The next morning at breakfast, the Cover lads talked to Mr. Ken about the number of people they could each invite to the New Year's Eve party. Kevin said Eric told them that he had between 75 and 80 kids at the last one, and there was room for about 100, or maybe even a lot more out in the 4-car garage. Charles then jumped into the conversation and asked his 'dad' if they could each plan on 33 kids.
That started a war between Charles and the twins. The twins said they each should be able to invite 25 friends just like their older 'brothers'. Charles argued that they both had the same friends and that wouldn't be fair to him and Robert if they had 50 of their friends, versus only 25 each of theirs.
Mr. Ken had to put a stop to the arguing. He told them that this is one of the problems large families face when it comes to who can invite whom. The man suggested they talk about this amongst themselves over the next few weeks and hammer out a deal between them.
Mr. Ken then reminded them that Doctor Doug would be there tonight and that this would be the last evening consultation he will be doing. Mr. Ken told his boys that after tonight they would have to go to regular daytime appointments at Doctor Doug's office, and would be taken out of school to do that. The boys told him he could have told them that last night at their Tuesday meeting. They all laughed at that.
Robert dreaded going to school. He figured all the kids there would blame him for the three girls being suspended. He and Eric talked on the school bus as they rode it to school. When they did arrive, Eric got off first in case there were a large number of kids there after Robert. But that did not materialize, and that made Robert a very happy soul. The rest of Robert's main friends came over to him, and they all walked to the area where they hung out in the schoolyard.
The twins heard the older boys talking on the bus, but they had no earthly idea what that was all about. They were only in the 6th grade and they still had lots to learn. When they arrived at the school, their friends all met them and they all headed to their part of the schoolyard.
Mr. Ken called Dan to see how the investigation was going with finding Matthew's mom. Dan told him the department was very happy with what he'd done for them, especially the way he split the screen of the two videos to show the continuity of the people in them. But beyond that, they think the pair has gone out of the area. Mr. Ken thanked Dan for the update and then told him he'd talk to him later.
Mr. Ken then got to thinking. He quickly grabbed his coat and his car keys and headed back to Four Corners. The owner of Four Corners went to the Go-Kart Track first and then pulled all the videos from Sunday night. He then went to the Miniature Golf Course and pulled its videos for Sunday night, as well. He took them home and watched them one at a time in fast-forward motion.
Mr. Ken looked at the Go-Kart Tracks cameras first. He wanted to see if the car ever came back looking for Matthew. He hoped they had and that could give him a better picture of the man driving. Mr. Ken thought he saw a car that looked familiar pass the one Go-Kart Tracks camera, so he noted the time and then loaded the Miniature Golf Course's video and fast forwarded to just before that time.
It was there he saw what happened. Just before the Miniature Golf Course closed the car came back, and the man got out of the car and walked up to the manager and asked him something. Mr. Ken immediately called the manager at home and asked him what the man said.
Mr. Ken then checked all the other camera footage from the miniature golf course to see if either one of them had any better views of the man. When he came across the best camera footage, showing the man walking up to the Starter Stand and he could see the same car in the background, he knew he found what he was looking for. The owner of the Cove quickly copied pictures of the man and immediately called Dan.
"Dan, I have a picture of the man with Matthew's mom," said Mr. Ken, to his Sheriff friend.
"How'd you get something like that Ken? There was no focused view of the man on the two cameras we watched," replied Dan Fischer.
"Dan, I went back wondering if they ever came back to pick the boy up. They did. I talked to my night manager at the golf course and he told me the man asked what happened to the boy. Dan ... he told him where we took Matthew," finished Ken. He then heard the phone go dead.
When Lt. Dan hung up his phone, he went directly to communications and had a patrol car sent over to the hospital. He told the Deputy there could be an attempted abduction of one Matthew Toursten. After Dan sent the patrol car, he got into his own patrol vehicle and headed over there as well.
Mr. Ken knew that when Dan hung up, he was going to take measures to protect Mathew. Mr. Ken also knew Lt. Dan Fischer and his associates would still need the picture and video of the mom and her boyfriend coming back to retrieve Matthew. Mr. Ken took the video disk and began to process the video and printed a few stills of the man's face off the video.
At school, Kyle was thinking about Matthew. He wondered how his mom could leave him there and not even give him any money to get something to eat. Kyle was mad that any mom could do that to her son. He saw how hungry Matthew was when he ate that hot-dog and, when he saw his new friend's back, he couldn't understand why someone would do that, or even allow that to happen to a young boy.
"Kyle ... Kyle Parchsons ... are you with us today, son? You look like you are thinking real hard about something," said Ms. Charlene Kirklunds, with a big smile.
"Ohh, sorry Ms. Kirklunds, I ... I was thinking about my new friend, Matthew. His mom ... she left him all alone without any money to get something to eat. Then ... then I saw what someone did to him. He's in the hospital right now. I just can't understand how a mom ... how a mom could do that to her son," replied Kyle.
"I'm sorry to hear that Kyle, but since we aren't there with your friend, we can't very well help him right now. How about you join us back here in the classroom," smiled Ms. Kirklunds.
Kyle smiled back and said he would.
At the hospital, the Deputy went in to find out where Matthew was being treated. He went to the lad's room and found the lad sitting up in his bed watching TV. The Deputy talked to the boy to determine if his mom or her boyfriend had ever been there. The man then radioed Lt. Fischer to tell him the lad was still in his room and that he hadn't seen his mom or the boyfriend since Sunday when they dropped him off at the miniature golf place.
When Dan arrived, he searched out hospital security and told them what they suspected might happen. The lieutenant gave them a picture of the mom and the vehicle and told him they would soon have a picture of the boyfriend. Dan then called Ken and asked him if he could bring a few copies of the man's picture to the hospital.
After Ken dropped off the pictures of the boyfriend, he figured that, while he was there, he'd go up and visit with Matthew. He told the boy, when he walked in, that Kyle had a doctor's appointment later and that he may not get over to see him. Matthew thanked him for telling him that. The boy told the man that he really liked Kyle. That he was the first boy he got to talk to all summer long. The boy started to cry and Mr. Ken did what he usually did; he hugged the lad and began to rub his back.
After a minute, or two, the boy pulled out of the cuddle and thanked Mr. Ken for the hug and for being such a good friend to him. The boy then began telling him some of the things he and Kyle talked about. It made Mr. Ken smile as Matthew told him how Kyle spoke about the awards ceremony, the swimming the kids do, out on the lake and inside, about the skateboard ramps and then how Kyle broke his arm.
Mr. Ken thanked the lad for the conversation and took down the lad's room phone number and told him if Kyle couldn't come over he'd get him to call. Matthew thanked him and hugged the man one last time. The boy had a big smile on his face as Mr. Ken left the hospital room.
On his way out, Dan thanked Ken again for the pictures of the boyfriend. Lt. Fischer told his friend he'd already given them to hospital security, so they could watch for both the man and the woman. Ken told Dan he talked to Matthew and that he was a very lonely boy. Dan said he'd try to go up and talk to him later.
At lunch, Skylar, Callie and Nora came over to Robert and apologized to him for saying what they did to, and about him. They told him, in front of his friends, they made a big mistake of continuing to follow Joanna after what happened last year with Logan. They verified that Joanna, Kaelyn and Leah all got 3-day suspensions, and they were warned they'd be sent to the alternative school if they make any more trouble for anyone. Robert thanked them for coming over and apologizing to him and confirming what happened to the other girls. The three girls then walked away.
Kyle told Kevin at lunchtime that he was caught daydreaming about Matthew. Kyle told his twin that he couldn't understand how a mom could do that to her son. Kevin then reminded his twin how their mom stopped protecting them against their dad, and because of that, they lost all their friends and never got to do any of the things that Mr. Ken has allowed them to do. The twins grabbed one another into a brotherly hug and they began to cry.
Dominic and Wyatt were with the twins while they talked. They stood back and watched and when the two hugged and then began to cry Dominic decided to go looking for Robert or Charles. Dominic found Charles first, who told him to continue to look for Robert.
Charles got to the twins first. He tried to get them to separate and to talk to him, but all they did was separate and then hugged him. When Robert came up to them, that was how he found the three of them. The twins had Robert join in the group hug, but after a few moments, the older 'brother' got them to split up.
"Guys, what is all this crying about?" asked Robert.
Kyle looked at the teen and told him they were thinking of what Matthew's mom did to him and then they got to thinking of what their mom didn't do for them. Robert tried to get them to tell him what they meant, but just then the after lunch bell rang. They all wiped the tears from their eyes and, as they headed in their own direction, Kyle called back to Robert that their mom didn't protect them against their dad and she helped lose their friends for them.
The picture of Matthew's mom's boyfriend went out to all Sheriff's Deputies. Now they had a picture of the vehicle, the license tag, along with really good pictures of the mom and the boyfriend. Dan told his friend Ken that Sheriff Barnes was very grateful for his undivided help in providing everything they'll need to prosecute those two assholes. When Ken heard that he laughed right along with Dan.
When the lads got home after school that day, they went directly to the Study to talk to Mr. Ken. Robert told him what happened at lunchtime and what the girls said to him to apologize. Charles then told his 'dad' that Dominic came looking for him and Robert that the twins were crying. Charles said he tried to talk to them, but they pulled him into their hug and continue to cry.
Robert jumped into that conversation and told his dad that when he arrived, they pulled him into the hug, as well, but he soon got them all to separate. He explained he tried to talk to the Kevin and Kyle to find out what was wrong, but the after lunch bell rang and they all had to get into their homerooms.
Mr. Ken looked at the twins who were sitting together in a chair. The twins then looked at one another and did their 'twin talk'. It was Kyle to spoke.
"'Dad' ... I was caught daydreaming in class today. I was thinking about Matthew ... and what his mom did to him. When I got outside after lunch I ... I talked to Kevin and he reminded me how our own mom treated us. He reminded me how our mom ... how she stopped taking our side against our dad and ... and then how she let him keep us away from our friends until we no longer had any friends at all. Just thinking about how our own mom ... that she didn't' take care of us very well made us hug one another and cry," explained Kyle, who had a few tears running down his face.
Mr. Ken just let the twin work through what he was feeling. He didn't know anything about what his mom did, or did not do to the twins. At the moment, he didn't know of anything he could say to the twins to ease their pain due to their thoughts about their mom. Mr. Ken then asked if anything else of interest had happened at the school.
Robert asked his dad if he had any idea as to why the girls would come over to him and apologize to him at lunchtime. Mr. Ken told him he would have to wait and see if they have any alternative motives. That perplexed Robert, so he asked his dad to elaborate.
"Son, they could actually be sincere when they apologized to you about what they said. But, they could also want to see how you'd react to that piece of information. To see if you either avoided them in the future, or, at least, be cordial towards them. Boys, try not to burn your bridges behind you. You may want to go back and cross them again and they won't be there," replied, 'dad' Ken.
"What does that mean, 'dad'?" asked Kyle.
"It means you shouldn't make someone mad or piss them off because you can; you may need their help at some time in the future. Yes, you handle the disagreement between the two of you and make sure the resolution is fair. If you are the injured party, you may want 'paybacks', but don't overreact or go overboard in settling the score," answered Mr. Ken.
Momma Maria came to the Study looking for the boys. The woman had their snacks ready and wondered why they didn't come to her for them. The boys apologized to her for not telling her where they were, and then they followed her back to the Kitchen Nook to have their after-school snack.
Doctor Doug arrived around 5 PM and he wanted to talk to Kyle first. The doctor wanted to get Kyle to open up about his experience with the kidnapping. After dinner, the doctor did the same with Kevin.
When Douglas Jennings got ready to depart The Cove that night, he and Mr. Ken talked about setting up daytime appointments for all the boys. The doctor suggested he let the boys start coming every other week. The doctor also told the owner of The Cove that the boys were settling down and even with the attempted kidnapping they had a great support group in their 'brothers' and their foster dad.
As the doctor was walking out the Foyer door, he told Mr. Ken he was going to miss those great dinners. Mr. Ken said either he or Wayne would make the new appointments for all four boys and that one of them would bring the lads to him. The two smiled, shook hands and then the doctor was gone.
It was then Mr. Ken remembered he had gotten Matthew's room phone number, so he called Kyle over and told him. Kyle was happy he could at least talk to the young boy. 'Dad' Ken dialed the number and then gave the phone to Kyle. Kyle's eyes lit up when Matthew answered the phone. The two boys talked for over 30 minutes until the nurse came into the boy's room and told him it was time for his medication on his back. Kyle told Matthew that he'd try to visit him tomorrow. Kyle then gave the phone back to his 'dad' and thanked him for letting him talk to his friend.
When it was about bedtime, Mr. Ken went upstairs to say goodnight to his boys. Robert was reading a book, Charles was playing a game, and the twins were discussing what Doctor Doug talked to them about. The man had to laugh at the twins as they did share almost everything with each other. He told them all to drain their dragons and get into bed as 6 AM came sooner than they would realize. The owner of The Cove waited for the boys to get into bed and then he tucked them all in, hugged them and gave them all a kiss on their forehead.
Thursday was a standard Cover morning. Mr. Ken got his paper before the kids came down for breakfast. The lads came into the Kitchen Nook for a great Momma Maria breakfast. The boys talked to their 'dad' as they ate and after that they left for school and The Cove got quiet.
When Mr. Chris came into the Kitchen Nook, for his first cup of coffee, he told his boss they very well could have the new van tomorrow. Mr. Chris explained the dealership called late yesterday afternoon to tell him the good news. The Estate Manager told his boss the salesman said they were going to prep the van and wash it and all they needed for them to do was come into the dealership, bring their trade-in, sign the papers and then exchange some money, either a cashier's check, cash, or financing. Mr. Chris asked Mr. Ken which way he wanted to purchase the new van.
Mr. Ken asked Chris if they would lease the van to them for three years. That threw a monkey wrench into the purchase, but Mr. Chris said he'd call them and ask the question. Then, Chris asked if they don't lease vehicles did he still want the van and, if so, what did he want to use, to purchase the vehicle. Mr. Ken told him to pay cash and ask for a discount for doing so. Mr. Chris inwardly smiled and walked to his office.
After his conversation with Chris Dominions, Mr. Ken went back to his private retreat to get ready for the day. He wanted to drive over to the construction site and check on the progress on the hotel and the office building.
The twins had an uneventful day at school. Kyle didn't daydream at all in class and he was well prepared for his lessons. Kevin was also prepared for class and he was pleased he was getting better grades than he ever had before. He liked it now that Mr. Ken had chosen to split them up. He even smiled at the thought that Mr. Ken knew what he was doing.
Down in Bandera County, Detectives Carrier and Cortez were talking with their DA. The District Attorney was preparing arrest warrants for all the men they had identified as being involved with Parker Parchsons and his son, Kevin. They planned to do a coordinated raid on all the men's homes late at night, so as to catch them unaware of what was happening.
The surprise raid was also being coordinated with County DA George Morris and Sheriff Matthew Barnes who were ready to arrest many of the men who had done unthinkable things to one Robert Author Harrison. They hadn't picked the date and time of the mass arrests yet, as they were still coordinating with adjacent police forces for their help. But they all knew it would happen after 10 PM on the day they chose, or early the following morning.
When the combined strategy meeting was over, Joel Carrier called Ken Thomas. When the owner of The Cove didn't answer, the detective left a message to please call him. He also told Mr. Ken that it was important he calls for the twin's sake.
Mr. Chris did call the dealership about leasing the 12-seat passenger van, but the salesman indicated that this was a special order and was not considered in their leasing fleet. Chris then asked about a discount if they paid in cash. The salesman told the Estate Manage that he would call back in a short time.
When Mr. Ken returned home after inspecting his properties under construction, Mr. Chris caught up with him before he was able to get to his Study. The Estate Manage told his boss that the dealership would give him a good discount if they brought a cashier's check for the entire amount, that included their trade-in, the taxes, title and licensing. Mr. Ken told his employee to take care of that 'little matter'. The two men laughed. Mr. Ken also told him to call Wayne if he needed any help.
When Mr. Ken walked into this Study, he immediately looked, as was his habit, to see if there were any telephone messages while he was gone. He sat down at his desk and began listening to his messages. There was one from Stewart Russell concerning the hiring of Jules Diamond, one from Ms., Judy about nothing in particular and one from his travel associates calling back about his Holidays travel plans.
The owner of The Cove continued to listen to the messages and found a few sales calls from unknown callers. He laughed at all those callers because it was his practice to never buy anything over the phone, nor give any money to a charity, without talking to them in person. He decided that before he did anything else, he would add those phone numbers to the BLOCKED phone list. He felt very satisfied he could do that. He knew the person could still call him, but once the phone rang, the system would immediately hang up on them.
There were a few other callers, but they were from the construction supervisors who he'd already talked to while he was out at the lake construction sites. He erased those messages. Then, he listened to Joel Carrier's phone call. When Mr. Ken heard the detective wanted him to call, because it concerned the twins, he picked up his desk phone and immediately called the man.
"Mr. Ken thank you for calling me back," said Joel Carrier, when he realized it was Ken Thomas calling him back. "I called to tell you that there might be some movement on the arrests soon. Our DA and Sheriff and your County DA, George Morris, along with Sheriff Matthew Barnes are working together on a joint round-up of men in both Kevin's and Robert's cases. You may want to keep the twins out of school, especially, if their dad's name is mentioned in the press release. I've asked the DA to not use the twins' father's name to help protect them."
"I've told him that none of the other boys' names would be used and he should not mention the primary suspect's name, since he'd already been arrested. I don't know if my asking him, and explaining to him why I was asking, will do any good, but I want you to be prepared. I know you get the morning papers, so you'll want to check it first thing to see if there was some movement."
"So, let me get this right. There might be some arrests made concerning my twins and Robert, but you can't tell me when. And, you also want me to check the papers every morning to see if the twins' father's name is mentioned and consider keeping them home to protect them from any harassment they might get from the kids at school. Did I get that right, Joel?" smiled Mr. Ken.
"You got it, Mr. Ken. Look, I can't say any more, but you got the gist of what I was trying to convey to you. You and the twins have readily worked with me through this entire process and I do appreciate what you've done. Take care and I'll call you when I can," said Joel Carrier, who then hung up the phone.
Mr. Ken called Ms. Judy to tell her about the mysterious phone call he just had. He told her because he wanted her to know what may, or may not happen, that concerns not one, but three of her foster children. Ken then asked Judy what she called about. Judy told him she wanted to thank him and Kyle for interacting with Matthew.
Judy said they were the only two people to stop in and talk with the boy for any length. Judy did say that Dan came by for a few minutes, but he was busy with the pictures his friend Ken had gotten for him. Then, Judy asked him to explain what Dan meant. Ken took a few minutes to explain what he and Dan did the night they found Matthew, and then what he'd done on his own on Wednesday morning. Judy was surprised and happy that Ken would do that. The two said they'd talk again, soon.
When the Cover lads came home that day, they went directly to meet with Momma Maria. She had their snacks ready for them and they dug right in. When they were finished eating, they all thanked the woman and then hugged her. They then headed directly to the Study.
"Hi dad," called out Robert, as the lads walked into the Study.
"Hello, boys," replied Mr. Ken. "Anything new happen today at school?"
The boys looked back and forth to one another and then Kyle told him he didn't daydream. Everyone laughed at the twin. Then, Robert said the three girls who apologized to him were very friendly to him that morning, and he did talk to them after lunch out in the schoolyard. Charles said he stayed below the radar so that no one knew he was even around.
Mr. Ken heard the sarcasm in the pre-teen's voice, so he got out from behind his desk and went over to Charles and hugged him. The twins wondered what that was all about. Robert told them that Charles is the middle kid, and it's like he isn't even around. You guys and I have taken up a lot of dad's time lately and Charles ... well, he hasn't gotten any time with dad at all lately. Yes, he did get most of dad's time when he first arrived, but after his surgery, he was just another Cover kid, like me. Kevin then said he remembered being told something about that not too long ago.
"Boys, let's not make a big deal out of this. It's just that these things happen from time to time. And, as Robert said, I spent a lot of time with Charles when he first got here. Also, if I'm not having to deal with Charles, that means he's keeping himself out of trouble and is doing well in school, as well as everything else. Charles ... if you feel you need to talk to me one on one, or if you need for me and you to do something together, then all you need do is come to me and tell me what you want."
"Boys ... I am not trying to make you compete for my attention. Kevin and Kyle are in a situation that almost mirrors when Charles started here at The Cove. The twins and Charles both had people out to get them and time will tell if that will ever end. And, as for Robert, he had that trial at the start of school and now, with his adoption, he took center stage, again," reasoned Mr. Ken.
"Now, is there anything else we need to talk about?" asked 'dad' Ken.
Not hearing anything, Mr. Ken asked the boys to be seated. "Kevin, Kyle ... Detective Carrier called me today. He told me they plan on making a series of arrests sometime soon, and he wanted you to know in case your dad's name is mentioned in the newspapers. He told me to keep an eye out for any news articles about raids that were done down in your county and here."
"Robert, Joel also told me that they are coordinating with DA Morris and Sheriff Barnes and there will be joint coordinated raids using many local police departments up here." Mr. Ken then asked if the boys had any questions.
Kyle did. He asked if they could go visit Matthew after dinner. Mr. Ken smiled and asked the other lads if they wanted to go along. Kevin and Charles both said they would like to go. Robert said he was old enough to stay home by himself. Mr. Ken agreed and then sent the boys up to do their homework.
After dinner, 'dad' Ken asked the three boys to get washed up and meet him in the garage in ten minutes. The four Covers then headed over to the hospital to visit with Matthew. When they arrived at the youngster's hospital room the ten-year-old ran to Kyle and hugged him.
"You came. Thank you for coming. Mr. Dan and Ms. Judy have also visited me, but not as often as you have. I guess they haven't found my mom, or her boyfriend, yet, have they?" asked Matthew.
"No Matthew, we haven't heard anything, but I am sure they will tell you when they do. I am sure they will come and talk to you about her, again, even though they've already asked you some questions about them both. I think they will do this to further build their case against them," explained Mr. Ken.
"Thank you for telling me that. Adults don't usually tell the kids what they need to know, but what they want them to know. At least, that is what my mom started to do after she met her new boyfriend," replied Matthew.
"Come on, we came over to talk to you, Matthew. We also brought some cards, so we can play a game or something," spoke up Kyle.
Mr. Ken left the kids in the room to talk and play and went out into the corridor. At first, he thought he'd go down to the ER Department to talk to Joanne Kirby, but then figured she'd be busy. Then, he reminded himself that he told Stewart and Jules to work on that problem that apparently had nurses performing full body exams on the children when it might not be a standard procedure, especially if the child came in through the ER. The owner of The Cove then decided he'd walk around the hospital, some, to stretch his legs since he didn't get out enough as it was.
The four boys first played a game of War, then they played a game of Hearts. It didn't matter to them who had won; it was just fun to do something different from what they usually did. After that, they just talked about themselves without revealing too many bad aspects of their lives.
As Mr. Ken walked around the hospital, he happened to walk down to the Main Entrance. He stopped to talk to the man at the Information Desk and give him some company for a few minutes as he looked bored. As they talked, they noticed a car slowly drive through the portico, but they didn't pay too much attention to it. When it came back through one more time, Mr. Ken made it a point to look at the license tag. He recognized it from all the video he watched the other day.
Mr. Ken turned to the man at the desk and said, "Call hospital security. Tell them the people the Sheriff's Department are looking for may be outside casing the hospital. They also may be here to kidnap Matthew Toursten who's up in the Pediatric ward. He's the woman's son."
Mr. Ken then pulled out his cell phone and called Dan. "Dan, I think I just saw the vehicle you're looking for here at the hospital. There were a man and woman in the car and they twice passed by the Main Entrance as if they were casing the place. I've had hospital security called, but I don't know how many people they have on duty here."
Dan thanked Ken for that information and said he'd call it in and for him to watch out for the car, again. Ken thought about what he really should do and just then two hospital security men came up to the information desk. The four talked about the vehicle and the people the Sheriff's Department were looking for. The security men then wanted to know how sure Mr. Ken was about the vehicle. When he told them how he knew, they told him they were the only two security people for the night.
Mr. Ken told the security men that he had already called Lt. Dan Fischer of the Sheriff's Office, who was going to have some patrol cars hurry over. Mr. Ken then said the two wanted people would probably come in to ask where Matthew was so they could visit him. Mr. Ken then suggested they could come in another opened door and head to the pediatric ward because they knew the lad was only ten and that would be the logical place to go look for him.
Mr. Ken then told the three men that he had three of his own lads up there visiting the boy and he needed to be there to protect them. He said he was going to try to have them moved to another room or ward, until they knew for sure the boy's mom and boyfriend aren't coming in to take him away. The owner of The Cove hurried up the stairs, foregoing the slow elevator.
Mr. Ken stopped at the nurse's station and told them what was potentially happening outside. He asked her if they could move Matthew to another ward, or better still, let him walk to a different place on the floor. Mr. Ken told her that Sheriff's Deputies were on their way and there were only two security men working right now. He also told her he has three of his 'son's' visiting Matthew and he didn't want them hurt if the man and woman try to forcefully take the boy.
The nurse called hospital security to verify what she had just heard and was told essentially what Mr. Ken just explained to her. She quickly called the other nurse, and the two talked it out. It was then they decided to let Matthew go with Mr. Ken and his boys to a different place in the hospital to get him away from the potential danger.
After Mr. Ken had the four boys walk to a different section on that floor, Mr. Ken called Dan to tell them what he'd done. Dan told him he had four vehicles assigned to block all streets leading into and away from the parking lots and he was on his way.
The four Covers and their young friend were in a visitor lounge where Mr. Ken told them what he learned from Lt. Dan. The lads had to look out the window to see what was happening. They did see the parking lot being blocked by sheriff cars and one more just arriving. Kyle said that must be Mr. Dan.
"Why do you call him Mr. Dan? I thought he was a lieutenant?" said Matthew.
"Well, he stayed with us to recover after he was shot back in August. He recuperated at The Cove and we got to know him. He wasn't a lieutenant then. We called him Mister then and we call any adults either Mister or Misses. He made lieutenant just before he went back to work," explained Kyle.
"Ohh," was all Matthew said.
"Hey ... look over there," said Charles. "There's a car trying to go around the police vehicles. They ... they went over the grass median and ... and they got out onto the street and ... and it looks like ... yeah, yeah, there are two police vehicles chasing them," continued Charles.
The other three boys quickly looked out the window and saw the flashing lights of the chase cars following the car that potentially had Matthew's mom and boyfriend in it. As they watched, they saw the two police cars wedge the vehicle between them and the Deputies got out of their cars with their guns drawn and pointing at the people in the vehicle. It was then they saw three more police cars arrive with lights flashing. The deputies then quickly got out of their vehicles and also pointed their guns at the two people.
Matthew now looked concerned that his mom could get shot. He asked Mr. Ken if that was going to happen. The owner of The Cove assured the ten-year-old that the deputies would not shoot them unless the people shot at them first. The owner of The Cove told Matthew, with all those deputies out there, they would be foolish to try. Matthew then told Mr. Ken that his mom's boyfriend had a gun in the car.
The five people continued to observe what was happening below out on the street from their third-floor window of the hospital's Pediatric visitor's lounge. They watched as the Sheriff Deputies took the two people out of their vehicle and handcuffed them. They watched as the people were being patted down for weapons and contraband. The two people were then placed into separate police cars. They looked on as one Deputy pulled out his cell phone and made a call. It was then Mr. Ken's cell phone rang.
"Hello, Dan?" asked Mr. Ken, as he answered the phone.
"Oh, great," answered Mr. Ken.
"Yes, we watched from a visitor's lounge up on the third floor. I'm sure the boys thought it was exciting," added Mr. Ken.
"Yeah, I brought Kyle, Kevin and Charles over to visit with Matthew. They were playing cards while I walked around and wound up at the Information Desk. It was there I noticed the car and had the desk man call security, and then I called you. Oh, Dan, Matthew says his mom's boyfriend has a gun in the car," continued Mr. Ken.
"Ok, I'll talk to you later," finished Mr. Ken, and then hung up the phone.
The lads had listened to Mr. Ken's side of the conversation and asked what Mr. Dan had said. Mr. Ken told them Mr. Dan thanked them for their help and he hoped they enjoyed the show. The boys all smiled at one another.
Mr. Ken got the boys to go back to Matthew's hospital room and along the way they told the nurses what happened outside. Mr. Ken then told his boys they had school tomorrow, and they needed to get a move on. Kyle and Matthew hugged while Kevin and Charles just shook the lad's hand.
On the way out to their vehicle, Mr. Ken stopped and told the security men what they saw from the third-floor window and that Lt. Fischer had called him to say they did capture the two people they were looking for.
When the Cover boys got home, they raced to find Robert, to tell him what they saw while they were at the hospital. Robert thought they were pulling his leg, so he went to ask his dad. It was then he learned the boys hadn't lied to him at all. The teen's new dad filled in any gaps in the telling of their story.
The lads now had a great story they could tell their friends at school tomorrow. After they all went up to bed, Mr. Ken went upstairs to tuck the boys into bed and kiss their foreheads.
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Everyone slept very well that night.