates cute animals for what they are." Alan replied before opening his eyes and looking upon the relaxed creature resting on him, she twitched one of her ears and tickled Alan's chin, making him grin once more. The brothers had to admit that it was nice to see Alan smile again. So often since the fire he hadn't smiled because the pain made it more of a grimace or his nausea made him not feel like opening his mouth anytime soon.
"How long do you get to keep her Al?" John asked with awe at how easily his little brother handled such a gentle animal.
"Well, from what Karen told me…the oncology department was willing to part with her during the day if they got her back at night, so we've got split custody of her." Alan said before pressing a kiss to Sadie's forehead when she nuzzled his chin before settling down with a sigh. "Please don't let dad have her taken from me."
"What makes you think dad would have her taken away Sprout?" Scott asked as he noticed the stricken look cross his brother's face.
"He doesn't ever let me have a pet…even a temporary one like Sadie. He made me get rid of my turtle, my chameleon…even my kiwi he wouldn't let me keep." Alan replied, with a sigh.
The brothers all recalled Alan's kiwi…he'd found an injured baby kiwi just on the lip of the jungle and he'd brought the poor thing home and hid her in his bedroom while on summer break. He'd sneak food from the kitchen for her, Virgil would know in particular…he may be a doctor, but he was no veterinarian. He'd had to research how to splint a bird's leg and once he'd gotten her leg splinted, he'd given Alan everything he'd printed up on how to rehabilitate a kiwi. Alan had stolen all of his father's newspapers that came from the mainland and he had laid them all over his bedroom floor so the kiwi could hop around and wouldn't make any messes on his carpet.
One day Alan had left his bedroom door open ajar and it'd been just enough that Kiwi the kiwi bird had gotten out and pranced through the kitchen, scaring the daylights out of Onaha. She'd screamed because she thought it was a mouse and had actually jumped up on the counter and Jeff who had been strolling down the hall had run in to see Onaha cornered on the countertop by a little brown baby kiwi bird with pink ace bandage wrapped around her leg. Alan had run in looking for Kiwi upon hearing Onaha's scream also and he'd been found out. As soon as the ace bandage came off and Kiwi was able to walk, Jeff made Alan return her to the jungle to live with the other kiwis that resided out there and Alan had let her go…unwillingly.
"Well, he can't take Sadie away from you…technically she's a prescription for you Al. She was given to you as a companion by your doctor. So if he doesn't like it, he'll just have to deal with it." Virgil replied, solidifying the choice that if their dad contests Alan keeping Sadie throughout his time in the hospital, or however long the hospital allows her to stay with Alan that Virgil would step in on Alan's behalf and argue the point with his father. He could think of a whole bunch of benefits companion animals were able to help people achieve.
"We'll have to see I guess." Alan said, before raising his hand to cover his mouth when a yawn broke free. "I think I'm gonna let you guys go…I'm tired." Alan said as another yawn broke free.
"Okay, you have a nice nap Al. Bye." Scott said before his brothers reciprocated their words of goodbye to both Alan and Sadie. The moment Scott closed the laptop lid he smacked Gordon up the back of the head. "Did you have to be a total ass to him?"
"What?!" Gordon clutched at the back of his head as his voice rose an octave when he asked what he'd done wrong.
"You didn't need to ruin Alan's fun by making a comment about how sweet he was being to Sadie. She's an animal and she deserves affection just as much as you or I do." Virgil said heatedly. "You know he's always loved animals…it's dad that won't let him keep one."
"Not necessarily. It's also his being away at school that is keeping him from having a pet of his own." John pointed out.
"Well, maybe when Alan gets better and out of the hospital, maybe he will finally have the time to have a pet since I doubt dad is gonna let him return to another boarding school. This was a close enough call and I don't think dad wants to take the chance that this would happen again." Scott said as he placed his laptop on the coffee table across the room. Stretching slightly Scott looked at his brothers. "So, do any of you feel up to joining me at Barrett's office with dad while they discuss the legalities of the trial?"
"I'll pass. I'm still not feeling too hot." Gordon said as he finally lay down, following Alan's lead and taking a nap he knew he probably needed. Virgil tipped his hand from side to side, signaling to Scott that while he felt up for it…he'd rather lounge around in his sweats as opposed to wearing jeans and aggravating the still healing scabs on his legs. John stood up, telling Scott silently that he wanted to go and with that the two older brothers left the room, leaving both Virgil and Gordon…and the memory of Alan asleep.
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Karen walked in and smiled. Alan looked so sweet and so did Sadie. Both of them were asleep…and had been for well over an hour. Karen had made this discovery when she'd returned to Alan's room to fetch Sadie for a bathroom break to find the lop eared rabbit fast asleep on the patient's chest with Alan's arms loosely twined around her warm body in a tender embrace.
Walking over slowly, Karen gently prompted Alan to awaken and he did so with a sigh…effectively waking Sadie also.
"Good afternoon Alan. Sorry for waking you but Sadie's handler wants to take her out for her bathroom break." Karen said as she gently lifted the warm and fluffy rabbit from Alan's chest.
"Good afternoon…" Glancing at the clock, Alan gawked at the time. "Is it really that late?"
"Hmm? Oh, is it really two in the afternoon? Oh yes. You went and slept straight through lunch." Karen replied as she turned to head out. "I'll be back with a snack for you in a few minutes…as soon as I bring Sadie back to her handler. Then once you've eaten your snack and Sadie's been given her lunch, I'll bring her back."
"Okay. Thanks Karen." Alan said as he eased back into his pillows. Again, he'd had another successful nap after doing what he and his father had done a couple weeks ago. Recently Karen had taken over the imagery rehearsal with Alan since he hadn't wanted to do it over the computer with his dad. This time, he'd tried the imagery rehearsal with Sadie and while she wasn't able to say anything back to him, he still slept good after talking to the rabbit and creating a positive image in his head. The talk with his brothers had helped some also.
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Scott and John sat beside their father who was right beside Barrett as they looked at the police officer that had taken Alan's statement. The man was sitting there reading over a clause that allowed him the ability to release the evidence of Alan's recording to the courts. If he agreed and signed the form that tentatively Alan's statement wouldn't be needed for the case against Robert and the bullying…the real tricky part was if Alan would be needed as a person to testify for the arson of the school. He was a victim after all, as was Fermat and the other few kids that were injured in the fire. A few had already been paid back by the school's insurance company, but right now there were only a few question marks hidden from the lawyer and he intended on having the police officer check it out.
"Yeah, I can sign this." Officer Pellegrini said before lowering the clause form.
"Okay." Barrett said as he handed the officer a really fancy pen. "Now, I must ask if you've got any other witnesses found that could be used as potential people to testify in the case of my clients against one Robert Flynn."
"I have but…" Officer Pellegrini said before looking at Jeff, Scott and John.
"I see." Barrett said before turning to Jeff and his two eldest sons. "Could you be so kind as to go and get the officer and myself a couple of drinks gentlemen?"
Jeff started to turn to Scott and John but he caught a meaningful look from Barrett before nodding silently to the man. "Come Scott, John. Let's go get them their drinks."
"Okay, but…" Scott said as he was ushered out right alongside his younger brother.
"Maybe even a drink for the dog too if you please gentlemen." Barrett said before the door closed tight, leaving Barrett with Officer Pellegrini and the officer's guide dog.
Once the door was closed and Barrett was left alone with the officer, the lawyer looked at the officer and lifted an eyebrow as he waited for an explanation. Officer Pellegrini nodded before he imparted the knowledge he knew with the lawyer. When he finished his explanation, Barrett's mouth was hung open in shock and he looked down at his notes he'd made and shook his head in disbelief. Regardless of the information he'd been told of, it still had to go before a jury and regardless of what had happened Robert could still be released on acquittal. Now it was up to the lawyer to find more witnesses and to keep O'Toole from filing an insanity plea for Robert. No matter what it took, he was going to get that little menace locked up in a place hopefully so dark that not even the crows could land their droppings on him.
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Robert stumbled out of the dog pile, hand over his mouth as blood seeped between his fingers. The guards moved in, pulling the brawling boys off each other as the fight continued. The warden walked in and blew a loud whistle, tearing apart the last of the fight and he stared down the bridge of his nose at the group of boys that had been in the middle of the brawl. Crooking one finger at Robert, he demanded each of the boys be escorted back to the cells and locked up, all of their privileges revoked until further notice.
Robert spat out a mouthful of blood on the pristine tile floor and followed the warden, stopping long enough for a guard to secure handcuffs over his wrists. When he was escorted from the room, Robert looked around at the place the Warden was taking him.
"You know, if you keep up I'm going to be forced to move you to a higher risk facility. Is that what you want?" The warden stopped before a door and pushed it open. Revealing to Robert that it was in fact a small padded room, it was smaller than his original cell.
"What is this?!" Robert asked as he recoiled at the sight of the small room.
"This is your new room. Solitary confinement." The Warden said before he pushed Robert in the room, quickly undoing his handcuffs before he slammed the door.
Robert threw himself at the padded door, a roar falling from his lips as he connected with the multiple layers of padding.
"What the HELL?! I didn't do anything! Let me out of here!" Robert bellowed, before he began kicking at the door. "My father is a powerful man! He'll have your job! You don't know who you're messing with you bastard!"
When silence answered Robert, his anger renewed and he began kicking the door with renewed determination. When kicking didn't work, Robert began throwing himself around the room with guttural growls. He only stopped when he was drenched in sweat, aching from the earlier cafeteria brawl he'd been involved in and when he could no longer hold up his own head from the exhaustion that fell over him like a blanket.
Since being moved to the juvenile detention center, Robert found a renewed dislike for small, cramped cells and cement like cots. At least at the county lock up he had a somewhat lumpy bed with an equally lumpy pillow, but here he had a cot that he could feel the springs through, a barely there pillow, a room the size of a sardine can and increasing fatigue and exhaustion from his many nights of just lying awake…pondering life.
To be honest, he pondered whether life at Wharton was worth it as opposed to where he was now. Sure he hated it. Sure he despised seeing his…no not his younger half-brother…the child that took his father from him and his mother. The bastard child and his stuck up friend Alan Tracy. Those two were the bane of his existence and he'd have laughed if they'd perished in the fire.
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
"How many times are you going to have to do that?" Alan asked as he tried to pull his foot away from the feather that was being used to tickle his foot. "It tickles!"
"That's the point Alan." Dr. Warner said as he wrapped a bandage dipped in a special solution around Alan's foot to keep the skin from scarring to bad. "That means your feet are doing as we'd hoped and you're regaining the ability to feel. According to the notes we've taken over the past couple of weeks, it just proves that you are progressing nicely. Much better than I'd first hoped."
"What do you mean?" Alan asked as another bandage, this time one that was dry for a change was wrapped around his foot, to keep the moist bandage from drying out too much.
"Well, I am thinking that it's about time we look into having you get another donation surgery. It's been almost a month now since your surgery that your brother Virgil donated to and I'm thinking it's about time we get another donation to fix the burns going from your ankles to your knees." Dr. Warner said as he finished applying the medicated bandages to Alan's skin. "How does that sound?"
Alan was stunned momentarily into silence before he smiled widely at the doctor.
"Do you really mean it?" Alan asked, with an almost giddy tone.
"Yes, we'll need to figure out which brother would be willing to donate and then we should get them set up and prepared for the donation. But I don't see any problems with you moving ahead of schedule slightly for your next surgery."
The look on Alan's face was one of awe and excitement. He smiled widely at the spectacular news and he couldn't wait to let his family know. Crossing his finger internally, Alan hoped he'd be free from the hospital soon. He didn't want to spend the next year in the hospital if he could help it.
"Well, I think it's time I let you go and I'll go see about contacting your family. I'm sure this will make their day." Dr. Warner said before gathering his supplies and leaving Alan to his own devices.
Once the doctor left, Alan exhaled a sharp breath and concentrated on calming his fluttering heart. That was some of the best news he'd gotten in a long time. True he didn't look forward to going under the knife again, but it wasn't anything he could avoid if he wanted to get better.
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
Scott opened the bathroom door, a plume of steam trailing after him as he exited the room.
"Where are you going Scott?" John asked as he lounged on his and Scott's bed.
"I'm going to go take grandma to a fabric store, she wants to go get some yarn. Hell, if I know what she's making." Scott said as he donned his jacket, before opening the door to the room. He stumbled back though when he came face to face with his father who had his fist poised to knock on the door. "Holy mackerel dad! You scared me."
"Sorry son." Jeff said with a grin. "Is it okay if I come in for a few minutes?"
"Sure. Um, did you need me here or is it okay if I take grandma to that fabric shop she's been wanting to go to?" Scott asked as he gestured down the hall towards his grandmother's hotel room.
"In a minute Scott, I have something I need to talk to you boys about." Jeff replied before he entered the room when Scott gestured for him to enter.
Once the door was closed, Scott went over to nudge Virgil's leg when it was clear the artist was immersed in drawing, while Gordon was laying on the couch playing Tetris on his cell phone. John looked up from the book he'd bought. The four boys looked up at the dad when Jeff sat down in the computer chair across from the bed.
"What's up dad?" Gordon asked as he sat up, pocketing his phone so he wouldn't be tempted to play with his phone when their dad was talking to them.
Jeff took a deep breath before leveling a look at his gathered sons. He allowed a small glimpse of a smile to grace his face before it fell away.
"I received a phone call from your brother's doctor…Dr. Warner." Jeff said, before he was immediately cut off, by Virgil.
"Is Alan okay?" Virgil looked up at his father with concerned brown eyes.
"Your brother is fine. In fact, this was a good phone call." Jeff replied as he thought back to his earlier conversation with his son's doctor.
"What is it?" John asked, the anticipation was killing him.
"The doctor wants to know who would like to come in and get hooked up and ready for surgery. Alan's been cleared to have another donation surgery and the doctor wants to know who is next." Jeff looked between Scott, Gordon and John meaningfully. "So which will it be boys?"
Scott, Gordon and John all looked at each other in thought, none of them sure who should go get the surgery first. Gordon was afraid that any donations taken from him at this time could cause damage for Alan while he desperately wanted to be more than just a shoulder to cry on for his little brother. Scott had the same anxieties as Gordon as both he and his second youngest brother had a certain antibody that could force Alan's body to reject their donations…or could make him extremely sick.
Scott and Gordon looked at each other before they looked to John. The blonde stiffened when he realized his brothers were looking at him and he sighed.
"Okay I'll do it." John said before allowing his head to drop down a couple centimeters.
"It's not that bad John, I swear you won't notice the needles." Virgil said as he could speak from experience.
"So when do I have to go in?" John asked as he looked to his father.
"The doctor said anytime would be good. With you going in, if you were to go in now, you wouldn't be having the surgery for another week since you'll be placed on immunosuppressant medications for the next week." Jeff said as he nodded his acceptance to John. "Thank you for doing this."
"You don't need to thank me dad. Alan's my baby brother, I don't mind doing this for him." John said as he stood up from where he was laying on the bed. "I'll get a shower and then if you could Scott, take me down to the hospital so I can get signed in."
"No problem, I'm sure grandma won't mind waiting a few more moments." Scott said as he grabbed the remote and turned on the television while he waited on John to run through the shower and get dressed for the day.
"Alright, I'll call the doctor back and let him know that you will be coming in today so he can get a room ready for you." Jeff said as he pulled his phone from his pocket.
"Alright dad. Thanks" John said before he closed the bathroom door to prepare for the day.
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
Alan lay in his bed, smiling as Sadie hopped around on his bed. She seemed restless and he didn't feel right clutching at her when she seemed so restless.
"What are you doing pretty girl?" Alan asked when Sadie began trying to bunch up his blankets at the foot of his bed. He had felt too hot, so he'd asked Karen to remove his blankets after she'd dropped Sadie off to keep him company for the day.
Sadie of course didn't respond, only continued bunching up Alan's blankets before she crawled beneath them and burrowed. Alan became bored at one point and he'd turned on his television to see if there was anything good on. He watched Secret Boss for an episode and a half and briefly wondered if his dad could ever get away with doing something like that. Sadie came out of her burrowed spot several times to hop around Alan and let him pet her for a moment or two before she'd return to her burrow at the foot of his bed.
Alan became curious with all her burrowing and even though he knew he'd regret it, he painfully shifted his body over so that he could set up on the edge of his bed. Biting his lip against the pain, Alan clenched his eyes closed at the pain bringing tears to his eyes. When the pain lessened to a throb, Alan looked at the burrow Sadie created. Reaching out slowly, Alan lifted the blanket just enough before he dropped the blanket in shock. Looking at the burrow with wide eyes, Alan reached out and slammed his hand on the nurse call button.
When Karen entered the room, she rushed to Alan's bedside at the sight of him sitting on the edge of his mattress.
"Alan?!" Karen asked hurriedly as she reached his side. "What's the matter dear?"
"Sadie…" Alan said before motioning at the burrow sitting on the foot of his bed. "She…she…"
Alan was stunned into silence and his mouth flapped wordlessly as he continued to point at the burrow. Karen became concerned, she began thinking of what may have happened to Sadie to scare Alan as much as it had and she too had lifted Alan's bedcovers. A hand flew to her mouth at the sight. Six squirming hairless multicolored babies squirmed around Sadie.
"Oh my heavens." Karen said as she looked at Alan, her mouth hanging open. Alan looked up at her nervously.
"I'm sorry…I didn't know she was gonna become a mom." Alan whispered as his eyes traveled back to the litter of 6 kits. Sadie appeared to be licking one of her babies and Karen dropped the blanket back down over the birthing mother rabbit.
"I think I'm going to break protocol and call Sadie's handler to come retrieve her and her babies. I realize this is a hospital, but this is certainly no place for a rabbit to be having babies." Karen said as she moved to leave the room.
"What am I supposed to do? Do I just sit here?" Alan asked, afraid to be left with a rabbit giving birth. He didn't want to be at fault if something went wrong.
"I'll arrange for you to be taken for your afternoon hair wash a little early so we can get the linens cleaned on your bed and get Sadie back to her home so she can care for her little ones." Karen said before she walked out the door. Alan sighed before looking over at the slight movement. Sadie had come from her burrow and she hopped over to Alan before giving his arm a nuzzle.
Alan pet the top of her head before looking back at the rabbit.
"I know you've slept with me a few times this past month, but lets get one thing straight…I'm not the father." Alan said before allowing Sadie to return to her burrow.
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
John was walking back into the isolation ward, following a nurse that was going to get him washed in and settled in his room, which ironically was also Virgil's and next to Alan's hospital room. He kept his head down, trying not to look up and into the rooms with hermetically sealed windows. He lifted his gaze though when they reached the shower room to reveal one of the hair washing stations being used.
"Okay, go on and get in the shower and scrub good. I'll have your gown ready for you when you get out." The nurse said before gesturing for John to remove his shoes and place them in the specialized container that his belongings would stay in for the time being.
When the nurse left, John went walking over to the shower room. He slipped in behind the door and began shedding his clothes. When he'd finished and had folded his clothes to his satisfaction, he placed them in a place where they wouldn't get wet before getting in the shower.
He purposely stayed in the shower five extra minutes so the nurse would agree that he was indeed clean. 15 minutes had to be enough time to get nice and squeaky clean. When he'd gotten done with the shower, he'd dried off and donned the hospital gown and slipper gripper socks the hospital provided him with. Leaving the shower room, John kept his hands behind him; holding the robe closed.
"John what are you doing here?" Alan asked as he was reclined back at one of the hair washing stations.
John looked up at the question and smiled at the sight of his little brother.
"You're looking at the next donor for your treatment." John replied, refusing to remove his hands from the back of his gown.
"Okay, now I've got an embarrassing request for you." Alan said before looking back at the aid washing his hair. She backed off from Alan's head, leaving Alan with a towel draped over his shoulder. "Come here before you moon the entire hospital. I'll tie your gown shut."
John's face brightened before he walked over to Alan and stood with his back to Alan. He kept his hands over the back of his gown, desperate to not moon his baby brother.
"There you go." Alan said with a grin before leaning back in the hair washing station. "Now we won't have to worry about the staff being blinded by the brightness of the moon."
AN: Hey, so just a short blurb to apologize for how long it has taken since my last update. Honestly I can't remember if I posted around Christmas or not and my schedule has been absolutely insane. Updates will become incredibly rare for the time being as my college didn't notify me that a class I had waist listed accepted me as a late enroll and now instead of 12 credits I am studying at 18...holy Moses I am terrified. That's seven classes...so i won't have much time for writing. I will update where I can, but updates from me may become as rare as catching a leprechaun and stealing his pot of gold.
Please bear with me!
And any reviews are very much appreciated. They make my bad days good and make me want to write despite feeling like everything is spiraling out of control for me.
Thanks!