Another Chance - Book Three

by Zarek Dragon

 

Ever since Nick arrived at the hospital, several deputies had taken time individually during their lunch breaks, to pop in and tell Nick they would pray for Chris. They talked encouragingly with him for a few minutes before heading back to work.

Once they thought they had a moment to themselves, Nick and Heather tried talking about their thoughts and concerns over Chris when Nick's phone rang. According to the caller ID, it was the Cody Police Department so Nick answered it. The Sergeant on the other end introduced himself and asked, "Sheriff, how's your son?"

With tears running down his face, Nick croaked out, "Thank you for your concerns, Sergeant. He's been in surgery for three hours so far, that's all I can tell you at this time."

The Sergeant assured him, "If he's anything like his father, I'm sure he'll pull through."

Nick had a weak smile, "Yes, I have hope, but he's never had to test his mettle, so to speak, so we'll see. Is there anything else I can do for you, Sergeant?"

"Sir, the reason I'm calling is," the Sergeant started, "I have a young man here; he says that his name is Sebastian Hardin. He walked in and said that he shot a kid at school. He even handed in the pistol that he used. He said that he didn't even know the gun was loaded; he was just trying to scare a 'fag,' as he called him, named Jim Bolt. I know that Jim is your stepson and that your son Chris was shot, so I thought you should know. He's already called his dad; he did it right after he turned himself in and he's currently writing out a confession. He also said that he's very sorry and hopes that Chris makes it."

"Yeah, well he owes Chris the apology, and as far as I'm concerned, 'sorry' just doesn't cut it. I'm glad that he turned himself in," Nick retorted. Then after taking a breath, he said, "I'm sorry Sergeant. I shouldn't take my anger out on you."

The Sergeant spoke calmly, "I understand Sheriff. Your son is in surgery and you're scared that you might lose him. You have every right to be angry and I get it. To be honest, if it helped relieve some of your stress, I would rather you yell at me than anything else that you could have done."

Nick chuckled, "Yeah, it did a little, and thank you for being understanding. I am glad that Sebastian is owning up to it, but right now..."

"If it helps any, when he came in, he was crying and kept saying how sorry he was. I believe that he was genuinely scared and remorseful about what he did," the Sergeant explained.

Nick sounded serious, "I hope so, but he will have a long time to think about his actions." After Nick hung up, Heather asked about the conversation. She had a general idea from listening to Nick's side of it, but he filled her in on the rest. Together, they shared with the rest of the family about Sebastian turning himself in.

At that time, Joe spoke up, "Dad, thinking about the look on Sebastian's face when the gun went off, I believe that he didn't mean to fire it. He looked surprised and scared. Yes, it was his actions that caused this, but I honestly don't think he meant to hurt anyone, let alone Chris. And he did turn himself in."

"Alright Joe," Nick responded, swallowing hard. "If Chris pulls through, maybe the judge will show him some mercy and hopefully he'll learn his lesson, but he still has to face the consequences for his actions."

"I can agree to that," a young man cried. Nick turned toward the voice and saw a boy around Chris's age. He was wearing blue jeans, an orange hoodie and was handcuffed. Tears were running down his face and he was being escorted by two police officers. Nick had never seen this boy before but he knew exactly who he was.

Nick looked at the officers and snarled, "What's he doing here?"

One officer spoke, "He refused to sign his statement until he found out how your son was doing. We didn't think it would hurt."

"Sir," Sebastian cried, "I honestly didn't mean to shoot anyone. I am truly sorry for hurting Chris but I can never take that back. If I could, I would. I wish that I never picked up my Dad's gun. I ejected the magazine so I thought it was empty. I don't care if the judge shows mercy, I deserve whatever happens, but I sincerely hope Chris will be alright."

Nick wanted to be nice and forgiving, but at the time, he just couldn't. He growled, "Look, you little punk, it should be you lying on that table, not my son. Do you have any idea what you're doing to my family just with you being here?"

With his head down, Sebastian relented, "You're right, I didn't think about that; I'm so sorry. Officers, please take me back to the station and I'll sign my statement. I really do hope that Chris lives, and I mean that for Chris's sake and not just because of what will happen to me."

As the officers escorted Sebastian out, Heather pulled Nick into an embrace. She whispered, "I know you're hurting and now may not have been the right time for him to show up. I'm hurting too but I could see that he really is sorry."

"I know," Nick agreed, "but as you said, now isn't the right time. If Chris pulls through, I may be able to forgive him, but not right now." Tears were flowing down Nick's cheek. Heather continued to hold him and caress his back.

Jim looked at Zac and whispered, "He was aiming the gun at me. Chris is a hero. If it wasn't for him, I'd be the one lying in there."

Zac squeezed Jim's hand, "I know, but…"

Jim kissed Zac's hand, and said, "No but. That's just a fact, I'm not saying that I'm to blame, but I do owe Chris big time."

Zac smiled, "Knowing you, I'm glad that you understand this isn't your fault. As for owing Chris, you know he won't think that."

Vince and Marilyn had been sitting with them, but left so they could take care of Zayne. Jackson stopped at a KFC and picked up several buckets of chicken before heading to the hospital. He didn't know if the family would eat any of it, but he was sure they were getting hungry. When he walked into the waiting room, a nurse asked if he would like a table to set the chicken on.

Zac fixed a plate for Jake with a leg and some coleslaw. Patrick asked if he could have a breast and Jackson picked one out for him. The rest of the family did eat a little, but the chicken didn't disappear very quickly.

Dusty and Cheyenne stopped in for a few minutes. They talked with Nick and Heather and then told Jim to keep them posted. Matt and Gina stopped in to offer their support. Brock, Tina and the younger Brock stopped in as well. Nick was surprised with everyone who came in. He knew that Chris made lots of friends since he started working at the ranch, but so many people wanting to wish him the best was almost overwhelming. Several people that he had never met before came to see how Chris was doing.

It had been slightly more than four hours since Chris went into surgery when a doctor approached the family. Jim thought that the doctor wasn't looking too happy and hoped that wasn't a sign. "Sheriff, the slug that I removed from your son appears to have been a hollow-point, so there was extensive damage. Fortunately, nothing vital was hit, but it was a lot of work repairing the damage that was done. He lost a lot of blood and did lose a part of his spleen and he's not totally out of the woods yet, so to speak, but we are hopeful. Only time will tell."

Nick sobbed, "Thank you, Doctor. May my wife and I go see him?"

"He's in Recovery right now and will be moved to ICU. Once he's in ICU, you can visit, but I request that other than the two of you, please restrict the visitors to one person at a time and no one under sixteen at this time. Once he wakes up, we'll have a nurse come get you."

Patrick looked at Jim a little confused and asked, "What did the doctor just say about Uncle Chris, did he say that he'll be okay?"

Jim hugged Patrick tightly and replied, "Not exactly. He said that they are hopeful but nothing definite at this time."

Patrick hugged Jim, "I know what my birthday wish will be, but I really don't want to have the party without Uncle Chris."

Jim patted his back lightly, "I know Bud, I feel the same way." Jim pulled Patrick onto his lap and hugged him tightly.

Principal Duncan walked into the waiting room and asked about Chris. Nick informed him, "He's out of surgery and they're hopeful. Right now he's in the recovery room and they said a nurse would let me know when he wakes up."

Principal Duncan said, "I'm sure this is the least of your concerns right now, but the teachers and I talked. They feel it wouldn't be fair to Chris, failing him for missing his final exams next week. Once he is able, he can come to school and take the exams as if he would next week. To be fair to the teachers, and since I will be there anyway, I will administer the exams."

Nick gave a weak smile, "You're right, I'm not worried about that now, but I really do appreciate it, so I'm sure Chris will too."

"It's the least we can do. Chris should have been safe on school grounds; I feel like we let him down," Duncan stated.

"In a way you did, but Chris was outside," Nick acknowledged. "Still, he should have been safe, but I can understand how much harder it made your job of keeping him safe."

Principal Duncan suggested, "I'm thinking of making it school policy that students need to remain in the building during lunch. I realize that it's too late for this incident but it would help prevent any future ones."

Nick shook his head, "Part of me agrees with you, but the students need to be able to go outside and be active if they wish. Even if you did enact it, someone planning something like this would just wait until after school. I appreciate the gesture, but I don't think that's the answer. Perhaps more police in the vicinity during lunch, possibly even having officers on school grounds. It's still not a perfect solution, but…"

Duncan looked thoughtful and concurred, "I don't know if that'll help, but I can ask the Police Department, it couldn't hurt. I just know that I need to consult with the school board and take appropriate action to prevent this from ever happening again."

Nick gave Duncan a smile, "I already have some deputies who stopped in and said they would be happy to be on school grounds during the lunch periods. I told them that I would talk to you and the Police Department before I could authorize it."

Duncan agreed, "Yes, as long as the Police don't feel the Deputies are stepping on their toes, I have no problem with it."

It had been another hour before a nurse came over to Nick, "Sheriff, your son just opened his eyes and he asked for you."

Nick grabbed Heather's hand and led her to the room. He started to cry as he walked towards Chris's room and Heather was shedding tears as well. With a raspy voice, Chris asked, "Dad, Mom, what's wrong?"

Nick smiled, "Nothing now, we were afraid that we had lost you. These are happy tears. Do you remember anything of what happened?"

Chris nodded his head, "A boy had a gun; Joe said his name was Sebastian. He had it aimed at Jim, so I reacted. As I was pushing Jim out of the way, I heard the gun fire. Then I felt a burning sensation in my side. How bad am I?"

"You lost a lot of blood and part of your spleen. The doctor said that the damage was extensive but nothing vital was hit. I wish that you hadn't been shot, but we have no way of knowing for sure where Jim would have been had you not pushed him. You may have saved his life and I'm so proud of you. Then Jim took off his shirt and applied pressure while Joe called for help. They said that if Jim hadn't acted like he did, you would have bled out," Nick spoke with pride in his voice.

With a tear running down his cheek, Chris smiled and said, "Cool. Losing him would have hurt worse than the gunshot. I may have saved his life but he saved mine."

Heather brushed Chris's hair with her hand, "Jim felt responsible at first, but Joe was able to convince him that it was Sebastian's fault, not his."

Chris coughed a little and grabbed his side. Nick told him to sip some water. After taking a few sips, Chris's throat felt better but he grunted, "I'm glad that Joe was able to, Jim didn't do anything to cause it."

Nick kissed Chris's forehead and said, "We're going to leave you to rest. We'll check in on you, tomorrow."

Chris asked, "Before you go, what about Sebastian? Have the police arrested him yet? And I'll be missing the finals so I'm guessing I'll have to repeat this school year. On the bright side, I'll actually graduate with kids my age."

Nick could hear a little sadness in Chris's voice. He was pleased to inform his son, "Sebastian turned himself in. He claimed that he didn't know the gun was loaded, but he wants to take full responsibility. And as for school, Principal Duncan said that you can take your exams after you get out of the hospital. The teachers understand why you won't be in classes and are willing to work with you."

Chris gave a weak smile, "That's good. Can you send Jim back? I'd like to see everyone else, too, but not today."

Nick grinned, "I'm sure they'll understand."

After Nick told everyone that Chris needed rest and would appreciate it if they came back another time, he sent Jim back to see him. As soon as he walked into the room, Chris asked, "What's this that I hear about you blaming yourself for me getting shot? You didn't pull the trigger, and you didn't force me to push you out of the way."

Jim smiled, almost laughing, "OK, Joe. That's almost the same thing he told me, and you're both right. Thank you, I know where that gun was aimed. You saved my life and I can never repay you."

"You already did," Chris argued. "I remember seeing you take off your shirt without any hesitation and applying pressure to the wound. And then you and Joe kept talking to me, keeping me somewhat alert until the EMTs arrived. Dad said the doctor told him that you saved my life."

Jim cried, "I love you, Chris. You are my brother."

Chris grabbed Jim's hand and stated, "I know you do. You've treated me like a brother ever since we met; you've helped me in so many ways. I love you, too."

Jim chuckled, "You like that band, too?" Chris gave him a dumbfounded look so he explained, "There used to be a rock band called U2, so when I told Zac I loved him and he returned the comment, I teased him about saying he loved the band. It took him a long time before he said 'too' again when he said that he loved me."

Chris started to laugh. Placing his hand over his incision, he groaned, "I can see you doing that. I may try it on Chelsie."

They talked for a while until Chris started to yawn, Jim took that as a sign to head home and let him sleep. He found Zac almost alone in the waiting room; Jake was asleep on his lap and Patrick was leaning against him, fast asleep. Jim had to snap a picture before suggesting, "I guess we need to get the boys home."

Zac nodded his head, "Yeah, but other than a piece of chicken, they haven't really eaten anything yet and it's late. Should we stop at McDonald's for supper?"

Jim agreed, "Yeah, I think they would like that."

Friday at school was just graduation practice for the seniors and then their SWO or Student Work Opportunity. Joe whispered to Jim, "By the time we graduate, we should be able to do this in our sleep."

Jim chuckled, "Yeah, and just think, next week will be nothing but practice. We won't even get out early for SWO."

When they took a recess from practice, several students asked Jim and Joe about Chris. Jim thanked everyone for their concern and told them Chris was doing well, considering. Upon hearing those questioning Jim about, Principal Duncan decided to make an announcement, "Yesterday, a former student came onto the school grounds with a gun. While he claims that he didn't mean to shoot anyone, he did, and Chris Archer is in the hospital. Fortunately, the shooter turned himself in, but I want everyone to be aware, we are taking action to prevent this from happening again. As for Chris Archer, he came through the surgery and the doctors are hopeful that he will make a complete recovery. As I understand it, Chris is still in ICU and the hospital will allow only one visitor at a time. If a group of you decide to go visit him, please designate one person to represent you. After all, we don't want to wear Chris out too much. That is all."

Once Jim and Joe arrived at the ranch, Jackson greeted them. He told Jim, Zac and Joe, "If you boys would rather be at the hospital, I'll understand."

Jim was the first to speak up, "If we went, they wouldn't allow all of us to visit at the same time, and I'm sure Chris could use the rest. Besides, who knows how many kids from school will try visiting him." Joe and Zac agreed.

When Jim and Zac picked up the boys, Patrick didn't look happy. Zac asked, "What's wrong, Bud?"

Patrick replied, "I was just thinking more about Uncle Chris. I'm glad that he's awake but he still won't be able to attend the party."

Jim had a tear run down his cheek, "I know how you feel, I've been thinking about it ever since we talked at the hospital. If the party was just for me, I would have asked to cancel it or postpone it, but the party is more for you. And with it less than twenty-four hours away, neither would be easy."

Patrick wiped his eyes with the palms of his hands. He asked, "Then can we have a second party after Uncle Chris is able to come?"

Jim smiled, "You better believe we can. And I'm sure that Uncle Chris will be happy to know it was your idea."

Patrick wept, "I wish that I could go see him."

Zac drove to the hospital instead of going back to the ranch. Patrick started crying more and a nurse walked over, "Are you alright? Is there something I can help you with?"

Jim spoke softly, "My brother was shot yesterday and he's in ICU. Patrick is my son, and before you say anything, Zac has the papers to prove we did adopt him, so Chris is his uncle and he would really like to see him, but he's not sixteen."

The nurse looked at Patrick and handed him a tissue. She asked him, "When's your birthday?"

Between his tears he said, "Tomorrow but I'll only be…"

The nurse cut him off, "Sixteen? You'll be sixteen years old tomorrow? I think we can bend the rules this one time and let you in one day early." Then the nurse gave Patrick a wink, causing him to smile. She turned to Jim, "And Chris is doing better so I don't think anyone will mind if you go back with him. The doctor is talking about a moving Chris to a regular room maybe as soon as tomorrow. If he does, you won't have any issues with visiting."

Jim and Patrick made their way to Chris's room. Chris's face lit up when he saw Patrick. Chris announced, "Your dad told me how worried you were. It made me feel good. I'm sorry that I won't be able to attend your party tomorrow."

Patrick got a sheepish grin on his face, "If you didn't want to come, you could have just said so. You didn't have to get shot to get out of it."

Chris started to laugh, he still cringed a little but not as badly as he did yesterday, "You definitely belong with this one. I wish that I could attend."

Jim gently clasped his hands on Patrick's shoulders, "This one wanted to postpone the party for you but when I told him that it was a bit late for that, he suggested a second party."

Chris smiled, "You don't have to have a second party. I'll be there in spirit, just sneak me a piece of cake. Dad and Mom can take my present to the party."

Patrick gave Chris a hug as best he could. "I will miss you at the party, but I'm glad you're going to be alright."

Chris had a tear run down his face. He placed his arms around Patrick and said, "I'm glad too. I can't wait to see the man you are becoming. I may not be your dad or papa, but I am so proud of you."

Patrick gave Chris a kiss on the cheek and whispered, "I'm proud to have you as an uncle too, Uncle Chris. Dad keeps calling you a hero for risking your life to save his. Thank you."

Seeing the two interact, Jim couldn't help but sob. He didn't understand how he was so lucky to have either one of them in his life, let alone both. He let Patrick take his time visiting with Chris but eventually said that they needed to head out so Zac could come back.

As Zac entered Chris's room, Jake snuggled against Jim. He whispered, "I wish I could see Uncle Chris, too, but Papa says that I'm too young."

Jim looked sad, "That's true, Buddy, but they may move Uncle Chris to a regular room tomorrow. If they do, you'll be able to see him."

Jake squealed, "FOR REALS!"

Jim held his ears but smiled at Jake's reaction. Grinning, he replied, "For reals, Buddy." Then he gave the boy a hug.

Zac looked at Chris and said, "I can never thank you enough for saving Jim's life. You know what he means to me. I feel bad that you got shot, but I am happy that Jim didn't."

Chris whispered, "And I'll do it again if I ever have to. Jim's my brother, so no one owes me anything."

"I hear you," Zac replied, "but I would rather neither of you get shot. You are my brother."

Chris grinned, "Technically, I'm your stepbrother-in-law, but I know what you mean, and it does make me feel good that you just say 'brother.'"

Zac nodded, "That's the way I see it. You and Joe are as much my brothers as you are Jim's."

Chris had a tear run down his face. He said, "You've always treated us like we are your brothers. I don't know about Joe, but I suspect you did him ever since you met him, and I know you did me. I wish that I could go in on the ranch with you guys, but I don't have that kind of money."

Zac gave Chris a smile, "Even if you don't put a penny in towards buying the ranch, you will always be a part of it. If you want to help with the decision making, I have no problem with including you."

"Thanks," Chris responded, "It's not the same, but I'll take what I can get."

Zac assured Chris, "We have time before we make the purchase. Jim, Joe, Jackson and I will discuss it and see what we can do. I never want you to feel like we're leaving you out, purposely."

Chris replied, "I know you wouldn't. I know that originally it was just going to be you and Jim but Joe offered to help with the ranch and help buy it. I just don't have money like everyone else does."

Zac said, "Chris, we were fortunate to be given the money, but this was a dream for Jim and I since before we were given the money to buy a ranch. We originally were planning to get a loan until Joe received his money and planned to pay for Jim's schooling."

Chris smiled, "He offered to pay for mine, too."

Zac continued, "I know what the ranch makes. If you were to get a loan to cover a fifth, you could easily pay it back in a few years. Once you're out of the hospital, we'll have a meeting with everyone to discuss it."

Chris looked thoughtful, "Will I be able to get a loan? I don't turn eighteen for another year and six months."

Zac looked as serious as a heart attack, "You want to be a part of the ranch, we will work something out. We may not be able to put your name on the deed until you are eighteen, but we will figure it out."

Chris grinned, "I appreciate that. I know that Jim and Joe will agree and I don't see Jackson having a problem with it."

Zac relaxed a bit and told Chris, "I'm sure that Jackson won't have a problem either."

Chris looked peaceful, almost angelic as he nestled into his pillows. Zac felt like Chris was getting tired but didn't want to kick him out. Zac told Chris that he was heading out but they would come back after the party.

Saturday morning, Jake woke Patrick up by pushing his eyelids up. He asked, "Are you awake?"

Patrick grumbled, "I am now. You hurt my eyes doing that."

Jake pouted, "I'm sorry, but I saw them do it on cartoons to see if the other one was awake. I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday."

Patrick couldn't stay upset with Jake for too long and he responded, "Give me a kiss on my cheek, and promise never to do that again and I'll forgive you."

Jake grinned, kissed Patrick on the cheek and agreed, "I promise. Daddy and Papa should be up here soon. They made breakfast for you and Scott."

Scott rolled and looked at Jake. He said, "Today's not MY birthday." Then he gave Patrick a kiss and whispered, "Happy birthday, Babe."

Jim and Zac came in carrying two trays with food. Zac place his tray over Patrick's lap and Jim gave Scott his. As they gave them their trays, they said in unison, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Jake was eyeballing the bacon on the trays. Jim told Scott, "We thought you would like to eat breakfast with the birthday boy. We have plenty of bacon downstairs, so if you want more, come down before Jake eats it all." Jake headed downstairs.

Scott joked, "Too late."

After they ate breakfast, Patrick and Scott showered together and then went downstairs. Zac, Jim and Jake were waiting on them. They loaded into the truck and headed for the ranch. Once there, Jim suggested, "Today is your birthday so if you want to go riding instead of helping me, you can."

Patrick looked surprised, "Can we help you and THEN go riding?"

"Yeah Bud," Jim said, grinning. "If you want to help, you're always welcome to."

Patrick had gotten so used to helping with the horses that he and Jim were done very early thanks to Scott helping. Jim helped them saddle Patrick's Dream and Bootsie. He looked at Scott and asked, "Do you like Bootsie?"

"He's a nice horse, but I prefer mustangs, myself," Scott replied.

Jim looked thoughtful, "I was thinking about reserving him for you once we own the ranch, since you're always riding him when you're with us, but if you prefer mustangs, maybe we can look at a few. With summer vacation starting in a few weeks, I suspect that you'll be spending a lot of time with us."

Scott grinned, "As much as Mom and Dad will let me. They said that Patrick's allowed to spend time at our house too, but figure it'll be easier for me to spend time here."

The boys were sitting atop of their mounts and Jim told them to have fun before he went into the office. Zac looked thoughtful so Jim asked, "What's on your mind?"

Zac replied, "I'm just thinking about Chris and what we talked about yesterday. I told him that once he's out of the hospital, Jackson, Joe, you and I need to have a meeting with him."

Jackson and Joe walked in at that moment. Jackson asked, "And what will we be meeting about?"

Zac looked surprised. He wasn't planning to discuss this until Chris was out of the hospital, but here it was. He answered, "Chris wants to be a part of our ranch, and he doesn't mean just help us. He wants to contribute money to help purchase it and he would like to be a part owner with us."

Joe asked, "So like, we all own a fifth?"

Zac said, "Yeah, that's what he wants. But he won't be eighteen until November of next year."

Jackson was shaking his head. He insisted, "That just won't work for me."

Zac was surprised to hear Jackson say that. He queried, "What do you mean? I know that you like Chris, so what's wrong?"

"Wrong?" Jackson smirked, "I want you and Jim to own half the ranch, not two-fifths. I want you to have total control of what happens. No, I devise that the two of you own half. Joe and Chris can own a fifth each and I'll retain ten percent. Furthermore, if a decision needs to be made and I'm not around to vote, however Jim and Zac vote will be my vote as well. Does that work for everyone?"

Zac chuckled, "Yeah, I think everyone will be happy with that, but who gets Chris's share until we can put his name on the deed?

Matt walked in on them. Jim didn't even realize that ten o'clock crept up on them. Matt said, "I'll cover Chris's share and then he can pay me back as he can. You can put my name on the deed until his can replace it."

Jim gasped, "Crap, I don't have the horses ready for you to go riding. I'm sorry."

Zac chuckled, "Thanks Matt. I'm sure that Chris will appreciate hearing that."

"Yeah well," Matt began, "Tell Chris that I don't care how long it takes for him to repay me. I've heard most of the discussion and I want him to know that he's the owner of his share." Then turning to Jim, "As for you, I think you should quit preparing our horses in advance. Gina and I should be helping to groom them before we ride as well as after."

Jim nodded his head, "That works for me. It'll make my job easier."

Matt looked around, "So where is the birthday boy? I wanted to give him his spankings."

Jim laughed, "He's riding with his boyfriend. They've been gone for a couple of hours. That reminds me, do you remember how upset Jake got last year at my impromptu party?"

Matt's face lit up, "Yeah, He really didn't like the idea of spanking. That was just over a year ago. When was your birthday, three days ago, if I remember correctly?"

Jim nodded, "You remember correctly, and Jake doesn't mind birthday spankings now. He knows they are just for fun and we don't spank for them to hurt. Watch this." Jim walked to the door and looked at Jake playing with cars in the sandbox Jackson had made. "Jake, Matt wants to know if you'll help him give Daddy some birthday spankings."

Jake got up and ran towards the door. He looked at Matt and said, "OK."

Matt chuckled, "Do you want to hold him and me spank him, or do you want to spank?"

"I'll spank," Jake said with an evil grin.

Matt laughed, "OK, I'll hold him over my lap, you spank him eighteen times and we'll count." Jim willingly laid across Matt's lap and Jake started spanking him. When Matt said eighteen, Jake stopped so Matt said, "Now give him one to grow on."

Jake walked in front of Jim, placed both hands on his face and kissed him. He said, "Daddy, that's one to grow on."

As Jim was getting up, Matt gave him a pinch to grow an inch. Jim rubbed where Matt pinched and looked at Jake. He told his son, "I liked your one to grow on. When Patrick gets back, you should give his birthday spankings." Jake just grinned.

Jim, Matt and Gina stood up to prep their horse and Patrick came running in. Seeing Matt he said, "Oh good. I was afraid that we missed being able to ride with you."

Matt winked at Jake and told Patrick, "Today is your birthday. If you want to ride with me, you have to lay across my lap for birthday spankings."

Patrick was a little reluctant, but he laid across Matt's lap and asked, "You're not going to make them hurt I hope."

Matt said, "That's up to my assistant. I'm just going to hold you on my lap." Patrick looked pleadingly at Gina and was caught by surprise when Jake gave him a swat. Everyone counted to twelve for Jake and then told him it was time for one to grow on. When Jake kissed Patrick, Patrick gave him a hug.

Patrick said, "I like this new tradition. Are we going to keep doing that?"

Zac nodded, "I'm all for it."

While Jim, Patrick, Jake, Scott, Matt and Gina went riding, Zac and Jackson decorated the barn. People started showing up just after noon. It didn't take long to groom the horses after the ride and for them to join the party. Everyone wished Jim a belated birthday but made out like this was an important day for Patrick. Patrick looked at the cake and exclaimed, "Dad, those look like Gold and Patrick's Dream, or their heads, anyway. Whoever decorated it did an awesome job."

Jim told Patrick, "Two years ago, Jackson took a picture of Gold and the decorator made the center of the cake look just like him. I would wager that he went to the same decorator for this cake."

Jackson said, "I won't take that bet. I know it was the same decorator. I take it that you like it?" Patrick grinned and nodded his head. As the party was winding down, Patrick was getting ready to open presents. Vince looked at him and said that his present was outside. Everyone went to see what it was. Vince said, "You know your Mustang?"

Patrick answered, "You mean Patrick's Dream?"

Vince shook his head, "Not that mustang, the Mustang that was left to you."

Patrick looked embarrassed, "Oh, that one, yeah. You had to replace the engine and transmission."

Vince nodded, "Well, I said that those were not Christmas presents, but I worked hard getting the car done for your birthday. That is my present to you." Vince revealed the ruby red '65 Mustang. "You can't drive it on the streets yet, but there is a field where you can practice. Your dads and I have agreed that we will teach you how to drive, but you are not allowed to start the car without one of us until you are allowed to drive on public streets."

Patrick blinked his eyes a few times. He remembered how the car looked when he first showed it to Zac. He couldn't believe how beautiful the car looked now. "Am I dreaming?"

Zac put his hand on Patrick's shoulder, "No Bud, you're not dreaming. Grandpa Vince worked hard to get everything done so you could have it today. After the party, if you want to drive it to the field where you can practice you can, but Dad or Grandpa need to ride with you, and then I will follow to bring you back."

Patrick just cooed, "Cool…"

Jim looked down, "That present will make everything else look less attractive."

"No way Dad," Patrick assured. "Yeah, that was an awesome present, but it's one I can't really use yet. Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate all that Grandpa did, but I'll appreciate it more when I can really drive it."

Patrick opened a few other presents. Chris gave him a Blu-ray player while Joe gave him some movies on Blu-ray. Saving their present for last, Patrick finally got to Jim and Zac's present and he noticed Jim was playing with his phone. He figured that Jim was just taking pictures, but Jim was actually texting, "Get ready."

Patrick opened the box and saw a Samsung Galaxy GS7 Edge. He looked at the phone and with just a quick glance, he noticed that Skype was open to video chat. "Dad, is that you?"

While staring at Jim, he hears a voice, "Nope, it's not him, but he did start the video chat with us right before wrapping it up. It was dark in that box."

Patrick looked at the phone, "Trevor and Roger, I was hoping to hear from you two."

Jim spoke up, "Papa and I believe you've proven how responsible you are. All that we ask is that you continue showing that same responsibility. The same rules that go for your laptop apply to the phone."

Patrick looked happy, "Thanks Papa and Dad. I promise not to let you down." Then he looked at the phone, "Want to see everyone that showed up?"

Trevor answered, "Sure, that would be cool."

Patrick started scanning the room with his new phone until he heard Roger, "Slow down, you're making me dizzy." Patrick chuckled but slowed down.

After he was done showing them, he turned the phone back so they could see him and Scott moved in close to say hi. Trevor asked, "Did you get my present yet?"

Patrick answered, "Not yet, but we left before the mail arrived today."

Roger said, "Well, I hope you like it."

While Patrick continued chatting with Trevor and Roger, Jackson stood on the platform. He pulled an envelope out of his pocket and said, "Jim and Zac. Bobby and Nick King heard about your future endeavors and wanted to give you some seed money. In this envelope is a check for ten thousand dollars to go towards the ranch."

Heather spoke up at this time, "We were keeping it as a surprise for you boys, but Nate King and I have started the Another Chance Foundation. We have been receiving donations ever since Christmas. It's up to the two of you whether you add this to the foundation, or if you have something you would like to use it for. Once you take ownership of the ranch, the two of you and I will be trustees of the foundation to decide where its funds go."

Jim and Zac were stunned. They didn't know what to say about this news. Joe finally asked, "Off hand, do you have any idea how much is in the foundation right now?"

Heather nodded, "I know exactly how much is in it. I'm the one who's been making the deposits. Again, once ownership of the ranch takes place, I will sit down with all of the owners and we will discuss the amount, and what plans you have."

The party wrapped up and Patrick said, "I'll talk to you in a bit. We're getting ready to see Uncle Chris."

Trevor started, "Wish him a…"

Patrick cut him off, "I'm planning to Skype you there, so you can tell him yourself, OK?"

Trevor and Roger agreed, "Yeah, that would be awesome."

When they got to the hospital, Jim asked if he could go see Chris. The nurse at the ICU desk said, "I'm sorry, he's no longer with us."

Jim looked horrified until another nurse came over. Jim recognized her and she explained, "She's new here. What she meant was, Chris moved to A wing, room 91, I believe." Then she looked at Patrick and said, "Happy Birthday Patrick. Did you enjoy your visit yesterday?"

Patrick felt elated that she remembered him, "I sure did. Thank you very much."

Then she asked, "How old are you really?"

Patrick giggled and said, "I turned twelve today."

She informed him, "Well, now that Chris is in a regular room, you will have no problem seeing your uncle. Even the little one will be able to go in."

Patrick asked, "Am I allowed to sneak birthday cake into him?"

The nurse giggled this time, "You don't have to sneak it in. He is on a regular diet."

Jim asked, "Would you like a piece? My birthday was three days ago so the cake was for Patrick and me."

She winked at Patrick, "I would love to have some of Patrick's birthday cake."

After Zac gave her a piece, they made their way to see Chris. They found his room, but he wasn't in the bed. Hearing the toilet flush, they waited. Chris came out and climbed into bed, claiming, "I'm glad I'm out of ICU. They forced me to use a bed pan."

Scott and Patrick said, "Ewww!"

Jim declared, "It's good to see you're able to get up."

Patrick stated, "Uncle Chris, we brought what was left of the birthday cake. The nurse that let me see you yesterday said that we didn't need to sneak it."

"I like her, if it's who I think it is," Chris replied. "Was it Darla Hampton? I didn't get to see her until after you left and she asked about my visit with my nephew. And as soon as I saw her, I recognized her. She's Chelsie's mom."

Zac blurted out, "Wait, your girlfriend's mom was your nurse?"

Chris chuckled, "Yeah, I'm glad that she likes me."

Jake stood just high enough that his eyes were above the bed. In a soft voice, he said, "Uncle Chris, I missed you. I wanted to come see you but they said I was too young."

A tear rolled down Chris's face as he requested, "Will one of you put Jake on the bed so I can hug him?"

Jim picked him up and placed him on the bed. Jake went to Chris and gave him a hug and kiss, then nestled next to him. Zac captured the moment on his phone. He looked at Chris and said, "We kinda had that meeting I said I wanted to have after you get out of here. I was surprised but Jackson wouldn't go for it as we thought."

Chris sighed, "At least you tried."

"Jim and Joe were all for it, but Jackson said no," Zac explained, and then he told Chris what Jackson and Matt proposed. He explained how Matt said that he didn't want Chris to need a bank loan and could just pay him. Chris smacked him for making him think he was being left out by Jackson.

Chris said, "I was trying to figure out why Jackson wouldn't like the idea. I knew that he liked me, so it just didn't make sense, but I do like his suggestion. I agree, you two should own half."

Patrick showed Chris his new phone and opened the Skype app. He sent a video chat request to Trevor and Trevor answered right away. Roger came into view beside Trevor and they said in unison, "Hey Chris. You're looking good for someone who was shot. The way Patrick explained it, you are a hero."

Chris argued, "I was just protecting my brother."

Trevor stated, "I learned in school that a true hero is one willing to risk their life to protect another, unlike the so-called sports heroes."

Roger agreed, "Yeah, whose life are they saving and how are they risking their lives? Those in the military, police, and firefighters are heroes. Those who push their brother out of the way of a gun are heroes."

Chris chuckled and noticed that his wound barely hurt this time. He averred, "As I said, I'm not really a hero, I was just being a brother. I like you Roger and am glad that Patrick has you as a friend. I wish you and Trevor a long and happy life together."

Trevor said, "Thanks, Chris. Dad and Daddy said to wish you a speedy recovery. Roger and I already planned to, so that's from all four of us."

After spending time with Chris, making him feel good, they finally went home. Zac grabbed the mail and sorted through it. Suddenly he announced, "Patrick, you have a thick envelope from Trevor and Roger."

Patrick opened the papers and scanned through them. Scott tried scanning with him. He inquired, "Dad, Papa, what do these papers mean?"

Zac took the papers and read through them. After he finished, he stated, "You have twelve hundred shares of stock in Coca-Cola. In essence, every time someone drinks a Coke, they are putting money in your pocket."

Patrick went into the kitchen and came back with five cans of Coke. He handed a can to everyone.

I hope you enjoy the story and that it draws you in, wanting more. If you have any suggestions or concerns, don’t hesitate to email me.  Thoughts and suggestions are always welcomed and may or may not be implemented. Concerns will be considered and addressed as much as possible.

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