"Guys, how about we get dressed for dinner. I would like for you both to wear khaki shorts and a polo shirt. And put on your newest sneakers, please. And guys, don't forget to wash your face and hands," said 'dad' Ken.
Charles and Robert went up the stairs towards their bedrooms. Along the way, they stopped by the bathroom to wash their face and hands and pee. When they were finished they went to their bedrooms to change into the nice clothes Mr. Ken asked them to wear. When they were both finished dressing, they went downstairs to meet Mr. Ken in his study.
Mr. Ken had changed into long pants and a polo shirt, had also peed, washed his face and hands and then met his 'boys' in his Study. When they were all ready to go they walked out to the garage and got into Mr. Ken's BMW and headed over to the Four Corners restaurant.
Upon arrival, the three Covers were immediately seated at Mr. Ken's special table. Their waitress brought them their menus and asked them what they wanted to drink. The boys ordered cokes and Mr. Ken got coffee. The waitress headed off to get their drinks while the Covers looked over the menu.
While the three looked over the dinner menus, Mr. Ken said, "Boys, I understand you would like to move the ramps. Remember, we looked at how we could set up the ramps when we first built them. You saw then that there was no way we could move the ramps anywhere else without them interfering with giving me access to my cars. But, I want to hear your arguments as to what we can do, and how, and why. Which one of you wants to go first?"
Robert decided to go first and said "'Dad' there's just not enough room out in the parking corral for all of us boys to be able to use the ramps safely. If we can only move the ramps a little bit so that they do not cross with one another that might help us fix our problem. We haven't taken a tape measure out to see where we could move the ramps to make it safer for us, but we know we need to do something, otherwise someone is going to get hurt."
"Yeah dad, with adding Asher, Mason, Wyatt and Dominic there are now way too many boys out there for us to use the skateboard ramps safely. We all still take turns but now it seems like it takes forever for our turn to come around. So, do you think you can come out to the parking corral and help us decide what we can do?" spoke up Charles.
While the boys were talking, their waitress brought them their dinner drinks. She asked if they were ready to order. Mr. Ken said he wanted meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, and corn. Robert asked for the chicken fried steak, white gravy and mashed potatoes, and corn. When it was Charles's turn, he asks for the pot roast, red skin potatoes with gravy and carrots. The waitress hurried away with their dinner order.
As the three residents of Three Finger Cove waited for their dinner, Robert looked up at his dad with a question in his face. The teenager didn't know how he wanted to ask his 'dad' but he knew he wanted to ask him about the reason he could not have a sleep over that night. His 'brother' Charles could see Robert wanted to ask a question but was very hesitant to do so.
"Robert, I see you have a question on your face son. Do you want to tell me what it is, or do you want to wait until you have it formulated in your mind before you ask me?" asked 'dad' Ken.
Robert had his head down when his dad asked him that question. Robert then looked up into his 'dad's' face and said, "I don't understand why I couldn't ask the guys to sleep over tonight."
Mr. Ken looked straight at Robert and replied, "Robert, I didn't think it would be fair for Charles here for all the guys to spend the night and Charles wouldn't be able to join in any of your fun. You know Charles can't swim nor skateboard until Dr. Powers says it's okay. Maybe you don't understand why I said no to the sleepover, but your friends are over practically every day and you just had a sleep over a week ago, so I think you could wait until Charles is better so that the whole group can have a big sleepover. Wouldn't you agree? Can you understand what I'm trying to say, Robert?"
Robert sort of sulked in his chair as his 'dad was speaking and when Mr. Ken had finished the teen looked up into his 'dad's' eyes and replied, "Yeah, 'dad, I think I understand what you're trying to say. I guess I was being selfish by asking if the guys could spend the night and not thinking about how Charles would feel, since he can't swim or skateboard or even wrestle around with any of us. I just forget that Charles had surgery because he's out walking around with all of us and talking with us. Yes 'dad' you are right! It's not fair to Charles and maybe by next weekend he'll be able to join in with us."
Hearing what was said between his 'dad' and his 'brother', Charles smiled and said, "Thank you 'dad' for thinking about me and wanting me to be able to join in with all the guys in having some fun. Robert, I see Dr. Powers on Monday afternoon and hopefully he'll give me some good news. I don't think he will allow me yet to swim or skateboard, but I can always hope he will. I'm sorry Robert that you couldn't have a sleepover tonight with all the guys but as 'dad' said maybe next weekend we can have one big sleepover."
Robert put a big smile on his face and was about to say something when the waitress brought their dinners to their table. The lady placed the correct foods in front of the correct patron and asked if there's anything else she could get for the trio. Each diner looked over their meal, saw that it was what they ordered, and each of them said to the waitress that there wasn't anything she could get for them right then. But, then, as she began to walk off, Charles spoke up and asked her if she could get him some more Coke. The lady smiled at the youngster and told him she would be right back with two cokes and some more coffee.
As the residents of Three Finger Cove ate their dinner, four people entered the restaurant and upon seeing Mr. Ken and his 'boys' over in the corner they asked the waitress if they could be seated near Mr. Ken. The hostess, seeing there was an empty table for four, took the party of four over to the corner and began to seat them. As they were about to be seated, Mr. and Mrs. Youngman went over to the table to thank Mr. Ken for the wonderful day his son Asher and his friend Mason had that day. Mr. Ken upon noticing someone had come to his table looked up to see who it was, then stood up to shake the man's hand. He smiled and thanked Darryl and Audrey for saying what they did.
Asher and Mason also stopped by the table with big smiles on their faces and they thanked Charles for inviting them over to The Cove for the day. They both said they hadn't had as much fun all summer as they had in just those few hours they spent over at Three Finger Cove. Charles and Robert thanked them for stopping by and letting them know how much fun they had. Charles then told Asher and Mason he would call them later that night to talk to them about what would be happening the next day. The boys thanked him and the four new patrons went back to their table.
When Mr. Ken and the boys were finished with their dinner, their waitress cleared off the table and then came back with the dessert menus. She asked the trio if they were ready for dessert and then waited for their response. The boys took a cursory look at the dessert menu then looked up to their dad with a question on their face. Mr. Ken saw what was on their face and immediately knew the boys' wanted to go to DQ. So, he told the waitress that they would forgo dessert that evening, and then asked for the check. The waitress presented it to him in a padded folder.
Mr. Ken looked at the bill, took out his credit card and handed the credit card and bill in the folder back to the waitress so she could charge his credit card. When the waitress came back, Mr. Ken added a generous tip and then left the folder on the table after taking his credit card and putting it back in his wallet. As they were leaving, Charles reminded Asher he would call him later that evening. Asher said he would be waiting for the phone call.
Upon arrival at DQ, Charles knew he couldn't have a lot of the items that came with a banana split, so he just asked for a large hot fudge sundae in a cup. Robert and Mr. Ken both got the banana split and the three of them sat at a booth in the air conditioned store and enjoyed their concoctions. When the three Covers were finished eating, they placed their trash in the trash bin, loaded into the BMW, and returned home.
The estate's dog, Chief, heard the Main Gate opening and knew her boys were back home. She waited at the Foyer Door for them to come through. But, then she heard a noise coming from the garage area and she took off barking not knowing that her men were coming in from that direction. When the door opened into the Kitchen Nook, Chief was surprised to see Mr. Ken and her boys coming through the door and she got super excited upon seeing them. This time they didn't have a treat for her, when coming back from the restaurant as they usually did, but they all did reach down and scratch her behind her ears, which she extremely loved. When the boys finished scratching Chief, Mr. Ken asked his 'boys' to step into the study with him for a few minutes.
"Guys, let's talk about what we're going to do tomorrow. You heard me tell everyone to come by after 4 PM and then later tomorrow evening we would take the Commander out for a spin around the lake. I think Asher and Mason had already left by the time I made that decision so tonight Charles when you call Asher and Mason please make sure you tell them to be here by 4 PM, bring their swimsuits and skateboards, and that we would be going out on the commander for a cruise around the lake and probably would not be home before 9 PM. I thought we would go out on the boat between 6 and 6:30. So … what do you boys think that you all could do between the time they arrive and the time we go out on the lake?" offered Mr. Ken.
But before the boys thought about Mr. Ken's question, Robert spoke up and asked, "'Dad' why weren't Mr. Gene and Mr. George with us tonight when we went to dinner?"
Mr. Ken chuckled to himself and remembered that he forgot to tell Robert about his visit from Sheriff Barnes earlier. He told Robert the reason he didn't ask Mr. Gene and Mr. George to go with them tonight was because Sheriff Barnes stopped by today and told him a few things. The man told his teenaged 'son' that Charles was there when Sheriff Barnes gave him some new information but they had asked Charles not to say anything to anyone. 'Dad' Ken then thanked Charles for not saying anything. Mr. Ken then apologized to Robert for not saying anything to him before then. It was then Mr. Ken told the teen what the County Sheriff revealed to him and Charles.
"Does that mean you'll be getting rid of the guards then?" simply asked Robert.
"Well, tonight, Sheriff Barnes and his men and a few other policemen are going to perform another raid. If things go as planned, I might reduce the number of men, but to tell you the truth, I sort of like having someone at the Main Gate checking who comes and goes from the estate. What do you boy's think about that?" revealed 'dad' Ken.
"Well, 'dad' it will still mean our friends will have to sign in won't it?" asked Charles.
"Yeah, the guys say it was a pain at first, but now the guards all know them and they just check them in anymore. It still might mean their parents and any other visitors will be stopped and asked to sign in, won't it," reasoned Robert.
"You both make good points, and the reason to have the guards is to reduce anybody from coming onto the grounds and we don't know about it. We have been lucky that people haven't been stopping at the docks and coming onto the property. The one thing I like about the gate guards is they are using the video feeds from the outside cameras and can spot potential trouble and take immediate action. That is why I am thinking about keeping them around but not in the numbers we have now.
"And yes, parents who do not visit us all that much might be inconvenienced a few more times before they are known well enough by the guards, but people like Ms. Judy, Ms. Mary and Bill Jackson shouldn't be bothered much, if any. So, what do you think about what I am looking to do?" asked Mr. Ken.
"I guess it is better then what we had before, 'dad'. With as many kids we have around here any of them could go missing if we didn't have someone watching us and the property," reasoned Robert.
"Yeah, I like the idea too, 'dad'. Even if what Sheriff Barnes said would happen does, I would still feel safer that none of the bikers or their friends can come in here and try to do what Smokey tried. I still feel a bit scared about that even knowing Smokey is dead," Charles honestly told his foster dad.
"Alright, then, I'll talk to Mr. Diamond on Monday and he and I and Mr. Chris will work out a new contract. Is there anything else we need to talk about before you guys go off to call your friends to tell them about tomorrow?" asked Mr. Ken.
Charles looked at Robert with the question about Mr. Chris in his eyes. Robert saw the look and knew his 'brother' wanted him to say something about the way Mr. Chris has acted towards them and their friends over the past two plus weeks.
"Ahh, 'dad'," stumbled out Robert. "There is one thing Charles and I want to talk to you about but we don't want to make if sounds like we … like we don't like Mr. Chris."
"Oh … and how long has this item about Mr. Chris been going on?" asked a surprised 'dad' Ken.
"'Dad' … it's kinda hard to talk about it and even harder to tell you," again stumbled Robert.
Ken Thomas had no earthly idea what the lads were trying to tell him about Mr. Chris. Momma Maria never said anything bad about the man. On the contrary, she loved the man and his way of handling the contractor's compared to the way Mildred did.
"Okay, guys, why is it so difficult for you to tell me about Mr. Chris?" Mr. Ken wanted to know.
"It's just that, he is a nice guy and we don't want him to get fired over something that might only be a misunderstanding," offered Charles.
"Okay, I take it you guys like Mr. Chris, but he's done something to you that you feel I need to know about. That is fair, 'boys'. As you said it might be a misunderstanding so once you tell me what it is, I'll make sure I sit down and talk to him about it and get his side. Will that be okay with you two?" responded 'dad' Ken.
"No, 'dad'!" yelled out Charles. "We don't want him to know that we noticed the way he's acted a few times towards us and our friends."
"Guys, this is getting us nowhere. Just tell me what's got you so bothered about Mr. Chris," insisted their 'dad'.
Charles looked at Robert and indicated he should tell Mr. Ken. "You see, 'dad', a few times now, ahh …. Mr. Chris … he's come out to the ramps and … and yelled at us."
"Is that all?" an incredulous Mr. Ken bellowed. "He yelled at you and you're upset about it? Give me a break!"
"It isn't that he yelled, 'dad', it was how he did it. … Mr. Chris came out and told us we were making way too much noise and that he can't stand all that racket all the time. He was throwing his hands and arms all over his head. Then one time after he charged out to us and yelled we were making him crazy, he came back a few minutes later and apologized to us. A few other times he's just told us to stop making all that racket. 'Dad', we've been out there ever since you had the ramps built for us and you've never said anything to us about making noise out there. Mr. Chris is too sensitive about us being out there and it is beginning to bother me and Charles," explained Robert.
'Dad' Ken sat back and thought about what the boys had just told him. There wasn't a whole lot there but if the intensity was there, as the lads said, and it was happening as often as they say he knew he needed to watch Chris for over reacting with the boys. Then he remembered a recent talk he had with Chris who told him he was doing okay now that the boys were not at the skateboard ramps making all that noise. Mr. Ken knew that Chris was still seeing doctors over at the VA hospital but now he wondered if what Bill Jackson casually mentioned the possibility of PTSD was what was making Chris so upset.
"Okay, guys, I hear what you are saying and I promise NOT to say anything to Mr. Chris about what you just told me. I'll watch how he reacts around you and what noise he is complaining about. But I also want you to come to me immediately when he yells the next time. Can you two do that for me?" the boy's foster dad asked of them.
Charles and Robert agreed they would do that and they also said they like Mr. Chris but not all the yelling he does. They then hugged Mr. Ken and went off to call their friends about tomorrow's plan.
The first call Charles made was to Asher. He told the pre-teen that he was invited to come over to The Cove tomorrow about 4 PM and to bring his swim suit and skateboard. Charles also told him that his 'dad' was taking the whole gang out on his big boat and they wouldn't be back until about 9, so to make sure he told his mom and dad. Asher agreed and was over joyed he was invited over at The Cove again.
When Charles told his new friend he was going to hang up and call Mason, Asher told him that Mason was spending the night. Charles then teased the lad they were probably practicing changing so they wouldn't be embarrassed the next time. Asher laughed out loud and Mason heard him and when he learned what Charles had said he burst out laughing too. Mason said he would call his mom and dad about tomorrow and if there was going to be a problem he'd have them call Mr. Ken.
Robert called his friend Eric and the two of them split up the list and began calling the other guys. Charles called Camm and then James to make sure their parents knew what was going on even though most of the parents were there when Mr. Ken announced what he had planned.
After making all his calls, Robert called his best friend Eric and the two of them talked into the night about anything and everything. Robert brought up Mr. Ken nixing the sleepover he wanted to do that night and after hearing what Mr. Ken said why he nixed it, Eric said he agreed with Mr. Ken's thinking. Robert didn't like Eric agreeing with his 'dad', but he knew Mr. Ken was doing the right thing. It was midnight when they hung up.
Camm asked Charles to call him back when he was finished making his phone calls. The two friends talked about Mason and Asher and how cute they were down in the dressing room. Camm then told Charles what he and James did when James spent the night. Charles was a bit jealous when he learned what the two new friends had done together. He enjoyed what he and Camm did together and had hoped they could do it again sometime.
The pre-teen also understood he and Camm weren't the 'best friends' that Robert and Eric were and he would have to wait and see how their friendship develops over time. Charles also figured he'd get to meet a bunch more of the 7th graders he would be in school with and that maybe someone in that group would wind up as his 'Best Friend'. The boys talked until almost midnight and then they hung up.
Charles went to the bathroom to use the porcelain god and found his 'brother' using the other urinal. They talked some as they peed and Robert asked Charles if he wanted to sleep in his room that night, but Charles said he would stay in his own room. The boys soon departed and they both went right to bed.
Sunday morning Mr. Ken went out to get his Sunday newspaper like he always has. At 8:15 the day was already warm and humid and the weatherman said the high for that day's temperature would be close to 100°. Mr. Ken waved at the guard up at the Main Gate then turned and went back into the house.
Mr. Ken went into the Kitchen Nook and placed the newspaper on the table then went over and got his 1st cup of coffee. He came back to the table, placed his cup of coffee there, picked up the newspaper and slipped it out of the protective sleeve. As he opened the paper he began to sit down it was then he noticed the headline across the top of the paper.
SHERIFF RAIDS DRUG DENS
3 DEAD, 4 WOUNDED
The headline definitely got Mr. Ken's attention. As he sat down, he unfolded the newspaper fully and focused on the article underneath the headline.
As he read the article, Mr. Ken learned the Sheriff's Department, accompanied by three other local police departments, had raided four homes that had been identified as possible drug dens, and six drop points that held much of the drugs they confiscated. The article went on to say the Sheriff had used information garnered from last week's huge drug raid to solidify his suspicions about the homes and hiding places he raided last night.
The article also said that three of the dead were supposedly drug dealers who had opened fire as soon as the police entered the homes. The article also said that two of the wounded were well known in the drug trade and were in the homes at the time of the raids and participated in firing on the entering police officers. The article further stated the other two wounded individuals were police officers.
As Mr. Ken read the article, he learned the two accused drug dealer's wounds were not life-threatening and they were expected to survive and be available to stand trial. The article also said that the two wounded police officers wounds were also not life-threatening either and they were expected to be back on duty when their wounds healed.
The article also said that sources close to the police investigation indicated that the previous weeks arrest brought about additional information that caused Sheriff Barnes to establish a police drug panel which subsequently brought about last night's raid.
As Mr. Ken finished reading the article, he decided to turn on the radio to see what further news he could garner from the news of last night's raid. He wanted to be able to tell Charles what he knew about the raid in order to help the lad reduce some of the stress he felt over what Smokey and his gang had done to him.
As the owner of Three Finger Cove turned on his favorite radio station, he heard the following: " … again, we repeat that during last night's raid that the Sheriff's office and three local police departments conducted two of the uniformed officers were wounded. The police spokesman indicated that upon entry at two of the four houses, which were raided, the supposed drug dealers immediately opened fire. One of the wounded officers was identified as Deputy Sheriff Dan Fischer who was said to have sustained a wound to his shoulder. The other wounded officer, whose name has yet to be released, also sustained a wound to his upper body but his wound was said to be located on his upper arm. Both officers are expected to recover fully although Deputy Sheriff Fischer's wound, if it is as serious as this radio station believes, will probably take four to six weeks before the man will be able to return to duty."
Hearing that Dan Fischer had been wounded in the line of duty, Mr. Ken immediately pulled out his cell phone and called Nurse Joanne Kirby over at the hospital to see if he could get more information. The phone in the emergency room was immediately answered and when Mr. Ken asked if Joanne Kirby was available he learned she had just gotten off work. The person on the other end of the line asked if there was anything they could help the caller with.
Mr. Ken explained why he was calling and the person at the ER told him he couldn't reveal any information about the injured officers. Mr. Ken thanked the man and asked him if he could call Joanne and ask her to call him and he gave the man his name. As soon as the person at the ER learned who it was, he said that Joanne told him they might get a phone call from him. The person at the ER then gave Mr. Ken as much information as he knew about Deputy Fischer. Mr. Ken again thanked the man and then hung up.
Mr. Ken went back to reading the rest of his Sunday paper after he refilled his cup of coffee. The man enjoyed keeping abreast of what was happening in the world as well as in his backyard. He'd lived at The Cove for the past three years, now, and was very happy with it. He loved his estate and he had thoroughly enjoyed being a foster dad to all three of his foster sons.
Upstairs, Charles and Robert woke up about the same time and had the same idea of relieving their extended bladders. They both arrived at the bathroom with their pointers leading the way. They smiled a knowing smile as they entered the room and headed to the porcelain gods. After they relieved themselves they washed their hands and then brushed their teeth. When they had finished they looked at one another and smiled showing each other their clean white teeth.
Entering the shower, Charles took the furthest one away and turned it on. Robert took the closest shower and regulated the temperature to his liking. They'd taken so many showers together at that one foster house and there at The Cove that they didn't care that the other saw them flaccid or all boned up.
"Did you sleep OK there 'bro'?" asked Robert.
"Yep, I feel great. The stitch area isn't tender much or at all and it is beginning to itch so that probably means it is healing. Doctor Rick will check out my butt tomorrow," fully replied Charles.
"Ahh, Charles … have you been able to, you know, take care of business since your surgery? I saw this morning you had a super hard sausage and I was wondering if your boy gravy was beginning to back up," teased Robert.
Charles smiled back at his 'brother's' question and statement and, said, "Actually, I haven't. I think those pills I take for the pain has turned off my sensitivity at my dick. It gets hard but when I stroke it to get those good feelings I don't feel those tingles rushing back to my brain. I'll bet that when I do get to jerk-off I will blast the top of my dick off," laughed Charles.
"Would you like for me to come over there and try and give you those special tingles?" smiled Robert. "It won't hurt to see if you just need someone else to stimulate that pocket rocket of yours," finished Robert.
Charles figured his 'brother' hadn't had any action from Eric since the last sleep over and was in need of some special action to get his own rocket to blast off. With a smile, Charles said he wouldn't mind trying and if it worked he'd surely enjoy the end result. By then his dick had hardened up and looked like it was straining to get bigger than it usually was. The skin of his boy flute was stretched so tight you could see the blue veins running up and down the shaft.
Robert came over to his 'brother' and reached out to take the one-eyed snake into his hand. His own Tally-Wacker was also straining but Charles didn't reach for it. Then, with slow deliberate motion, Robert began to slide his hand back and forth on super soft but hard boy muscle. He started out slow and he watched Charles's face to see if what he was doing to him was helping his 'brother' out. Charles, for his part, had closed his eyes and he did in fact feel the tingling sensations he usually felt.
Charles then began to think those sexy thoughts that helped him get his magic stick to work. He thought about the time he and Camm had played in the bedroom and then what they did when the lad spent the night. The special tingles began to increase so he thought about what he's likely to also do with James and Asher and Mason. Those thoughts really began to help and he could almost feel his nut sack begin to pull up against his body.
Robert kept watching Charles for any sign he was going to go over the top. Seeing that the pre-teen's smile looked bigger and he was rising up on his toes, Robert decided to increase his manipulation of the boy's hardened nail. It was when Charles reached out his hand against the shower wall to steady himself that Robert knew his 'brother' was really getting into what was happening to him. Then, without any forewarning, Charles shot a huge glob of boy cream out and against the shower wall. There was a second equally large shot of boy cream followed by three decreasing broadsides.
It took Charles a few moments to come down from his euphoria from his tremendous blast off. When he was steady on his feet he smiled big at his 'brother' and reached out and pulled him into a hug. It was while they were hugging that Charles reached down and lovingly surrounded Robert's baby maker and began to engineer a boy powered milk shake. Robert grinned at what Charles had begun to do and he smiled as he leaned into Charles and their brotherly hug. The teen was so primed for what was happening to him that he knew it wouldn't take long for him to blow his load. Charles loved the feel of his 'brother's' silky smooth wiener and what he was doing for Robert he was also doing something for himself.
As 'brother' brought 'brother' to the peak of satisfaction, Charles could sense that Robert was beginning to 'power up' a blast off. Charles could feel Robert pushing his dick into his hand indicating he wanted faster priming so Charles sped up. The pre-teen could also feel Robert lightly bouncing up and down on his toes as his breathing got deeper and faster. It didn't take much longer for Robert to reach his summit. The teen hugged his 'brother' tighter as his boy steak shot out the pent up dairy cream his gonads had stored up. Charles watched in awe as Robert's love nozzle shot out five strong streams of milkshake. He could also feel his 'brother' using him for support as the spasms of ecstasy raked the teen's entire body.
Then it was all over. Robert gave a few chuckled laughs as he released himself from Charles and then suddenly the older 'brother' hugged his younger 'brother' to thank him for helping him take care of a much needed business. The lads separated and laughed at what they had done for each other and then got under the still running showers to get cleaned up from the exertion from their work-out.
The two foster boys entered the Kitchen Nook and stopped by their 'dad' and gave him a hug. Then they both searched out Momma Maria's frozen burritos to reheat for their breakfast, but it was then Charles remembered he wasn't allowed to eat tortillas so he went and got a bowl of cereal. It took Robert between six and eight minutes to get his burritos reheated and pour himself a glass of OJ. When both had their breakfast ready they sat down at the table with their 'dad'.
"Good Morning, 'boys'. I hope you two slept well," offered Mr. Ken.
"I know I slept good," replied Charles.
"And so did I," added Robert.
"You two sure are full of talk this morning," laughed 'dad' Ken. "Are all your friends going to show up later today and before you reply, I totally forgot about feeding them. You have any ideas?"
Charles looked at Robert to answer their 'dad', so the teen said, "Yes, we both called our friends and Eric helped. Everyone said they'd be here about four."
"Yeah, you should have heard Asher and Mason when I told them about today," laughed Charles. "They are ecstatic about coming over again. You know … the more I hear that from the boys who haven't been over here before the more I realize how infamous and captivating The Cove actually is, 'dad'."
"Thank you, 'son' but neither of you answered my question about feeding that bunch. What should we do?" asked Mr. Ken.
"Well, they should have already eaten lunch, if not a late lunch, if they went to church. So, I don't think they will be all that hungry. But, if we aren't getting back here until 9 PM, or so, I have to agree with you, so … what are you going to do?" smiled a teasing Robert.
"Hey, 'dad', is there a food stand or shack at the Lakeside Water Park and if there is what time does it close up?" asked Charles.
"Why do you ask that Charles?" replied Mr. Ken.
"Well, if is open kinda late we could always stop by there for a burger or whatever and continue on our cruise around the lake. You have that special docking space you can use and it is a short walk to the entrance and you do get us in for free," explained Charles.
Mr. Ken quickly found the phone number for the water park and called them. What he found out was not encouraging. He then told the lads that the concession stand closed at 6:30 on Sunday through Thursday nights but was opened until 7 PM on Friday and Saturday night. So, Charles's brainstorm was for naught.
The trio thought some more about what they could do, when Mr. Ken told his 'boys' he had the answer. The man went on to explain the Commodore's Club at the other end of the lake was opened until 11 PM and he knew they had an outside serving window and that would give the lads a chance to check out the place. Charles and Robert smiled big at the suggestion and they thanked their 'dad' for coming up with the answer.
When the boys had eaten their fill of breakfast they put their dirty dishes in the sink, rinsed them and then loaded them into the dishwasher. When they were done, and before they could leave the Kitchen Nook, Mr. Ken asked them to sit down for a little talk.
"Boys … I have something I want to talk to about and I want to tell you before you turn on a TV or your radio. Last night, Charles, remember there was going to be a drug raid by Sheriff Barnes and his officers. Well there was. And things didn't go as well as they planned. Unfortunately, three people died during the raid and four people were wounded. Charles … Robert … I want you to know that during the raid last night … Deputy Sheriff Dan Fisher…"
And before Mr. Ken could say that Officer Dan Fisher had only been wounded, Charles burst out crying thinking that the man had been killed. Mr. Ken jumped up and went to the boy and held him and said, "No Charles, Officer Dan wasn't killed, but he was wounded during the raid."
Then, looking at both Robert and Charles, he told the boys, "The TV and radio reports have Officer Dan Fisher with a very serious wound when in fact his vest had taken the brunt of the bullet but that it ricocheted into his arm near his shoulder. Boys … it's not as serious as they are making it sound because I did call the hospital this morning when I first read about the raid. I talked to an emergency room nurse and they assured me that Dan Fisher will be fine. His wound wasn't anywhere near life threatening, but he might be out of action for a couple of weeks while he heals, but he will be okay."
Charles hugged his 'dad' for telling him that Officer Fischer was going to be okay. He then asked him if they could go over and see him. 'Dad' Ken looked at the time and told his 'boys' he needed to get his shower but he could be ready to leave about noon. The boys agreed to the time and Mr. Ken went to his en suite to get ready. It was exactly twelve, noon when they left The Cove.
The three Covers arrived at the hospital about forty-five minutes later. They enquired at the Information Desk for which room Dan Fischer was in but the person at the Desk said there wasn't anyone there with that name. Ken Thomas smelled a 'rat' so he thanked the woman and decided to go over to the ER and search out the man he talked to earlier that morning. When he found the male nurse he introduced himself and the boys and he asked the man if he could tell them what floor Dan was on. The man did one better and took them to Dan Fischer's private room.
As they entered the private room, Charles saw his friend lying in the bed and ran to the Officer and said as he hugged the man, "Officer Dan … I am so happy you are going to be OK. I'm glad 'dad' found out you were only wounded because I don't know how I could take it if you were to leave us," now openly cried the twelve-year-old.
Dan Fischer hugged the pre-teen back and ruffled his hair some while the lad cried. "Charles … thank you for saying what you did. You and your 'brother' are special people to me, too, and I want to be around and watch you two grow up to be strapping high schoolers."
Mr. Ken and Robert hung back as Dan and Charles shared a brief moment together. When Officer Dan finished saying what he did to Charles, the two walked over to Dan Fischer and thanked him for doing his job and protecting the community. They then shook his hand.
What they didn't know was that Sheriff Barnes had walked into the room just as Mr. Ken and Robert thanked Dan Fischer for his service. The Sheriff then went over to the owner of The Cove and thanked him for his support of his men and especially for making the effort to stop by and check on his injured officer. All during that time, Charles continued to hold onto Officer Dan.
"And thank you, Charles, for giving Dan such a personalized hug. I'm not sure if you knew or not but he is one of our unmarried Deputy Sheriffs, so it isn't all that often he gets a hug like you've given him," said the Sheriff.
Charles had stood up as the Sheriff spoke and he thanked the man for saying what he did and he then offered to shake the man's hand. The two shook and then Mr. Ken and Robert got into the act. The four visitors talked with Dan Fischer for about an hour and then left the man to get some rest and recuperate.
When the three residents of Three Finger Cove returned home, Charles and Robert thanked their 'dad' for taking them to visit with Officer Dan. It was going on 2:30, so the boys told their dad they were going to change and get ready for their friends to arrive. Meantime, Mr. Ken called Ms. Judy and Ms. Mary and told them what he knew about Dan Fischer and his wound. They told the man they appreciated his calling them and letting them know the whole story. After that Mr. Ken went down to the Commander to check it out before he took it out for the evening.