Just before bed, Robert went down to Mr. Ken's Study to talk to the man.
"'Dad'," began Robert, 'have you heard any more about Mr. Parchsons?"
Mr. Ken looked at Robert knowing he needed to respond in some way, so he said, "No, 'son', I haven't. I would like to know more just as much as you do but … well, we need to wait for … well, we just need to wait. Mr. Parchsons isn't going anywhere for quite some time, so let's give Mr. Dan the time he needs to get whatever evidence he needs to prove Parker Parchsons was one of the men who did the unthinkable to you. Can you give the Lieutenant a little more time, 'son'?"
"Also, what is Mr. Jackson going to do with that information that shows how much she stole from you?" asked Robert.
"Well, 'son', Bill plans on giving it to DA Morris tomorrow and let the man take it from there. Since it is a certified C.P.A accounting, I suspect DA Morris will take the correct action, "explained 'dad Ken.
"Thanks, 'dad', at least she won't get away with that crime" smiled Robert, before walking out of the Study.
Robert smiled at the man and then went to him for a manly hug. They hugged for a few moments when Mr. Ken asked the teen if he shouldn't be getting on to bed. Robert smiled again at the man he calls 'dad' and waved as he walked out the Study door.
The next day, Friday, the twins were up when Robert went to make sure their alarm clock was properly set. He remembered back when he got his first alarm clock and set it for PM instead of AM. He laughed as he walked to the twin's bedroom only to find they were walking out to go to the bathroom.
"It was good to see you two up early," smiled Robber. "I trust that alarm clock did its job this morning!" Robert laughed at the twins.
"Yeah, it got us up, alright. And you making us put it on the desk instead of the nightstand made me get out of bed to turn the damned thing off," yelled a very disgruntled Kevin.
It got awfully quiet in the bathroom after Kevin's retort. Charles was surprised Kevin yelled as he did because he'd never known him to be that upset before. Even Kyle was surprised at how his brother responded to Robert.
Then Kevin smiled. Robert saw the smirk come across the twin's face and he knew the lad was just blowing off steam. That made Robert laugh. Kevin joined in the laugh, which was soon joined in by Charles and Kyle. They all had a good laugh over Kevin's outburst.
The four Cover lads brushed their teeth and then jumped into the shower to wash away the night's grime and boy smell. Quickly after getting cleaned up for school, the four lads headed down to the Kitchen Nook for breakfast.
"Morning 'dad'," called out all four boys as they entered the Kitchen Nook.
The lads sat down and Momma Maria brought over their breakfast. She had prepared chipped beef on toast and scrambled eggs. She offered the lads cold milk or orange juice as they dug into their food.
"Momma Maria," called out Kyle, "This is great. I never had this type of food on toast before and I like the taste. Thank you for making it for us and giving us something new for breakfast."
The other lads all chimed in with their accolades for Momma Maria and when breakfast was over the four boys all gave Momma Maria a big hug before going to get cleaned up and ready to leave for the school bus.
Ken watched the whole thing from his vantage point, behind his morning newspaper. He loved it that the boys were so kind and considerate and that they showed it, especially to Mamma Maria.
Charles stopped by Robert's room to remind him to take his change of underwear. Robert turned around and reached into his dresser drawer and pulled out a nice pair of boxer briefs. He stuffed them into his backpack and he and Charles walked down the hall. The twins heard them and they caught up with them before the four Cover lads walked down the front stairs.
"We're off to school, dad'" yelled Charles.
The other three lads also called out to Mr. Ken to tell him they were leaving. He called back he'd see them after school. The kids had already shut the door by the time he yelled out to them.
At school, Robert's friends gathered around him when they saw he was back at school. They all thought he wouldn't be back until Monday so they figured the trial went the right way for him.
"So, Robert, did you win your lawsuit?" asked Logan.
"Nope. Ms. Johnston lied through her teeth that first day," Robert began to explain. "Then that night, my 'dad' looked up a few things to counteract her lying statements and the next day he gave what he found to our lawyers. So, when Bill Jackson got his turn to question Ms. Johnston he mentioned to her that 'dad' had lots of security cameras around the estate."
"Wait … your 'dad', Mr. Ken, he has security cameras … all over the estate?" asked Chuck, with a smile on his face.
"You know he does, Chuck. And you better be prepared when he shows everyone how little your equipment is," teased Robert. That got the rest of the lads laughing.
"Come on, tell us what happened at the trial before the first bell rings," spoke up Trevor.
The twins were met by their friends. The boys who were over the previous weekend asked if it was OK for them to come over on Sunday. Kyle reminded them that 'Dad Ken' told them they could as long as they checked in with either him or his brother. Kyle did remind the boys that he and his twin were going to visit their parents the next day and would probably be gone the entire day. The twin's friends said they remembered that they'd be gone which was why they said they'd be over on Sunday. The rest of the kids all laughed at that. Then the first bell rang.
Robert's teacher asked Robert if he could tell his class about the trail. Robert gave them a broad overview of what happened and in the end, he told them how they won one and lost one. When he explained that, the class moaned.
During lunch, Charles told his friends he was going with his 'dad' and the twins tomorrow down to San Antonio, so that Kevin and Kyle could visit their parents. He told them he'd be gone most of the day, so it would be better if they planned to come over on Sunday. He added that now with the twins bringing four new friends each The Cove would be more crowded than ever and they needed to take that into account when they planned to use the ramps.
Charles further told his friends that it was getting later in September and this could be the last weekend they get to swim out in the lagoon. The Cover lad mentioned that his 'dad' didn't have a wetsuit for all of them to use, so they needed to enjoy their last games of 'King of the Raft' while they could.
Robert stayed on the school bus when it stopped at the top of the rise near The Finger Cove to drop off the Cover lads. The teenager told his brothers he'd catch up with them tomorrow evening when Ms. Judy brought him home. The teen was happy to be spending the night with his Best Friend Eric and his mom Ms. Judy.
While the bus drove away, the twins waved at Robert and then the three lads headed down to the house. As they approached the parking corral, they saw Mr. Chris, as he was getting ready to leave for the weekend. They waved and told him to have a safe drive home. The lads then headed into the house to find Momma Maria and to get their after-school snack.
After eating their snack, the boys headed to the Study to talk to Mr. Ken. The owner of The Cove greeted them warmly and then after a few minutes of chitchat he sent them upstairs to get their homework finished as they had a busy weekend ahead of them.
At dinner, the twins couldn't stop talking about going to see their parents the next day. They were so pumped up about it Mr. Ken wondered if they would ever get any sleep that night. When they were finished with dinner, the Covers retreated to the Study to talk some more.
It wasn't long after they sat down in the Study that the phone rang. When Mr. Ken answered it he learned it was Robert wanting to thank his 'dad' for allowing him to spend the night at Eric's and not to have to go BAMC and visit with Mr. Parchsons. The two talked for a bit before they hung up and Mr. Ken focused his attention back on the three lads in front of him.
They decided to watch a movie, so Charles and the twins went down to the Theater to set it up. When Mr. Ken joined the boys, he went directly to his favorite chair. Charles had sat with him a few times before so after his 'dad' got settled, the pre-teen went over and got in right beside him. Kevin and Kyle looked over at the two and wondered if they could also fit in there too,
Mr. Ken saw the looks on the twin's faces. He'd been in his lounger with two lads but he wondered how he could do it with three lads. He figured if he did try he wouldn't know. So, still looking at the twins he opened his arms to them. Kevin and Kyle saw what their 'Dad Ken' was doing. They looked at one another and they must have speed spoke to one another as no sooner were the arms open than they were diving for Mr. Ken.
Charles moved over to let the twins have the prime spots right next to his 'dad'. The pre-teen knew what it was like to lie there with Mr. Ken and this was the first time that he knew of that they got the chance. He was happy for them.
The four Covers lay down together and they not only watched the movie, they enjoyed the closeness they all had that evening. The boys didn't even get up to go pee during the whole movie. When the movie was over, Mr. Ken shushed the lads up to bed and reminded them they would be leaving for San Antonio at 10 AM. The boys all hugged 'Dad Ken' before they headed up to their bedroom.
Before they went to sleep, the twins lay in their beds and talked about meeting their parents the next day. Kyle was so hyped up he was going to see his mom he told his twin he couldn't wait. Kevin noticed his twin never mentioned their dad. The older twin then thought back to what his younger twin said about their dad and he figured it wasn't worth making a big deal out of it. And although Kevin did miss his mom he couldn't wait to talk to his dad. He really missed the Sunday get-togethers with the other boys and just wanted to talk to his dad about what they were missing with him stuck in the hospital.
Saturday morning, Mr. Ken was out of bed by 8:15 and had gotten his newspaper and sat down to enjoy reading it while he drank his morning coffee. When it was 9 AM and none of his 'sons' had appeared in the Kitchen Nook, he decided to go up and make sure the boys were up and getting ready.
'Dad' Ken did the Three Knock Rule on Charles' bedroom first. After the third knock, 'dad' Ken walked in while calling Charles' name. There he found the pre-teen lightly snoring away with the covers tightly up around his neck and curled into somewhat of a ball.
"Charles … come on 'son' it is time for you to get up. Come on Charles ... get up 'son'," called out Mr. Ken.
Charles stirred, but he didn't wake up, so Mr. Ken went over and shook the lad. After a few shakes Charles opened his eyes and seeing his 'dad' standing there he woke up fast.
"Sorry 'dad' for sleeping in. I guess I forgot to set my alarm. I'll get right up and get my shower. We are going to go out for breakfast? Right?" smiled Charles.
"We'll see, now get out of bed and into the bathroom while I go wake up your sleeping 'brothers'," replied 'dad' Ken.
The owner of The Cove went to the twins' bedroom and did the Three Knock Rule there. Again, after not getting any response for either of the twins the man walked into the room. When inside the bedroom, Mr. Ken found the twins sleeping in the same bed. He smiled at the sight and went over to the boys and began to shake them awake.
"Boys … it is past 9 AM and we were supposed to leave by 10. Come on now, it is time to get up and get cleaned up," said 'Dad Ken'.
Kyle was the first one to open his eyes. He sat up and then stretched, but then laid back down. 'Dad Ken" went over to the lad and began to tickle him and as the younger twin squirmed around he bumped Kevin a few times and that woke the older twin up.
"Oh, is it time to get up?" asked Kevin.
"Yes, Kevin and you should have set your alarm clock so you would be up by now," replied 'Dad Ken'. "Now, come on boys get out of bed and into the bathroom and get ready to go visit your parents. Meet me downstairs by 9:50. That said Mr. Ken walked out of the room.
Kyle jumped out of the bed and headed to the porcelain throne to drain his dragon. Kevin joined his twin at the porcelain receptacle just as the younger twin began to walk away. Charles was just finishing brushing his teeth when Kyle walked up to an empty sink.
"It sure is different without Robert here in the bathroom with us," said Kyle, before he put his toothbrush into his mouth. Charles agreed with Kyle as he walked into the shower room to get cleaned up. Five minutes later, both twins joined him there.
"Hey," started out Charles, "I mentioned to 'dad' about taking us out for breakfast. I sure hope he does."
"Yeah, it would be nice to eat somewhere different. Momma Maria makes great food but … well I'd like to eat something different," replied Kyle.
The three lads were down in the Foyer at 9:45 waiting for 'Dad Ken' to come out of his bedroom ensuite. When Mr. Ken saw the lads waiting for him he scolded them about not getting up early enough to eat some breakfast. The lads looked back and forth to one another not knowing what to say.
"'Dad', you are going to stop for us to get something to eat aren't you?" asked a subdued Charles.
"I am thinking about it, Charles. You all knew when we went to bed last night that I wanted to leave by 10 AM, but it appears none of you set your alarm clocks, so you could get up and eat something. That was not fair to me boys. I was up at 8:15 and got myself something to eat and I would have gotten you something, as well, but you never showed. Now … go drain your dragons and let's head to the garage and get in the truck," said a somewhat disgruntled Mr. Ken.
It was a very quiet first thirty minutes in the truck as the Covers drove down towards San Antonio and the U.S. Army hospital known as BAMC. Mr. Ken didn't say a word to the boys making them know he was not pleased with them. Charles never saw his 'dad' act this way, so he knew the man was not happy with any of them. He wished Robert had been going because he would have made sure they were all up at a decent time.
"'Dad' … I'm really sorry … for not setting my alarm. Usually, Robert … he gets us up and … and I guess I forgot he wasn't going to. Well, I actually forgot he stayed at Eric's last night, but I know … I know that is not an excuse. I need to step up and be the big 'brother' when he isn't here, 'dad'. I really am sorry, 'dad'," finished Charles.
Mr. Ken listened to what Charles had to say. The man just sat there driving and didn't say anything about what the pre-teen had to say for himself. He wanted the twins to recognize they had made a mistake that morning. He knew they needed to begin taking responsibility for themselves, and shouldn't be relying on anyone but themselves to get up and off to school, or wherever they needed to be up for.
Kevin and Kyle sat in the back and Ken Thomas could see the lads were sort of silently talking to each other, as he'd seen them do a few times already. It looked to him they were arguing who would speak for them both. Then he watched them, as best he could, in the rearview mirror and he laughed inwardly when he saw them do Rock-Paper-Scissors. Kyle won 2 out of 3.
"'Dad Ken'," began Kevin. "We're … well, Kyle and I are sorry for making you come wake us up this morning. We knew you wanted to leave by 10 AM … but we just didn't remember to set the alarm. You only just got it for us on Thursday, so we aren't used to setting it and getting ourselves up. At home, our mom always got us up for school. … 'Dad Ken' … what can we do … you know, so you are not mad at us?" asked Kevin.
Again, Mr. Ken just kept driving. He didn't look back at the twins nor did he look over to Charles. He was giving the lads the 'silent treatment' as a means to let them know he was not pleased with their actions that morning.
They were an hour out from The Cove when Mr. Ken nonchalantly asked the boys if they were hungry. All three lads looked back and forth to one another and then they all replied at once that they were.
A McDonald's was up on the right and it was an easy off and on so Mr. Ken pulled in it. When the four Covers got out of the truck, they all stretched and then walked into the restaurant. Mr. Ken told them to get what they wanted, but not to order more than they could eat. The twins couldn't decide if they wanted breakfast at 11 AM, or lunch. Charles had no problem deciding so he ordered an Egg McMuffin®, hash browns, and a coke.
Kyle liked the sound of getting breakfast, so he ordered the same. Kevin wanted to hear what 'Dad Ken' was going to order before he decided. 'Dad Ken' decided he wanted something simple but filling so he ordered a Bacon, Egg & Cheese McGriddle®, Hash Browns, and coffee. Kevin didn't like the sound of that so he ordered what Charles and Kyle ordered.
When the four travelers sat down to eat, Mr. Ken asked the lads to use their napkins so as not to get anything on their clothes. It was while they were eating that Charles again apologized to his 'dad' for not getting up. Hearing what Charles said, Kyle said he was sorry for not getting up in time. Kevin knew he needed to say something, so he apologized for not setting the alarm and further said he'd try to remember to set the clock.
Mr. Ken sat there eating his meal and didn't say a word to any of the lads. He let them continue to feel his disappointment in them. It was just as they were finished eating that Mr. Ken spoke up.
"Boys," began Mr. Ken, "I deliberately didn't speak to any of you … so you would know that I was not happy, with any of you, because of the way you all acted this morning. We talked about leaving at 10 AM, but you all decided NOT to set your alarms and thus you didn't get breakfast. And breakfast at 11 AM is not the time to get the most important meal of the day.
"Boys, I know you are only eleven and twelve but the decisions you start making now are a precursor of how you will act when you are older. Look at Robert. He gets himself up and he makes sure you are all up before he gets himself ready. That is the example I want you all to start looking to emulate in the future. I know it isn't going to happen overnight, but what I want to see you do is to begin taking responsibility for yourselves. Yes sometimes it is OK to rely on others, but you need to start relying on yourself.
"OK, let's clean up our table, drain our dragons, and then hit the road. We still have a long drive ahead of us," said Mr. Ken.
It was almost a two and a half-hour drive to BAMC with stops, and they'd only been on the drive for an hour plus their stop. That meant they still had at least another hour to go, or more, depending on the traffic. The twins were in a big discussion when they approached the hospital. Mr. Ken was curious as to what they were discussing, but he needed to stop at the gate for the guard to check his license and registration, since he wasn't a military member or dependent.
Mr. Ken parked the truck and told the boys they'll do what they did the last time. They would first pee and then head to the 4th floor to suit up and then go visit their parents. It was then Kevin revealed what he and Kyle were talking about.
"'Dad Ken', Kyle and I talked … and we each would like to visit our parents separately. We want to have one-on-time with our mom and dad and we would like it if you and Charles could wait to talk to our parents until after we have. Would that be OK with you?" explained Kevin.
Mr. Ken looked at the boys and he told them he didn't have any problem with that other than it might add to their time away. Then he thought to himself that today was for his foster sons and they needed as much time to spend with their parents as they could get, since it had been two weeks since they were last here.
"OK, Kevin, I don't have a problem with you each going in separately. Let's just hope the hospital doesn't have any rules against minors being in the room alone," replied 'Dad Ken'.
When they arrived at the burn ward, they signed in and the boys got outfitted with the special clothing to keep any germs from being introduced into the rooms. Once they were dressed, Kevin went to visit with his mom while Kyle went in to talk to his dad.
"Oh, my boys are here to visit me," cried Vivian Parchsons. "Where's Kyle," asked Kevin's mom.
"We decided to spend separate time with each of you. That way we wouldn't have to share you. We can talk to you about the things we are each doing," replied Kevin.
"I thought you were doing the same things together?" asked Vivian.
"Well, we do most of the time, but we are individuals and we each now have our own friends, mom. 'Dad Ken' let us each invite two new friends over last Saturday and Sunday. Even though we played with all of the new friends, we each decided who we would invite each day," explained Kevin.
"Well, look who we have here!" exclaimed Parker Parchsons, when Kyle walked into his room.
"Hello, dad, I hope you are getting better and will be home soon," said Kyle, who then went over to hug his dad.
"Yes, yes, my boy, I am getting better but with these broken bones and having to go through skin grafting it will be quite some time before I am ready to go home. The doctors did tell me that maybe I could be ready to go home around the 1st of April, or if things go as good as they are maybe early March. That would be great to get home with my boys again," replied Parker.
"Dad, what's skin grafting?" asked Kyle.
"Well, Kyle, skin grafting … it is sort of a surgery that takes skin from one part of my body and well, they place it where the burned skin was. It is somewhat painful and the bad part is they have to take the old burned skin off first. It is a long procedure, so I am glad you didn't come during the week because after the procedure your mom and I are not allowed to see visitors," explained Mr. Parchsons.
"Oh, I guess that's good to know," started Kyle, "We have school now and with Mr. Ken's work I don't think we would come down to visit during the week."
"Son … what does your Mr. Ken do … you know, for a job?" asked Parker, who wanted to know for some reason he had in the back of his mind.
"Oh, well right now he is building two buildings. One is a hotel and the other is an office building. We haven't seen them but we have seen the plans. He showed them to us one night. He's even building what he calls a home-away-from-home on the top of the office building and it will have a 4-foot deep wading pool. I can't wait to see it," enthusiastically replied Kyle.
Kevin and Kyle talked with their respective parent for about 30 minutes each before they came out of the hospital room to change parents. They removed the infection control garb they had on and then changed into new garb in order to go visit the other parent. They talked to Mr. Ken and Charles as they did that and when they were ready the nurse let them into their parent's room.
"Hi, mom," said Kyle, as he entered the woman's hospital room.
"Oh, my other son. Come over here and let me hug you!" called out Vivian Parchsons.
"I missed you both so much," said Vivian, as she hugged her youngest twin.
"I've missed you too, mom. It sure is different not living with you and dad," revealed Kyle.
"Oh … is something wrong with you living with your Mr. Ken?" Vivian wanted to know.
"Oh, no, mom … it's just that … well, I was so used to being around you and dad and now that I don't get to see you every day I really miss you," cried Kyle, as he hugged his mom.
When Kevin walked into his dad's hospital room, he quickly ran over to his dad and hugged the man tightly. "I really miss you, dad!"
"Yes, my boy, as I have you," smiled Parker Parchsons, as he told that to his older twin.
"What have you been doing with yourself?" asked the man.
"Well, we got to invite our new school friends over last weekend. Kyle and I each got to invite two new friends over on Saturday and Sunday. We had a good time playing on the skateboard ramps and out in the lagoon. Mr. Ken also let us swim in the indoor pool," excitedly replied Kevin.
"That sounds really good there Kevin. Anything else happen since our last visit?" asked the twin's dad.
"Well, nothing really, dad. Kyle and I have been having some problems between us. I think it's because we are away from you and mom," replied Kevin.
"Oh, nothing serious I hope. You are brothers and will have some disagreements as you grow up. Just don't let the things that you argue about let you lose the fact that you are brothers and no one can ever take that away from you," counseled parker.
"Son, there is something… ahh, that I do want to talk to you about," said a now serious sounding Parker Parchsons.
"What is it dad?" immediately asked Kevin. "Have you told Kyle?"
"No, son, I didn't tell Kyle because ... well, he wouldn't understand. I had the lawyer here, a JAG I think they call him, anyway, he made some phone calls for me to your grandparents and aunts and uncles. I asked him to see if they would take you and your brother in while your mom and I recover. None of them wanted to accept the responsibility.
"Well, I needed to do something, so I made a few calls of my own. I found someone who will take you both in and take care of you and raise you two until mom and I can get out of here," explained Mr. Parchsons.
"But, but why didn't they want to take us dad?" asked Kevin.
"Well, you know your grandparents are elderly, and they didn't want young boys in their house. Too much noise and stuff. Then, I talked to your aunts and uncles, and well they already have a house full and they didn't want the added noise and, well, you know. So, that brings me to what I wanted to tell you.
"Kevin ... do you remember a man named … Julian?" finished Parker Parchsons.
"Yeah, I remember him. He's the heavy set guy. Why?" the older twin wanted to know.
"Well, he's agreed to take you and Kyle in for the time being. Isn't that great?" smiled the lad's dad.
"I don't like him, dad. He was always touching me where I didn't want him to when we did those things together, dad. Don't let us go with him. There were lots of other guys who would be a lot better for us and, besides, Kyle doesn't know about what we do with them and their, I guess, their sons. Dad if we have to go with that man you know … you know he will start something with my brother and I can't guarantee that Kyle won't say something," argued Kevin.
"Yes, yes, I know that Kevin, but he was the only one who was willing to take you both in. And, besides, he guaranteed he'd not do anything with Kyle until … well, until I talked to Kyle and brought him into our circle of friends. Some of the other guys said they would have a difficult time explaining the addition of two more boys' in their care. Besides, Julian has paid me already me for, ah, well anyways, and we agreed that if he takes care of you both that would be payment for your brother and all.
"But, dad … I don't want to go with him …," Kevin tried to argue, but was stopped in mid-sentence.
"Enough! You'll do what I want! I've already signed the papers and he'll be by Three Finger Cove sometime early next week to collect you and your brother," fully explained Kevin's dad.
"But dad … what did he pay you for? Tell me, so I know what to look out for," insisted Kevin.
"You'll learn that all in good time, my boy. You will also have to help Julian with getting Kyle into doing what we all enjoy doing together, so much. You already told me that you and he do some things together and it shouldn't be that much of a step for him to enjoy doing that with our friends, now will it?" rationalized Mr. Parchsons.
"Dad … does mom know you're … you're making arrangements for Julian to pick us up and have us live with him?" Kevin wanted to know.
"Yes, your mother knows. She had to sign the papers, too!" barked back Kevin's dad.
"But dad, I don't want to go with Julian. He, he always plays with … with my butt when we're doing things together and, at times, he's even tried to, you know, to put his finger … put his finger inside of me. I don't want to do that … and especially NOT with him, dad. And, as for Kyle, I … I don't think he will want to do that stuff we do with anyone, especially with a guy and definitely not with Julian. Kyle didn't even like do it with you!
"Dad … you've got to find someone else, you just got to! … Dad … what is so wrong with us … with us staying with 'Dad Ken'? We have good food and lots of things to keep us busy and … and we can have out new friends over," Kevin tried to argue with his dad.
"Well, Julian, he really does like being with you and besides … it was only going to happen … ahh, eventually. We'll talk more about that later. Now, as for you staying with your Mr. Ken, I didn't like the way he was changing you boys into something you're not. He's making you enjoy, too much, what it is like to be rich.
"I am afraid son that if I allow you to stay with him much longer … well, your mom and I won't be able to continue to provide that to you with all the things he has given you. I can already see he has already begun to change you both. No, Kevin, I think going with Julian … that IS best for your mom and me," clarified dad Parchsons
Before long, the twins exited their parent's hospital room and went out to change out of the infection control garb. Mr. Ken said he wanted to talk to their parents, so he put on the adult version of the infection control garb and walked into Parker Parchsons hospital room.
"Hello, Parker … I wanted to talk to you before we left, if that is OK with you?" said Mr. Ken as he entered the room.
"Sure, by all means, what do you have for me?" said a congenial Parker.
"Well, I want to ask you if you had anyone taking care of your house, mail, and bills while you are here. Also, I wanted to ask you if you've contacted a lawyer about your accident. I have someone that you could talk to if you want their names. I'm just concerned that if you wait too long evidence concerning the accident might go missing, and it would greatly hinder any award you might be entitled to," began Mr. Ken.
"Thank you for asking those questions. We've both been pretty busy with skin grafts and all, but you make some really good points. The JAG was able to get our personal effects from the hospital, so I did contact one of my friends to handle the house and mail and the bills for us. As for a lawyer, now that we are recovering, I'll talk to the JAG on Monday to see who he would recommend, you know, from up your way. We were just innocent parties in that crash and when that tractor-trailer plowed into us, well, you know, we got the worst of it I think, wouldn't you?
"Anyway, I want to thank you for taking such good care of our boys. They both tell me how much they are enjoying living with you. You should have heard them tell me all about last weekend when you allowed them to bring a bunch of their friends over to play. I think it will be a difficult readjustment for them after they come back to live with their mom and me. Is there anything else you want to talk to me about?" smiled Parker Parchsons.
"No, not really ... oh, yeah, there is one last thing. I do want to take the boys to the house one last time. I want them to make sure they hadn't overlooked anything the last time. We did fill up my truck, that last time, but if they forgot something, well, this will give them one last chance, like their cell phones, or iPads. You know the things the majority of kids have nowadays, "replied Mr. Ken.
"Oh, well, I guess the boys would like to check the house out and see if there is anything there they might want. But, well as far as cell phones and iPads, or the like, go, they don't have those, yet. Their mom and I figured that when they were much older would be the most appropriate time. Now, is there anything else?" directly asked a somewhat irritated sounding Parker Parchsons.
Mr. Ken thanked the man for talking to him. He did tell the man that the boys do have their hospital room phone numbers and would probably be calling them later in the evenings after dinner some night. The two said their goodbyes and Mr. Ken walked out of the hospital room.
Mr. Ken felt a bit off from his talk to Parker Parchsons, but he couldn't put his finger on what disturbed him about it. When he went out to change into fresh garb to go visit Vivian Parchsons the nurse told him she was sleeping and asked him not to bother her. The man gathered up his charges and they walked out of the BAMC Burn Unit.
After they drained their dragons and had gotten belted into the truck, Mr. Ken told the twins they were going to stop at their house one last time. He explained he wanted to make sure they hadn't forgotten something they might have overlooked. The boys agreed and soon the Covers were headed off to the Parchsons' house.
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