On the Sunday after Robert's adoption, his new dad, Ken Thomas, took him and his three foster brothers out for new fall clothes including new sneakers. Wayne Mitchell, the man Mr. Ken hired to fill in for him when he can't always be with the kids, accompanied them. After buying the boys their new clothes, sneakers and winter jackets, the owner of The Cove decided to take everyone out for dinner.
When dinner was over, as the lads walked out of the restaurant, Kyle looked at 'Dad Ken' and asked him if he'd let them go drive the go-karts before they went home. The other lads thought that was a terrific idea, so they bugged Mr. Ken to let them do that. Mr. Ken thought that was a great way to end the day and have some 'family' time, so the six went over to the Go-Kart Track and got into line.
When the race was over and the Covers were talking about the just finished race, Dan Fischer came up to the Covers. The group talked some, and it was Robert who asked his dad if they all could play a round of miniature golf. The teenager argued it was still early, and they had the time. The other three boys all looked at him with hopeful eyes.
Ken Thomas asked Dan to play with their group and he accepted the invitation. When the lads heard they were going to play miniature golf, they got great big smiles on their faces. The seven people walked over to the ticket stand and Mr. Ken told everyone his Estate Master, Mr. Wayne, was buying.
Dan was surprised at the new name for Wayne's position and asked his friend Ken about it. Ken explained he needed a catchy title for the man and the other names such as, boy-wrangler, stand-in, go-to-man, or second pair of hands, didn't actually cut it for him. So, he said he decided to call him his Estate Master. Ken further added he figured Wayne was mastering the lads and their individual personalities, so he needed a title that matched. The two men laughed.
As the players chose their putters and colored golf balls, the miniature golf course manager called Mr. Ken over. The man told him about a young lad who'd been sitting on a bench all day long. The manager explained when he started his afternoon shift the opening supervisor told him about the boy. The manager continued to tell the owner that the lad had never moved except to use the restroom and he'd never seen the boy eat anything.
Mr. Ken thanked the man for the information and he walked over to talk to the boy. The boy told him he wasn't allowed to talk to strangers, so Mr. Ken called Dan over. Ken told Dan what he knew about the boy and that the lad won't talk to strangers and asked him to pull out his badge and identification card and see if he'd talk to him. Dan said he'd give it try.
Dan showed the youngster his badge and identification and sat down to talk to the lad. Dan found out the boy hadn't eaten all day and, hearing that, Mr. Ken called Robert over and gave him some money and asked him to go buy a hot dog and a coke for the boy and to hurry. Robert quickly hurried away to the Miniature Golf Course refreshment stand and ordered what his dad asked him to get.
Dan and the lad, whose name he learned was Matthew, continued to talk while they waited for Robert to return with some food for him. Dan learned where the lad was living and that his mom used her boyfriend's cell phone, but he didn't know the number. The Sheriff's Lieutenant also learned Matthew had been dropped off at the miniature golf course early that morning and his mom hadn't returned for him.
Robert came back with the hot dog and a coke and presented it to the boy. The teen told the lad he didn't know if he liked ketchup or mustard, so he brought him some of each to put on his dog. Robert then saw it was going to be awkward for the lad to juggle the hot dog and the coke, so the teen offered to help. Matthew thanked him and Robert sat on the other side of the younger boy.
Dan got up and walked away with Ken following along. The two men talked and Dan told Ken he hadn't gotten too much information out of the boy, but had hoped that once the lad got some food in him, he'd open up. Dan added that with Robert sitting there with him the boy might relax some and they should stand back and watch.
Robert and Matthew talked as the younger boy ate. Robert told the youngster that he had just been adopted by the man talking to the lieutenant. The teen also told the boy about his other three 'brothers' and that he and they were all very happy living with Mr. Ken. Matthew was surprised upon hearing that and told Robert that he wished he had a good home to live in. The younger boy told the teen that he'd lived in house after house ever since the beginning of the summer.
When Dan saw the lad had finished eating his hot dog, he went over to the lad to talk to him some more. Robert got up and walked away because he knew that Dan wanted to talk to the lad in private.
As Dan sat down, Matthew turned to talk to him and as he did that he bumped his coke and it spilled. The boy was startled and then he began to sob. Through his tears, he said his mom's boyfriend would be very mad at him for wasting the soda. In trying to console the youngster, Dan reached over to pat him on his back to tell him everything would be ok. It was when Dan touched the lad's back the boy winced. That got Dan's immediate attention, and he knew right away they had something worse than a late arriving mom.
Dan told Ken what happened when he touched the lad's back and disclosed what he thought. The two men decided right away they needed to get Children's Protective Services and the Sheriff's office involved. Dan said he'd call his office while Ken called Judy Turner.
Judy Turner, Director of Children's Protective Services, learned about the lad from her friend Ken Thomas. She then asked Ken and Dan to take the boy to the hospital to get him checked out and she would meet them there.
While the two men waited for a Sheriff's patrol car to arrive to take the boy to the hospital, the twins had come over to the young lad. Robert introduced his 'brothers' to Matthew, and thus introduced the lad to Kevin and Kyle. Robert asked them to sit down and talk to Matthew, while he talked to his dad.
"So, you're Robert's brothers?" asked Matthew.
"Well, we're his foster 'brothers', but we call one another 'brother', anyway," replied Kevin.
Kyle quickly added they also had another 'brother', Charles, who was standing over by Mr. Wayne, who worked for their foster dad.
"Oh, Robert says you have a good place to live and lots of food and skateboard ramps and an indoor swimming pool. I bet it is fun living there," said Matthew.
"Yeah, this is our first time in foster care," began Kyle, "but our 'brothers', they've been in other foster homes and they told us they didn't like it there. They said the food wasn't very good, and they got poor clothes to wear. We are real glad Mr. Ken took us in."
"I wish I had a permanent house to live in. My mom met this guy and ... and we've been living in lots of different places ever since the summer. And, I haven't even been to school yet this school year and I know I'm missing a lot. They'll keep me back and I'll be an old man by the time I graduate from high school," lamented Matthew, who then got a few tears in his eyes.
As the twins and Matthew talked, the patrol car arrived and Sheriff's Deputy George Carrillo went over to talk to Lt. Fischer and Mr. Ken. Ken revealed Judy's plan and said she asked if Dan had gotten the boy's last name. Dan and the Deputy walked over to Matthew and asked him what his last name was. Matthew asked if he was going to be arrested and taken jail. He told the three men that was what his mom told him would happen if he moved from the bench.
The decision was made to take Matthew to the hospital to get him checked out. The lad rode with the deputy while Robert decided to ride with Mr. Wayne and the other lads would ride with their 'dad', Mr. Ken. Dan Fischer followed right behind the first two cars.
When Matthew arrived at the Emergency Room, the ER nurse took Matthew back to an examination room. The youngster did not want to change into one of those paper gowns and Kyle hearing that went back to the exam room to help him. From that point on, the two boys hit it right off and they would eventually become good friends and buds.
The adults talked with Doctor Selwyn as to what they suspected and what they needed him to check out on the lad. Ms. Judy also asked the doctor to do a foster care intake physical on Matthew, as he would more than likely be taken into the foster care system.
Kyle was still with Matthew when the doctor came into the examination room. The nurse asked the Cover to leave, but the younger twin told her he wasn't leaving because he knew how scary it was when there is no one there that you knew and Matthew didn't have anyone. The doctor laughed when he heard what Kyle said, then ignored him as he introduced himself to the boys and then began talking directly to Matthew.
The doctor told the lad what he was going to do during the examination and then started. The doctor checked the boy's eyes, ears, reflexes, and then the boy's chest, arms, legs, everything except his boy-parts and his back. Doctor Selwyn knew the lad's back was where the adults had indicated was the area of interest, so he purposely waited. But before he continued the doctor had the nurse draw two vials of blood and rush them to the lab.
After the woman had left, the doctor told Matthew he had to check over the rest of his body, which was why he sent the nurse away. The physician then told Matthew he needed to check his boy-parts and then his back and he asked Kyle if he could help him with taking Matthew's gown off. Kyle agreed to help, but told the doctor he really didn't want to see his friend's back because it looked like he was beaten.
The doctor said he understood, but it was his job to check everything, so he had Kyle slide the gown off the boy's back and the doctor looked. He immediately saw what Kyle meant. The doctor slipped the gown up and over the boy's back and asked Kyle to go get the lieutenant. Kyle ran to the front of the long corridor looking for Mr. Dan and his 'dad'.
While waiting for Lt. Fischer, the doctor called the hospital's photographer to come in. It was Lt. Fischer, Deputy Carrillo and Ms. Judy who came to the exam room with Kyle leading them.
Dr. Selwyn explained to the three people who entered the exam room what he'd found. The doctor slipped the gown off Matthew's back and all three adults winced. Lt. Fischer took out his cell phone and began taking pictures.
Dr. Selwyn then slipped the boy's briefs down the lad's butt and the three adults saw evidence of a few old welts along with recent beatings. Lt. Fischer took some more pictures. When he was finished, Mr. Dan asked the doctor if there was any further evidence of present or past trauma on the boy. The doctor said there weren't any other apparent injuries.
The doctor told the small group of adults he needed to admit Matthew for observation. He explained he needed to treat the lad for his welts and scars and observe him overnight for any signs of internal injuries. Judy Turner agreed and she and the two Sheriff's representatives walked back to the front area. But before Kyle walked back up front, he told Matthew he'd try to get his 'dad' to bring him over to see him tomorrow after school. The two then hugged.
During the next few days, Mr. Ken helped Lt. Dan and the Sheriff's Department. The owner of The Cove downloaded pictures of the lad's mom and the vehicle off the outside pointing cameras from the Miniature Golf Course and Go-Kart Track video cameras, but didn't get any good pictures of the boyfriend. Mr. Ken not only gave the Sheriff's Department pictures of the woman, lad and vehicle, but he was also able to merge two camera angles together to show a timeline progression of events for when the trio arrived at the putt-putt and the adults passing the go-kart track.
Mr. Ken had worked his magic and married the two camera footage angles onto a split screen image. He made it so both images on the screen were time stamped to the exact same one hundredth of a second to show that the occupants who dropped Matthew off were the same people who passed the track. Mr. Ken knew if he hadn't done that that any defense lawyer could say that the images were conveniently married to make it look like his client was there.
A few days later, Mr. Ken had an idea, so he decided to check the interior video cameras at the miniature golf course and the go-kart track once more. He wanted to see if the two adults ever returned to pick Matthew up. He was right, they had.
This time Mr. Ken looked at the inside camera footage and got great videos of the man, but he also learned the manager told the man where Matthew was taken. The owner of The Cove quickly called his friend Sheriff's Lt. Dan Fischer and explained how and why he got the video of the man. He also told him the people who dropped Matthew off now knew where the boy has been taken. Dan immediately hung up and had the department dispatch a patrol car to the hospital to check on the boy to make sure his mom hadn't abducted the lad. All was well.
Mr. Ken also knew Lt. Dan Fischer and his associates would still need the pictures of the man and the 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. When he had the pictures he called Lt. Fischer who asked him to drop them off at the hospital.
Over those same few days, Kyle did get over to visit with Matthew and the abandoned lad was happy to have a friendly face and someone his age to talk with. On the same day Mr. Ken got the pictures of the man, Kyle, Kevin and Charles accompanied 'dad' Ken over to the hospital to visit with Matthew.
Matthew was very happy to see the three boys arrive along with Mr. Ken. The five talked for a few minutes and then as the boys played a card game called War, Mr. Ken decided to stretch his legs since he didn't get out enough as it was.
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, the two men noticed a car drive very slowly through the portico, but they didn't pay too much attention to it. When the vehicle 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 was a man and woman in the car and twice they slowly 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.
With hospital security and the Sheriff's office notified, Mr. Ken headed back up to the Pediatric Ward to get the four boys away from there in case the mom and boyfriend gained access to the hospital and try to take Matthew with them. The man stopped at the nurse's station and told them what was potentially happening outside and told them he wanted to move Matthew and his 'sons' to a different place on the floor.
The nurse called hospital security to verify what she had just heard, and it was 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 the visitor's lounge 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.
Mr. Ken told the boys what he learned from Lt. Dan, so the lads immediately 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.
Then, as Charles was looking out the window, he called out to everyone and said, "Hey ... look over there. There's a car trying to go around the police vehicles. They ... they just went over the grass medium 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 arrived with lights flashing. The deputies then quickly got out of their vehicles and pointed their guns at the two people.
Matthew now looked concerned that his mom could be 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 vantage point on the third floor from the window of the Pediatric visitor's lounge. They watched as the Sheriff Deputies took the two people out of their vehicle and handcuffed them. The five watched as the people were being patted down for weapons and contraband before being placed into separate police cars. As they looked on, 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 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.
Back at the hospital, Matthew was sick to his stomach not knowing what happened to his mom. He tried to get the nurses to call and ask about her, but they told him they were too busy. Matthew cried himself to sleep that night.
The next day Lt. Fischer went over to the hospital to talk to Matthew. Of course the lad wanted to know what happened to his mom and if he'd ever get to see her again. Lt. Fischer told the youngster that his mom had been arrested along with her boyfriend. The Lieutenant explained she would be arraigned later that morning and she would be either held for what she did, or released, but he would not know until later.
The two then talked some more about Matthew's life over the summer. The boy told the lieutenant they jumped from town to town and lived in either apartments or hotel rooms. When asked how they got money to live, Matthew said his mom's boyfriend would go out late at night and the next day they'd move and he'd have money. The lad said they didn't have loads of money, but they did buy food and some clothes along the way. He also said at one point they did get their clothes washed.
The lieutenant continued to talk to the lad and asked the youth if he remembered the places they lived. Matthew then related to Lt. Fischer, all the towns and most of the names of the places they stayed. The young lad also shared how the boyfriend would clean his gun every time after they'd just moved. The boy said it was as if he was trying to clean his fingerprints off it and there was nothing inside the barrel. Lt. Fischer took lots of notes and was inwardly smiling knowing they should be able to backtrack where the trio lived and check if there were any unsolved robberies.
At school that morning, as soon as the twins got off their school bus, they headed for all their friends and began telling them all about what they saw the night before. Some of their friends didn't believe them, but all Kyle would say was it was their loss, and he continued to tell what they saw. The twin explained why they were at the hospital visiting a boy who was found alone at Four Corners that past Sunday.
Kyle reminded his friends how they found the lad, and he was taken to the hospital. The twins told their friends they, along with Charles, decided to go over last night to visit Matthew. They further told how the boy's mom and her boyfriend came to the hospital to possibly take him away. Kevin then added Mr. Ken noticed their car because he had worked with Lt. Dan to find pictures on the security cameras at the miniature golf course and go-kart track.
The identical boys told everyone how Mr. Ken came and had them move out of the pediatric ward and over to a visitors' lounge because they were afraid Matthew's mom and her boyfriend might be there to take him away.
Kyle continued telling how they all looked out of the Visitor's Lounge window to see all the police cars blocking all the entrances and exits at the hospital. The young twin told his classmates how this car tried to get through the blockade by driving over a curb and through the grass medium and attempted to get away.
As he continued his story, Kyle's voice became more serious and hyped as he told them how two police cars then chased the vehicle and got it stopped. He added that the two Sheriff Deputies got out of their vehicles and ordered the occupants out of their vehicle at gunpoint.
Kevin added, "It was really neat to be looking down at what was happening out on the street. The police cars ... they all had their emergency lights on and the blue and red lights lit up the area. You should have seen how many people gathered around from seeing all the commotion the police cars made with their lights flashing. It drew people to gather around and, you know, watch what the Sheriff Deputies were doing to the two people they just arrested."
"We've all seen it, or something like it, on TV, in newscasts and shows, but last night ... we actually saw what it looked like from the third-floor window. It was awesome," finished the older twin.
That night after dinner, Mr. Ken took the four boys out for a ride in The Cove's new 12-passenger van. The man eventually took them to the miniature golf course and then to Dairy Queen before heading home.
When the Covers returned home, the lads went up to their bedrooms and Mr. Ken headed to his Study to check for any phone messages. He saw the light blinking, so he listened to what the callers had to say. Of the three messages, two he decided could wait until tomorrow. The third one was from Judy, so he made a quick call.
"Hey, Judy, just returning your call," said Ken, when Judy answered the phone.
"Hey, Ken, I understand you have a new Mercedes van that will hold twelve people. Wow, I'm jealous," teased Judy.
"Yeah, right, like you need a 12-passenger van for the two of you," laughed Ken.
"It's the thought of having something that new," laughed Judy. "I know I should get myself a new car, but I only use it around here so ... so why spend the money? Now, if I traveled all over the state, then I definitely would have to get a new car. So, tell me. How does it drive?" continued Judy Turner.
The two friends talked for a few minutes more about the new van. Ken told her that's what they'd be using to drive down to Collin's for Thanksgiving, and a little R&R. Ken then asked Judy if she thought any more about accompanying him and the boys to visit his amusement parks at Christmas time. Judy told him she had and then asked Ken if he ever thought about leaving that Saturday after the kids got out of school for the Holidays.
Ken quickly got out a calendar and looked at the dates. The man saw what Judy was talking about, but he told her it wouldn't work. He further explained he already planned that Friday night for his neighborhood Christmas Party, and then that Saturday for his major Christmas Party for all the important people in the community and county. Mr. Ken added he'd need all the time he could get before Christmas, because he'll probably still be out buying Christmas presents for the four young men he now has living with him and, of course, Chief.
Judy told him he has all the time before that day to buy those kids their presents, but then she said she had forgotten that he hosts his Christmas parties around then and how people look forward to them as the beginning of their Christmas Holidays. The two adults talked about The Cove's Holiday Parties and how Ken was going to integrate the boys into them.
As they talked about the lads, Ken asked her if it would be possible for Kyle and Matthew to stay in touch once the lad gets into a foster home. Judy said that was not usually allowed, but she'd see if there could be an exception made. The conversation then began to settle down, as if they were beginning to feel their long day catching up to them. Then, Judy got serious.
"Ken ... I need to ask you for a really ... really ... BIG favor. I hope you and your Cover lads can help me out!"
"Judy... are you asking me ... to take another lad into my world? Matthew, maybe?" teased Ken.
"Yes, Ken ... yes, I am. I'm asking you if you would please take Matthew and do your magic. You don't have to tell me tonight, but I would like to know by noon tomorrow. That's ... that's so I can see if I can find him another family that might be available," calmly and coolly spoke Judy.
Just then the four Cover lads came into the Study. They wanted to know if he'd watch a movie with them. Mr. Ken instead of saying he would, he asked them all to sit down.
"Boys ... I'm talking to someone who has a big favor to ask of us. It would change things up around here, but I need to have your thoughts before I agree," was how 'dad' Ken prepared his 'boys' for the question, as he hit the speaker button on his phone.
"Dad, what are you talking about?" asked Robert.
"Boys ... I'm talking to Ms. Judy ..." was all he got out before Kyle spoke up.
"Does she want us to take in Matthew? I say YES!" excitedly announced Kyle.
"Yeah, 'dad', I agree. He's a nice kid who had bad thing happen to him," said Charles.
"Robert, Kevin ... what are your thoughts?" directly asked 'dad' Ken.
"Yeah, I agree, dad. Matthew needs us. He's been away from kids his age for way too long," said Robert.
Everyone then looked at Kevin. Kevin had a big smile on his face and said, "When do we pick him up?"
"Judy ... did you hear all their verdicts?" laughed Ken.
"Yes, I did and thank you, you wonderful boys, and you too Ken, for doing this for Matthew." replied Judy. "I know he will blossom, grow and fit right in there at The Cove. Since you all agreed Matthew can come live with you, I'll set it up that you can you can pick him up after ten tomorrow morning. That way you can all sleep in. Call me when you're ready to leave so I can meet you there and give you the paperwork you'll need."
"OK, we'll call you before we head over there and we'll try to be as close to ten as possible so you can have Saturday to yourself," replied Ken.
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