It was close to 2 PM and Mr. Ken noticed a Sheriff's patrol car drive up out front. The deputy got out but remained near his vehicle. Ten minutes later an unmarked car drove up and two men dressed in suits got out. Ken remarked to Rick that the cavalry had arrived and they both had a good laugh. While Richard went back upstairs to check on the boy, Ken went outside to greet his visitors. He didn't get the reception he expected.
"Who are you?" asked the younger suit.
"No! The question is, who are you? You are on MY property!"
"Listen here, we are federal agents and are here on official business and your refusal to answer my question can and will be construed as obstruction, if you don't identify yourself to me, NOW!" the young suit practically yelled at Ken. The older suit, and the deputy, just stood back watching and waiting.
"Listen to me, and listen carefully," began Mr. Thomas. "you entered my property and have failed to properly identify yourself as a federal agent, and as such, I can have you removed and reported to your superior for that failure, and on top of that, IF YOU SO MUCH AS TOUCH ME you will be charged with assault and possibly a battery if you harm just one hair on my body!"
"That's it! I've had enough of this shit. You are under arrest for obstruction and we'll see who get's what first."
"Touch me, and I will defend myself!"
The young suit now looked over at the older man for support and saw his partner and the deputy were having a hard laugh. Not wanting to look like a fool, he took out his handcuffs and approached Mr. Thomas in order to arrest him when the older man yelled, "STOP!"
"Put those things away Agent Stouffer! I bet he would actually defend himself and beat the living daylights out of you, then have you thrown into jail for assault, and probably Gestapo and Gulag tactics, since he expressed how you came here and failed to properly identify who you are. Now stand back and DO NOT, and I repeat, do not say another word! You got me?" the older guy calmly spoke at the now agitated young man.
"You must be Mr. Thomas. I apologize for my partner's behavior, but he does have a tendency to go off half-cocked at times. I am FBI Special Agent Phillip Campbell and this is my partner Special Agent James Stouffer. We are here in regards to the phone call we received from a Doctor Richard Powers. Is he available? Is the person of interest still on the premises?"
"Yes, I am Mr. Thomas, and Doc Powers is attending to said person of interest. Won't you please follow me and I will take you inside. Deputy, will you be joining us?"
"Not right now, thank you, Mr. Thomas. I am waiting for my supervisor to arrive and then we'll coordinate with the Special Agents here. And thank you also for the … ah show," and the Deputy began to chuckle some at the young suit's dressing down.
"Deputy, we'll be upstairs, and right now, it is only the doctor and I and my dog Chief inside, so please keep ringing the doorbell for us to hear it, or call my cell phone at 555-2683 (Cove)."
The three men went inside and up the stairs were they were greeted by a snarling large Labrador retriever who didn't seem to like one or all of them. Mr. Ken had to tell Chief the men were good guys and asked her to let the men pass. The young agent placed his hand on his holster and Chief got into attack mode. His associate was not pleased with that action and told him to settle down and put his hands at his side. Chief then allowed the two strangers to pass, but followed closely behind the one who she really did not like.
Entering the bedroom, Doc Powers stood up and introduced himself. Then, before Agent in Charge Campbell could introduce himself and his partner, the younger agent went into his 'superior' mode again and began to bark questions and orders at the man. Doctor Powers had met men like this before. They make themselves out to be the 'person in charge' and demand they be listened to and not played with, or else. Doc Rick ignored the man and addressed Campbell.
"Agent Campbell, thank you for coming; as I told you over the phone we know the boy's name is Collin, but he has refused to reveal his last name. He has slept off and on for the past 96 hours or so, and I do not expect him to be awake for another two or three hours. He's had major trauma to his rectum and numerous, wounds that appear to be knife wounds, all about his hands and arms and midsection.
Agent Campbell nodded his agreement with the doctor's assessment and asked if there was a place they could go and sit down and talk. Ken offered his home office, which he referred to as the Study, and the four men descended the stairs to the main level and the Study.
Before leaving the boy, though, Ken said to Chief, "Chief, please stay here with Collin and come get us if he wakes up." Hearing what Ken told Chief, Agent Stouffer snickered and made a snide remark about letting the dog watch over the boy as it 'didn't have half a brain' and couldn't understand what he was just told.
Agent Campbell heard what he said and told him, "If you don't think the dog is capable of understanding that then you can stay here and watch over the boy, yourself. We're going down to the office to discuss what we will do for the boy."
The three men left the bedroom and Agent Stouffer stood there looking at the dog when Chief got her paws up onto the bed, as she had done many times over the past four days, and licked the boys face.
"Get away from him you mangy mutt," yelled Stouffer.
Chief got down and looked up at the man and growled at him as she had done not too long ago on the stairs.
"Are you coming, Stouffer?" Stouffer's boss called out.
"Yea, I'll be right there," he called out and then, looking down at Chief, he said, "I'll deal with you later." Agent Stouffer joined the other men just as they began walking down the stairs to Mr. Ken's Study.
The men got comfortable in the soft leather chairs and Agent Campbell and Doctor Powers began to discuss the lad and more about his injuries.
"Doc, can you tell me a bit more about the lad's injuries and how you feel he came to sustain them?" spoke Agent Campbell.
"Rick."
"What" asked Campbell?
"You can call me Rick. That doc and doctor stuff gets old after a few years," said Richard Powers.
"Ok, then you can call me Phil, Rick," and the two men laughed and then Ken and Stouffer laughed some, too.
"All right then, Rick, what can you tell me about our special patient upstairs. Please give me your honest opinion and thoughts and anything else you want to tell me. I want to hear what you feel and know about from his injuries and, well, you know the drill," spoke Phillip Campbell.
"Well, Phil, from what I was able to observe and treat," began Rick, "is that our young Master Collin upstairs was savagely and brutally raped. I can't say how many times because the water he was in helped to constrict the area some. He has well over 50 sutures in and about his bottom side and almost as many on his hands and arms and midsection. I did my best to reduce the amount of scaring he'll have, but he will have a few scars that will always remind him of this event."
"Were you able to preserve any evidence, Doc, I mean, Rick?" Phil quietly asked.
"Yes, I saw there was some semen present inside his rectum and I did what I could to salvage any evidence there was. I know from experience that is what I had to do. Be aware that with him being in the water, for I do not know how long, that those samples may not be worth the vial they're in right now. I had Ken place them in the refrigerator and they are yours as soon as you want them."
"What else can you tell me about his injuries to his arms and hands and midsection? Do you think he may have fought them or someone?"
"Yes, I'd say he fought them and then some. I bet he got the better of them, too, seeing that the knife wounds are not too deep especially in his midsection. My bet is they intended to kill him and let him be found after the storm as a drowning victim. That way there would be no connection to them at all, except for the semen," answered Rick.
"And about his arms?"
"Well, my best bet, as I said, is that he fought them and one of them had a knife and somehow he got away and was washed ashore and he had enough strength to crawl up to the patio where Chief found him lying in the wind and cold rain."
Upon hearing that, Agent Stouffer sarcastically said, "Do you really want me to believe that that dumb dog upstairs was the one who found our missing teenager?"
Hearing the question and the tone in which it was presented, pissed Ken Thomas off big time and he spoke up. "Well, the answer to your unbelieving question is Yes! Chief noticed something out on the patio and it turned out to be that young boy upstairs, Collin, lying out there. She sensed something long before I even had the inkling to look. It was her persistence to get me to the window that I was able to see the lad move while he was lying out there."
"See, there you have it, you had to go out and get the boy and bring him in," argued Stouffer.
"If she could have gotten outside, she would have gotten to him and tried to drag him in if she could have," offered Ken. "I've been around that dog long enough to know she is immensely intelligent and I do believe she can understand human language. She has been looking away from me when I spoke to her and she did exactly what I asked. She also has a great sense of … how can I say this … of knowing who are the good guys and the so-called bad guys. So if you intend on tangling with her, I'd strongly recommend that you stay away from her and she'll stay away from you. Oh and that also means that boy upstairs. He's hers now and don't ever forget that. You mess with him and you're messing with Chief. She'll protect him with her life if need be, and me too."
"Yea, like I can believe that," was all James Stouffer could come up with.
"Jim, listen to what the man has to say. He knows his dog and what she is capable of and if he says she'll protect that boy up there, then you'd better not start anything like you did out front earlier. That boy has been through enough and he doesn't need to be exposed to your attitude. Do you understand me, Jim?" spoke a very serious sounding Agent Phillip Campbell.
When there was no response from Agent Stouffer Agent Campbell spoke up louder and said, "Jim, did you hear me? Do you understand what I just said … James?"
"Yes, I heard you … Loud and Clear!" was James Stouffer's smart-alecky response.
"Just make sure you do, and don't go off half cocked!" replied Agent Campbell.
At that very moment, the tension in the air was very thick and everyone knew it. The men just sat there waiting as if something else was going to be said. Then knowing there needed to be something to defuse that tension, Ken asked them if they were thirsty and hearing the men's response he went to the kitchen and retrieved some cold drinks. By the time Ken got back with the drinks, the County Sheriff had arrived and Doc Powers had invited him into the Study.
"Hello there," the Sheriff spoke up as Ken walked into the Study, "my name is Matthew Barnes and you must be Ken Thomas. I'm glad to meet you, but I wish it were under better circumstances."
"Thank you Sheriff and yes, I am Ken Thomas. I went to get these gentlemen some refreshments. Would you care for a cold drink, soda, iced tea or coffee maybe?" asked Ken to be neighborly.
"No thank you, Ken. I think I'll just sit down and get filled in by the Agents here first, if you don't mind."
Agent Campbell and Doc Powers then briefed the sheriff on the status of the boy and what the agents intended to do until the boy had recovered.
While they were doing that, Chief came into the Study and Ken saw her and excused himself and went upstairs to check on Collin. Agent Stouffer followed a few seconds later.
When Ken got to the room, Collin was moaning and asking for some pain medicine. Ken told the boy he'd get the doctor and he'd decide what can be done to stop the pain.
"Chief, please go down to Doc and bring him here," said Ken in order to get Rick up to the room.
"You think that dumb dog can really understand you don't you, mister hotshot?" said Stouffer.
"That so called 'dumb' dog is much smarter than you think. She could run laps around you and a friend and get everything done I ask her to do. So don't be putting her down because you have an inferiority complex or a hatred for animals who are much smarter than you," replied Ken.
"We'll see, smarty pants, who's smarter," offered Stouffer just as his boss Campbell and the other two men came through the door.
"Jim, give it a break will ya!" intoned a slightly peeved Campbell.
The four men just stood there for a few moments and it wasn't until Collin moaned out that Rick went over to the boy and asked him what was wrong.
Doc Powers got some stuff out of his bag and prepared a shot for the lad. "Here son, this will reduce the pain somewhat, but I need you to stay awake for these men. They are from the FBI and Sheriff's office and need to ask you a few questions. Then when they are done, I need you to eat some more in order to gain your strength back. Will you do that for me, Collin?"
"Yea, I … I guess so, but the pain is real bad, especially in my … well you know my … my butt hurts. Can you tell me how bad I am and … what happened to me? It seems like I've been here for weeks," answered the young teen.
"Ok, Collin, I'll answer all your questions after these men ask you theirs. Is that a deal?" asked Rick.
"Ye … yea, sure," replied Collin with a yawn.
With that settled, Doc Powers gave the boy a shot and patted him on the head. When he finished Chief put her paws up on the bed, as she had done countless times, to lick the boys face. Again, when Agent Stouffer saw that he went ballistic.
Immediately, Agent Stouffer began yelling that the dog will be removed from the room 'right now' and if she wasn't he'd have her in the dog pound within the hour. Chief then reacted to the man's temper and got off the bed, showed her teeth, got into her attack stance and began to growl. Stouffer immediately went for his gun.
Mr. Thomas saw that and immediately yelled "GUN" and without hesitation he tackled Agent Stouffer and clocked him. It took Agent Campbell and Sheriff Barnes a few seconds to get Ken off of Stouffer before he beat him mercilessly.
"Get that man OUT of my house!" yelled a furious Mr. Thomas. "If he is not out of here in five minutes, I will have my lawyer go to the district judge to get a restraining order on that, … that , whatever you choose to call him for he sure is NOT a Federal Agent of any kind!"
"Now, now, Mr. Thomas, he only reacted to …"
"Reacted? My ass! He was going for his gun and had it half way out when I tackled him. He intended to shoot my dog and that was NOT going to happen!"
"Stouffer. Where is your gun? … Show it to me now!" demanded Campbell
Agent Stouffer went to his holster and found it empty. "He tried to take my gun away from me for no reason. I'll want him arrested for assault and attacking a federal agent and for unlawfully taking an agents weapon from said agent."
"Get real!" was all Ken said.
"Mr. Thomas, if that is true you know you will be in big trouble. Find me your weapon Jim. Now!"
"Ok, whose word are you going to accept? His, he who has already showed he is quick tempered and had once already gone for his weapon upon meeting Chief and had some harsh words when she was being affectionate towards the boy. Or, mine who was on the receiving end of his misplaced temper and acrimony and who saw him reaching for his weapon to do harm to my dog?"
James Stouffer looked around the floor for his gun and found it under the bed opposite the sleeping Collin. He holstered it making sure his partner saw he did that.
"Stouffer! Go outside and talk to the Sheriff's Deputy!"
"Phillip, don't listen to him. I was in my rights to protect myself from that, that … you saw it Sheriff. … The …that man attacked me for no reason." The hot headed FBI agent looked around and realized he wasn't going to get his way, not now at least, so he just hung his head some and stopped talking.
"Go! And stay out there, even if he decides to come in. Do you hear me? Is there anything you do not understand about my order?" Agent Campbell directed at James Stouffer.
"Mr. Thomas, Sheriff Barnes, I do not know what has gotten into him. I've never seen him act this way before, ever. I've been with him for over three years and this is the first time he has gone off like that. I will make a full report and it will be up to the Disciplinary Review Board to decide what will happen. I am extremely sorry!" finished Agent Campbell.
"Agent Campbell, Phil, I want you to know I WILL file a grievance against that man. His actions today outside against me and his pulling his gun when his life was not in jeopardy is paramount to causing disorder in a confined space with possible injury to all of us if he had discharged his weapon. That boy there surly would have been hit as he was in direct line of fire if he had taken a shot at my dog. I tend to believe he was indeed trying to end that boys' life, for some reason, and found the dog as his reason to shoot and be sorry afterwards! I do not care how good a man he was … he is now a menace, and when we are through here I will call my lawyer! Any questions about what actions I am going to pursue?"
"None! I am sorry it came down to this. It will make my job that much more difficult without his help. We were assigned to protect this boy, NOT kill him!"
"You could have fooled me!" replied Ken.
Sheriff Barnes was at a loss at what had just happened in front of him. He never saw a man act that way towards a dog, ever. Sure the dog showed her teeth and growled but the agent never tried to defuse the situation. He saw the agent instantly go for his gun and then the sheriff said to himself that "If I were in Mr. Thomas's shoes I'd have tackled him, too!"
"Be that as it may, we all have our opinions as to what happened. The fact that his gun was out of his holster for no good reason is reason enough for him to be reassigned and disciplined. I will make the necessary phone calls and he'll be riding a desk until the disciplinary hearing.
"Now, I'd like to talk to the youngster here, and see if he can add anything to our investigation," said Agent Campbell but when he looked over to the boy he appeared to be fast asleep.
"Oh, well, I guess it isn't all that important for right this minute. Let's let the boy sleep some more. … What I would like to do while he is sleeping is finalize with you three about what we, the Agency, would like to see done in the meantime?" continued Phillip.
"While the boy is asleep, I'm going to remove the lad's catheter. He needs to begin getting up and walking some. Having to go to the bathroom will be a good excuse for that. Go on, for now, if you don't mind, and I will catch up with you two in a few minutes," said Doc Powers.
The two men left while Rick took care of the catheter. After the men left, Rick took the covers off the boy and took another look at the smallish boy. He couldn't believe the lad was supposed to be a fifteen year old and not look the age of thirteen year old he and Ken decided the youth looked to be. The boy was about 5 foot 4 inches tall and probably didn't weigh more than 90 to 100 pounds. He had very little pubic hair and what was there was very light blonde in color which didn't quite match the hair on his head. The boy also had a small flaccid penis which was about 3½ inches in length and not more than 2½ to 3 inches around.
Doc Powers figured there had to be more than just his kidnapping going on here but he decided to withhold his observations until he knew more about the kidnapping and all his health matters. "It could also be that the lad is a 'late bloomer'" the Doc thought "and will have a growth spurt very soon." As Rick finally left to join the others in Ken's Study, he looked to Chief and smiled at her, then scratched behind her ears, then asked her to watch over 'her boy' and to come get them if the he woke up or called out in pain.
Chief put on one of her 'smile' like grins and let out one "Woof" and went and lay down at the foot of the bed.
"Ok, here is what we have," began Campbell. "The boy upstairs appears to be the reported kidnapped teen from over three months ago. His parents were brutally killed when they took the lad. It appears that was not their intention. They fucked up! They took guns with them that night and the parents fought them and they overreacted and shot them both dead. We think it happened in front of the boy. The boys' parents were extremely rich.
"Anyway, getting back to why we are here. Mr. Thomas, Ken, if I may, we would like to keep the boy here until such time he is healed and can be safely protected and possibly reunited with his grandmother. We know you are a man of means, even if you are so young. We want to post a story that a boy fitting his description was found in the lake, dead with many cuts and bruises but we will NOT mention anything about the boy's apparent sexual abuse. It appears the kidnappers tried to drown the boy after unsuccessfully finding any other family members they could send a ransom note to.
"No apparent about it, agent Campbell. The boy was sexually abused and repeatedly sodomized with something more than just a man's penis," interjected Richard Powers." Those injuries would have taken his life from blood loss if it hadn't been for the very cold water that night. Also, Mr. Thomas here packed towels against the boys' rectum and placed him on his side to keep them tight in place. That … is what saved that teen's life!"
"Okay, then that is a given that they used the boy for sexual gratification before they tried to kill him. Doctor, do you believe the boy may have fought his abductors? From all the knife wounds he did something … wouldn't you say?"
"Yes … I'd agree the lad must have known what was in store for him that night of the storm. But we shouldn't have to speculate too much, as he is recovering, albeit slowly, because of the possible infections from the dirty water he was in. When he is able we should be able to get him to tell us what happened that night and possibly the past three to four months since he was taken away," offered Powers.
"Sherriff, will you be able to help provide any assistance in securing this estate?" asked Agent Campbell.
"I can provide whatever the federal government wants to pay for, yes!" replied County Sherriff Barnes.
Ken and Rich both laughed at Sheriff Barnes' attempt at humor.
"OK, yes, yes, I hear you" laughed Special Agent Campbell. "I will have to ask for the appropriations, but we will want 24 hour coverage and more than just one man. Probably three or four men will be required per shift seeing the size of this estate and house that will need to be covered. We will also provide some manpower to this operation."
"Well, seeing there is a very good guard shack at the entrance, we can control who comes and goes that way. We should only then need one man patrolling and one man inside and the three can trade off. I think we can work that out!"
"Can I say something here?" inquired Mr. Ken.
"Sure," responded both Campbell and Sherriff Barnes.
"I've only been here since early July and the neighbors know that I do not have a guard force of any kind. I am afraid if you bring in lots of fire power, or whatever you call the added policemen, they will know something is up, and they will begin to talk and before long, you will have a media event that you will not be able to control," spoke Ken.
"How so, Mr. Thomas," asked Matthew Barnes.
"These people believe, because I am so young, that I am associated with some rock stars. You know, because of the size of the house and grounds. They are hoping beyond hope they will get to see them as they use this place for vacations etc. Crazy as it seems that is what I hear they believe.
"Now let me tell you about the security features I built into this house. I have over 50 operating security cameras all over this place. There are 20 alone inside the house watching areas such as doors and the large windows and hallways, the garage and more. There are 25 cameras set up to watch the outside. The other 5 are portable, like in wireless internet, and they send their signal to the recorders in the Server Room. I have established hookups for over 100 cameras eventually, by the way"
Just then Chief came into the room barking up a storm. Ken and Rick both jumped up to run to attend their patient, but Ken told Rick to stay there and finalize the security arrangements. He then went out the door but before he took ten steps he returned and told the men that Stouffer would not be allowed in the house again, and then walked off.
Outside, as Mr. Ken made his way up to check on Collin, another car drove up to the driveway. A lady in her late thirties exited the vehicle carrying a briefcase and approached the deputy. She asked if Doctor Powers was inside and said that she came to talk to him about an injured boy. Both Stouffer's and Fischer's eyes lit up and the deputy went to the door to get the agent-in-charge.
Upstairs, Ken got to the bedroom and saw Collin was sitting up but not looking all that good. He went to the lad and sat down next to him and asked how he was.
"Where am I? Do I know you?" asked the young teen.
"We told you the other day, but I suppose it didn't register. My name is Ken Thomas and you are in my home here at Three Finger Cove. It is a large estate situated along the lake. Do you remember how you got here?"
"I don't remember too much. Whe… where are those other guys? The ones who… Oh, you're not one of them are you?"
"I'm not sure what you mean, Collin?"
"You … you know my name?"
"Yes, Collin, you told us earlier, but I also know quite a bit about you. I know you are Collin Wilkinson and are fifteen years old and were kidnapped about 3 months or so ago."
"My … my parents …? What? … Where? Are they … OK? … … Oh, they shot them. I … I saw them do it. They … they're dead aren't they?" and with that the lad broke out into tears. Ken immediately pulled the teenager to him and hugged him tight.
"Collin, I am so, so sorry for your loss. I do believe that … they did not make it. I do not know for sure … but that is my belief," replied Ken as he held close the still crying teen.
For the next few minutes, both man and boy sat there in silence as the lad came to grips with his loss. Ken kept him close, trying his best to console the boy as he evaluated what happened to him. The boy soon stopped crying and looked into the man's eyes.
"Collin, … I need to tell you some stuff, so you know … know what to expect before it happens. The FBI … and the Sheriff are downstairs working out security arrangements for you right now. Doctor Richard Powers, he's the one who took care of your injuries but you lost a lot of blood and that is why you feel so bad inside and tired as well. Your … ah … hmm … backside was hurt very badly and you have a lot of stitches back there.
"As you can also see, there are stitches on your hands and arms and two places on your midsection. I take it you fought them … didn't you? They tried to kill you the night of the storm and … and we believe you somehow got away and made it here … to my house. Chief, here, found you, didn't you girl, and I brought you inside and got Doc to come over and do what he could."
"I have to use the bathroom. Ca … can you help me there, please?" The weary lad said.
"Collin, if you need to just pee that would be good. If it is something else then we might have a problem? I must caution you that you have lots and lots of stitches at your rectum. If you must sit, you can NOT, and I must stress, NOT, push or strain or you will pop the stitches. Here … let me help you there!"
The lad stood up on shaky legs and his blanket fell away and there he stood, naked as the day he was born. The lad tried to hide his privates, but his arms hurt as he moved them so he just gave up. Ken did try to wrap the sheet around him some to give the boy some privacy.
Arriving at the large bathroom, Ken led Collin into a toilet stall that had hand rails. This surprised the boy, but he was grateful as he used them to slowly turn and lower himself to the seat. Ken warned him again NOT to strain but to just let nature and gravity work. As he closed the door, he got a weak smile from the boy. Leaving the lad there by himself, Mr. Ken went back to the bedroom and changed the bed linens and aired out the room as best he could. Then he returned to the bathroom to check on Collin.
The toilet flushed just as Ken entered the large bathroom and Collin shuffled out into the room while holding onto the door frame.
"Can I take a shower? Please?" asked the still wobbly teen
"Well … I'm not … not sure if you should" replied Ken.
"I really feel grungy and I smell bad too!" countered Collin.
"I'll tell you what. I'll get the shower going and then help you in but you can't stay under the water long. Just enough to get wet and then lather up and then rinse. I'll help you with your hair. There is a bench seat in there that will allow you to be seated as you lather up. … Collin, I know you are probably embarrassed by being nak … err nude but … well, please go with the flow. OK, Collin? I'll help you as best I can."
The teen weakly nodded then walked into the shower stall with Ken's help. There were four shower heads to choose from but Ken had the inner most one on and at a lukewarm temperature. Collin quickly stepped under the water and he let out a 'purr' it felt so good. Ken then had him sit down on the shower bench and helped the boy work to wash his body as best as he could.
Ken then got the shampoo and cleaned the lad's hair for him. He got the boy back up and under the water and helped him rinse off and again the boy just 'purred' as the clean water washed the dirt, grim and smell away. Unbeknownst to Ken, this was the first time since he was kidnapped he was able to shower and the lad didn't want to get from underneath it.
Ken turned off the water and had the boy sit again until he retrieved two large plush towels to help the teen get dry. When it came to the boy's private parts, Mr. Ken told the youth that he'd better do that while he focused on the his hair and back. Soon Collin smelled clean and felt somewhat human again. Ken helped him back to the bed and made him lie back and raise his legs so he could check the stitches. The youth told him he only passed gas, which was good for now. Mr. Thomas knew, though, as soon as they began to give him more solid foods he would need a stool softener to help with his bowel movements.
The lad got comfortable back in bed and asked about getting something to eat. He told the lad he would check with the doctor and be back shortly and in the meantime he should rest some more. Chief did her thing of getting her paws up onto the bed and licked the boys face and went back to her protection position next to the bed. No sooner had the boy smiled at the dog and let his head lay back on the pillow he was again fast asleep.