Another Chance - Book Two

By Zarek Dragon

 

New Year's Eve was upon them, Nick and Chris were living in their new house, they haven't fully furnished it yet, but they each had beds. The fence that separated the yards was removed and the sections were stored ready to be placed in August. Nick and Chris still seemed to be at Heather's place more than home. "Just so you know, I do let Chris have alcohol on this one day a year," Nick stated.

"I usually give the boys half a glass of bourbon and fill it with orange juice, myself," Heather commented.

"But this year, we are drinking Sake straight from Japan," Brenda said. "This Sake comes from Akita Prefecture and may be a little more potent than you're used to."

"Does Austin drink it?" Joe asked.

"I give him an ounce mixed with nine ounces of juice," Brenda responded. "That way, he doesn't feel left out."

"Yeah, I get a Japnese screw, or at least that's what Mommy calls it. It no look like a screw to me," Austin said.

"You may want to make mine weak, too. Last year, the bourbon wiped me out," Joe admitted.

"About two ounces of Sake for you, then?" Brenda asks.

"Two or three might work, but definitely not four, especially if it's stronger than the bourbon," Joe stated.

"Are we watching the ball drop in New York? Brenda, Austin and I are heading to the airport in the morning, so we need to go to bed early enough," Brandt inquired.

"You want to leave before the snow hits, then. Last year, by seven you weren't going anywhere," Heather advised.

"We'll be flying from Cody to Billings International and from there to Japan. Our flight here leaves at seven, so hopefully, if it gets delayed, we can know before we leave the house. At least, I know the jet in Billings won't leave without me. It's a company owned Boeing 777, and they already have a pre-order for one of the 777x's when they come out. I'm told that it will have an office built in it that can be used to run the company if the need arises."

"I'm impressed. I would love to get my rotary license," Jim stated.

"Yes, seeing a model of Airwolf, which I didn't know that you knew about, and the Lego version of it, I wasn't sure if you're more into helicopters or dragons, from your room," Brandt teased.

"Get me a helicopter designed like Airwolf, but where it's black, paint it dark blue, then the white can be light blue and call it Blue Dragon and I'll be happy," Jim grinned.

Brenda made the drinks and Joe took a sip of his. "OK, I think I can handle this," he smiled. Heather reminded her boys that they only get the one glass, so they needed to drink it sparingly. Nick suggested the same thing to Chris. Then Nick went out to the kitchen. He had a bag of ingredients and made a taco chip dip. He put it in two dishes and placed Frito Scoops around to munch on for snacks.

Everyone had grabbed a plate and grabbed some mixture of pretzels, potato chips and scoops. They also grabbed some of Nick's dip. Nick smiled when he watched everyone grab more of the dip. None of it survived the night. "What's in this Nick, it's really good," Jim asked.

"One tub of sour cream, a block of softened cream cheese, and taco seasoning make the actual dip, then you can see the lettuce, tomato and cheese. You can add black olives but an angel warned me that someone doesn't like them," Nick stated.

"Thanks Mom. This is really good but olives would have ruined it for me," Jim smiled.

"He calls them black bugs," Heather added.

"They bug me," Jim chuckled.

Before the ball dropped, Austin asked if he could go to bed. "You don't want to bring in the New Year with us?" Brenda had asked.

"I tired, and it no big deal, just another day," Austin stated.

"Think I'm going to bed, too. The Sake didn't kick me as hard since it was diluted more, but I'm still tired. And as Austin said, it's not really that big of a deal," Joe started, "And I'd like to get up to go to the ranch if the snow doesn't prevent it this year."

"Come on Zac, we should be getting to bed, too. Joe's right, I don't want to oversleep like last year. I'd like to be up early enough to see Uncle Brandt, Aunt Brenda and Austin before they leave," Jim added as he headed for the door.

"What about you, Chris? You heading home too, leaving us 'old fogeys' to party?" Nick asked. When Chris didn't answer, they looked and he was fast asleep in the recliner. "Guess I should try to wake him and get him home."

"Just leave him sleep where he is. No need for him to stumble through the snow. And you can spend the night as well, just take the couch," Heather offered.

"It is a comfortable couch to sleep on," Nick grinned.

In the morning, everyone was seeing Brandt and family off. Weather was starting to get bad, so they said their goodbyes at the house. Austin hugged everyone and told them how much fun he had. Jim was sad to see them go but glad to have his bedroom again.

When they got to the ranch, Jackson told the boys to get done as quickly as possible, the weather wasn't looking very friendly unless you were a polar bear. They did a rush job, but made sure that every horse was taken care of and had fresh hay.

Time marched slowly through January. With Austin gone, the boys quit "pwaying" with the cars and Jim put them up again. It was the middle of the month and Jim came home from school. Mail ran late that day and Heather was still at work, so Jim grabbed it. There were two envelopes almost exactly alike. The difference being, one was addressed to Heather and the other to him. They came from the Montana Parole Board. Jim opened his up.

 

Jim read the letter and knew right away that he wanted to be there. He wanted to tell the board how he felt about losing his father but also about how much good William could do if given the opportunity. Jim started planning exactly what he wanted to say. When Heather came home, she found her mail where Jim had stacked it with her letter on top. He looked at her as she picked up the letter, "I want to go, Mom."

"I can understand that. Let me look at it and I will call the school to make arrangements for you to be out that day," Heather smiled.

Jim started writing his thoughts but couldn't seem to write exactly what he wanted to say. After wasting twenty sheets of paper, Jim opened up Microsoft Word. He figured that deleting was a lot cheaper than wasting paper. Joe looked at him, "Part of me would like to go too, but I don't know how I would feel about the guy. I never knew Dad, and I'm not sure but I think that if he hadn't been killed I may not have ended up in this family."

"I can understand your mixed emotions. I am glad that you becoming a part of this family came out of the loss but I do miss Dad. I want to convey my loss in my speech but also support William's parole so that maybe he can stop at least one person from getting behind the wheel after drinking. I totally believe that he regrets his decision and wants to help others."

"I'm just glad that he wants to do something good out of this. He seems like an alright guy from listening to you," Joe gave somewhat of a grin.

"Trust me, he is. He just did something stupid. We all have done or will do something stupid, I just hope to never do something so stupid that it takes another life," Jim expressed his thoughts. He no sooner finished talking and his phone rang. "Hey, Cheyenne, what's up?"

"You need to get to the hospital. Dusty was just in a car accident, not his fault. I know today is the anniversary of when your dad died, so I don't want to scare you, but a drunk driver crossed the yellow lines and hit Dusty head on," Cheyenne sounded frantic and worried. Jim dropped his phone.

Picking up Jim's phone, Joe told Cheyenne that Jim looks like he just went into shock and asked what she had said. She repeated it while Heather tried dealing with Jim. Jim finally spoke, "Dusty is in the hospital and I need to go. I'm in no condition to drive."

"I'll drive," Heather stated.

At the hospital emergency room, Jim was greeted by Dr. Bear and Cheyenne. "Where is he?" Jim asked almost in tears.

"Still being operated on. Both of his legs were broken and he has internal hemorrhaging. Plus, he was unconscious when the EMTs got to him, so they are worried about brain damage," Dr. Bear stated.

"But he's going to be alright, isn't he?" Jim was crying.

"We hope so, but until he wakes up, we don't know," Dr. Bear averred.

A doctor approached them, "Are you related to Dusty Bear?"

"I'm his father, she is his girlfriend and this young man is his best friend," Dr. Bear responded.

The doctor looked down a little then looked Dr. Bear in the eyes, "Your son died on the operating table but we were able to revive him. We believe that we stopped all the internal bleeding and we set both of his legs. He is in a coma, and we are watching him closely. He is being taken to ICU. For now, only one person can see him at a time."

"I think Cheyenne should see him first," Jim stated. Jim actually wanted to see him first, but thought that would be selfish.

"No, his dad should be first," Cheyenne debated.

"I agree with Jim. I think you going first would do Dusty more good than either of us," Dr. Bear argued.

Cheyenne reluctantly went first. The doctor advised her to talk to him as if he were awake. She told him that she loved him. She kissed his lips, and caressed his face. He was lucky that the seatbelt and airbag kept him from getting hurt any worse.

While Cheyenne was with Dusty, Dr. Bear talked with Jim, "If I remember correctly. Today is the anniversary of your dad's death. This must really be hard on you."

Jim was crying and just looked up at Dr. Bear. Not saying a word, Jim put his face back in his hands and continued crying. Dr. Bear started rubbing Jim's back and didn't say anything else. Heather was sitting on the other side of Jim. She was worried about Dusty, but more worried for Jim if Dusty didn't make it. She also wondered how this would affect what he planned to say at the parole hearing.

Cheyenne came out and Dr. Bear went to see Dusty. He originally planned to have Jim go in next, but wasn't a hundred percent sure it would be good for either of them. Dr. Bear talked to Dusty and told him how proud he always has been and will be of him. He told Dusty that he needed to come back for Cheyenne, but more for Jim. He reminded Dusty that this was the anniversary of Jim's most tragic loss. He also told Dusty that he needed him so badly that the thought of losing him ached throughout his entire body. Dr. Bear spent an hour talking with Dusty, hoping that Jim could settle down enough to compose himself.

Zac came to the hospital as soon as he heard about Dusty. He walked over to Jim and grabbed his hands. Jim stood up and Zac held him, letting Jim soak another shirt. "Hey Love, I'm here for you. I care about Dusty too, but I am here for you."

"Thank you, I love you so much," Jim whispered, more into Zac's shoulder but Zac heard him just fine.

"I love you too," Zac said, hoping Jim would take the opportunity to joke about him saying "you too." Jim didn't, he was definitely not in a joking mood. "Have you seen Dusty yet?"

"No, Dr. Bear and I thought Cheyenne should go first, then Dr. Bear went after Cheyenne, but he's been back there a long time," Jim responded.

"Just remember when you do get to see him, you want to look happy. Do you know if he's awake?"

"He's not and the doctor doesn't even know if he'll wake up," Jim sobbed.

"Then let's go clean your face and when you talk with Dusty, try to keep a positive face. Didn't he kid you about totaling your car? Well kid him about wrecking his," Zac suggested. That did get a chuckle out of Jim.

When Dr. Bear came back to the waiting room, he asked where Jim was. Heather told him that Zac had him in the restroom making him look more presentable. Dr. Bear was pleased to hear that.

Shortly after washing his face, Jim went back to see Dusty. "Hey Buddy, what's this I hear about you wrecking your car after chewing me out for totaling mine. Were you jealous? I know, it wasn't your fault any more than me wrecking mine was my fault, even less actually. You stayed on your own side of the road.

"I need you to come back to us. Cheyenne and your dad do too, but you may not realize that this is the anniversary of my dad's accident. I was told to try and stay positive, so I'm just going to say, come back soon. Who else is going to challenge me for the best grades in the class?" Jim grabbed Dusty's hand and kissed him on the forehead. "I'll stop and visit you as much as I can, but Sunday, Mom and I head to Montana to speak with a parole board. The guy who drove the car into my dad is up for parole. Tuesday, I'll tell you the outcome."

Jim visited Dusty after school every day. Days that he worked at the ranch, he would go after. On Saturday, Jim did everything that he needed to do and asked Jackson if he could leave early to see Dusty. "He's probably going to wake up just to tell you to leave him alone for a day," Jackson kidded.

"I'd accept that, at least he'd be awake," Jim grinned. "Do you really think I'm visiting him too much?"

"No, you're his best friend. He knows that you care and I'm sure he wouldn't get upset with you if you were there all day. I have something for you. A friend of mine makes stuffed animals. I told her how much you are into dragons and that a friend of yours was in the hospital. She put a lot of hours in to get it done, but I thought you'd like to give it to Dusty," Jackson offered. They walked into Jackson's living room and there stood a six-foot red dragon. "I forgot to tell her that you like blue."

"That's ok, I think Dusty will like it. It's bigger than Joe's bear. Dusty wakes up and sees it, it might scare him to death," Jim chuckled.

"I hope not, but at least he'll know that you were there," Jackson smiled. Jackson helped Jim get the dragon to his car. They leaned the seat back so it wouldn't block Jim's view too much.

At the hospital, Jim had to fight a little to get the dragon out but he eventually did. As he walked into the hospital, the lady at the reception looked in his direction. "I'm sorry, but we don't allow pets in here," she said.

"It's just a stuffed animal and I'm giving it to a friend," Jim argued.

"I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to the dragon," the lady kidded. Jim gave her a funny face and she laughed then told him to go on.

As Jim walked into Dusty's room, he noticed that the bed was empty. "Where's Dusty?" Jim asked a nurse.

"I think they took him back to surgery. One of his stitches came loose and there was blood in his bed. They took him down two hours ago, so he might be on his way back up again," the nurse informed him.

"Be honest with me, will he eventually wake up?" Jim looked sad.

"It's really hard to say, the longer he's out, the more his body heals, but also the less likely that he will wake up. But that's not saying that he won't. There have been patients in a coma for years who do eventually wake up," the nurse said trying to console Jim.

Jim took the dragon and placed it by Dusty's bed. He sat in a chair and started crying. "Dad, if Dusty's with you would you please send him back like you did Austin? I need Dusty, he's my best friend. And he was hit by a drunk driver on the same day as you, only two years later. I don't know if I can take it if I lose him," Jim was pleading.

Sunday, Heather and Jim headed for Montana. Jim was quiet the whole drive to their motel. "Do you have your speech ready?" asked Heather, hoping to get Jim talking. She worried when he was quiet like this.

"No, I never liked anything I wrote down or put into my computer. I know what I want to say, but not sure how I want to say it, so I figure I'll just speak from my heart what I feel. But I'm afraid I might let William down," Jim sobbed.

"You won't let him down, I'm sure of that. Your heart is too big for that. Sure, it's aching right now, but I know you'll feel better after you give your speech," Heather said holding Jim tight.

In the morning, Jim played with his food more than he ate anything. Heather hated seeing her son like this, but knew there was nothing she could do. When Jim cares about someone, he really cares about them.

They went to the parole hearing. William was brought out and sat in a chair. The chairman of the Parole Board looked at William, "Mr. Mason, you have completed two years of your sentence, you are now before this board to seek being released on parole. Why do you think you deserve parole?"

"Sir, to be honest, I am not sure that I deserve it. I do hope though that I might be given parole as I would like to travel around and try to convince others not to drink and drive. Aside from that, I made a stupid mistake and took another man's life. I left his wife with no husband and his son with no father," William stated.

 

"I see. You are a breath of fresh air, actually. Most inmates give excuses why they deserve it. Would either of the family members like to speak before we make our determination?"

Jim stood up and walked to the microphone, "My name is Jim Bolt. William Mason got drunk and drove a car into my father. It is inexcusable and he makes no excuses. He takes full blame for it. My best friend is currently in a hospital because a drunk driver crossed the yellow line and hit him head on. This happened on the anniversary of my father's death. The driver tried to say that it wasn't his fault that Dusty was just in his way." Jim sniffed a few times and swallowed hard. "We don't know if Dusty is going to live or even wake up. William Mason has been writing me and even emailing when he has computer access. He has told me that if he gets paroled, he wants to make his life's mission to travel around the country and tell his story. He wants to share what one drink has cost him in hope that he stops others from drinking and driving. I have forgiven William and if he can stop one person from making the same mistake that he has made, then that will be one more person not waking up missing their father, or one wife not waking up in an empty bed, or one person who isn't worrying about his best friend in the hospital." Jim couldn't go on, he started to cry too much to continue.

Heather moved beside Jim and held him. "My son conveyed both of our thoughts. We hope that you see it in your hearts to grant this, not for William, but for all those who will wake up with their loved ones because somebody did listen," she said and then helped Jim to his seat.

"I must say that we did not expect to hear anything that we heard today. Normally it takes a week before we give a decision, but you may have an answer sooner. What do I look for when I decide if a person is eligible? First, is the person remorseful? I can definitely see that you are. Second, is the person apt to be a repeat offender? No, I don't think that you will. And third, how will the person affect the community? I believe that you want to be a positive influence and you are making plans to be helpful to not just our community, but other communities as well. I know this may be a little unorthodox, but is there anyone here who does not believe Mr. Mason deserves this chance?" the chairman asked.

No one responded. Then one of the board members looked at Mr. Mason, "What you are planning will make keeping you monitored a little difficult, but if you work with us, I think we can work with you to make it happen. You will need to take a transition class before your release, so we can discuss with you what we need from you during that time as well as let you know how we can assist you."

"Does that mean that you are granting my parole?" William asked as he sobbed.

"Yes, I know the chairman and I are voting to grant it, so why make you wait?"

The third board member spoke up, "When I came here, I wasn't sure of my decision. I was ready to vote for it when you said that you weren't sure that you deserved it. I agree with the chairman that you show remorse. Then when Mr. Bolt gave that fine speech, I was more determined than ever that you should be given another chance. I just hope that many people listen to what you have to say. It is a unanimous decision. The class generally takes ninety days to complete, but you will be released after you complete it."

"I believe that concludes this hearing. I am thankful for those who attended, and Mr. Bolt, I wish your friend the best of luck," the chairman stated. "Mr. Mason, we will let the warden know our decision right away and you can expect to receive it in writing within a week. I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors."

"Thank you, sir," William said as he stood up to return to his cell.

"Are you ready to go home, or would you like to go someplace?" Heather asked Jim.

"I want to head home. I just want to curl up in my bed and hopefully wake up to discover this was all a nightmare, well other than William's parole being granted."

"I wish it were just a nightmare," Heather consoled.

Jim was more talkative on the way home, but he talked mainly about what William Mason was planning to do. "You know, they are planning to dedicate the first Rodeo to Dad and whatever profit is made will go to a charity to help fight against drunk driving, right?"

"Yes, you've told me a few times," Heather responded.

"You also know that I have been talking with William ever since we met with him that first time," Jim continued.

"You've shown me a few of his letters, but I didn't know about the emails until today," Heather replied, wondering where Jim was going, but thinking that she had an idea.

"Jackson and Ben think it might be a good idea for William to speak at that rodeo. And William said that he would consider it an honor to do, so long as he was granted parole and got out in time," Jim stated.

"I agree, that does sound like a good idea," Heather smiled and thought how great it was that Jim wanted to help William have a greater impact. He was trying his best to make something good out of the tragedy that he suffered.

When they pulled into their drive, Nick, Joe and Chris came out to greet them. "So how did it go, any idea?" Nick asked.

"They actually came up with a decision before we left. Thanks to Jim's speech, William will be getting paroled," Heather stated.

"Any word on Dusty?" Jim inquired.

"You might want to talk to Dr. Bear about that. Things aren't looking good," Joe stated.

Jim hoped that Joe was pulling his leg, but then, he didn't think Joe would joke about this. Jim pulled out his phone and called Dr. Bear. "How's Dusty, Joe says that things aren't looking good," Jim asked while on the verge of tears.

"I'm scared, Jim. The doctors have said that his brain activity is going down. At its current rate of decline, in a week he may be brain dead and I may have to say goodbye to my son forever. The doctors are advising me to take him off life support once he's declared brain dead. I'm not sure I can make that decision. I lost his Mom when he was born, I don't want to lose him too," Dr. Bear was crying hard.

Jim didn't know what to say but he finally spoke, "No, you can't! I'm not ready to give up on him or let him go. He has to come back; I know that he will." Jim didn't really believe what he said, but it was all that came to his mind. He went to his room and locked the door. Right now, he didn't want anybody to try and console him, not even Zac.

"Dad, please talk to me tonight. I need you now more than ever," Jim cried and then went to bed.

Zac looked at Heather, "I'm really worried about Jim. He's hurting over the possibility that he may lose Dusty, imagine if he does. And he locked me out of his room, he's never done that."

"I'm worried too. I think that the fact that it happened the day it did is a contributing factor. Under these circumstances, I would want to talk with Dr. Bear, but he's going through his own issues with Dusty. I simply am not sure what to do," Heather responded.

Jim had drifted off to sleep hoping to see his father and at first his dreams were filled with his childhood growing up. His dad playing with him, teaching him about horses, and correcting him when he did wrong. Even with the latter, he knew how much his dad loved him. Then he saw his dad talking to a bright light. The bright light disappeared and his dad walked over to him.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Jon asked.

"Do you know my friend Dusty?" Jim asked.

"No, sorry but I can't say that I do," Jon apologized.

"Well he was hit by a drunk driver on the anniversary of your death," Jim sobbed.

"OH? Sorry, but I haven't seen him, did he die?" Jon inquired.

"No, but he's in a coma and they say that he's losing brain activity. If something doesn't change, they say he'll be brain dead in about a week," Jim continued crying.

"I wish that I could help, but I have no control over that. With Austin, it wasn't his time, so I was able to convince his spirit to go back into his body. I don't even know your friend, so I don't know if it's his time or not. Just know that if it is his time, nothing can save him and if it's not, somehow he will live. I'm sorry that I can't help you this time, son."

"Then who can?" Jim begged.

"You know the answer to that," Jon said.

"I love you, Dad," Jim said as his father started walking away

"I love you, son. And tell your mother that I look forward to the fifteenth of August. Nick is a great guy."

"What's the fifteenth of August, besides the day before Zac's eighteenth birthday?" Jim asked.

"Oh, that's right, she hasn't set the date yet," Jon smiled.

Jim woke up not feeling any better about Dusty but he smiled knowing what day his mom was going to get married to Nick. He went back to sleep thinking about Dusty and what his dad told him.

He went downstairs and Heather looked at him, "How are you feeling? Zac made some scrambled eggs and hash browns." She looked at his eyes and they were bloodshot. Either he was doing some serious drugs or he was crying all night.

"I had a dream and Dad was in it. He told me that he was sorry but he can't help with keeping Dusty alive. He did tell me what day that you and Nick will get married, though. He likes Nick," Jim told her.

"And what day did he say?" Heather asked.

"I'm not saying. I don't want to influence your decision in any way. Besides, if you pick the day that Dad told me, it will prove once and for all that Dad really has been visiting me," Jim stated.

"I believe that he does visit you. I think he's visited me a few times, and I do have a date in mind, but not really sure about it," Heather said. "Why don't you go to another room so I can't see what you write and write down the date that your dad told you?"

Jim did as his mom suggested and came back into the dining room. Zac entered the dining room with a glass of juice. He placed it in front of Jim. Jim took a sip and thanked him. "OK, the date I am thinking of is the day before Zac's birthday. And that's why I'm not really sure about it. I don't want to start our honeymoon and miss being at Zac's party."

Nick had come in the back door with Chris, "We don't have to start our honeymoon right away. I've known couples that have waited months. We can leave after his party. And, that day works great for me."

"Then I like that date," Heather stated. "We can start planning for the wedding to be the fifteenth of August." Jim showed her what he written and she was a little surprised but not shocked.

"So, Jim guessed when we would get married?" Nick asked.

"No, Dad told me. And he really likes you and said that he's happy that Mom is going to marry you," Jim stated.

"Never met your dad, but wish that I could have. I bet that we would have been friends," Nick smiled.

"You probably would have been. If you don't have a problem with it, I plan to visit Dusty after school," Jim stated.

"I thought you would and no, I don't have a problem with it," Heather smiled. There was no way she was keeping her son from visiting his best friend who he may lose. At least he would have closure.

"Can I go, too?" Chris asked. "I may not really know him, but his dad is the psychiatrist I'll be seeing eventually and he's a friend of Jim's..."

"If Jim doesn't mind," Nick agreed.

"You'll like Dusty once you know him more, especially when he wakes up," Jim stated.

"If he wakes up," Joe corrected.

"Don't say that. He has to wake up, he just has to," Jim started crying.

Throughout school, everyone was solemn. The teachers knew how close Jim and Dusty are. In science class, the teacher looked at the class. "I can get in trouble for doing this, so if anyone is offended by prayer, please speak up now and you'll be excused for a few minutes," he stated. Nobody spoke up or left so the teacher went on, "Dear Lord, we come together as a class and ask for Your healing hand on Dusty that he may get better and join his classmates soon. I understand that he is declining in brain activity, but You raised Lazarus from the dead so we know that You can bring Dusty back no matter how far he slips. And if it not be Your will, then may You comfort those closest to him. We ask this in Jesus' name." The entire class said amen. Jim felt good that the teacher risked getting in trouble, but he wasn't sure if it would help. At least the teacher cared enough to take a chance.

The school day seemed to take forever. Students that knew how close Jim and Cheyenne were to Dusty said that they were praying for him. Some, Jim think were just being nice, but he thanked each and every one of them. After last class, Jim walked to his car and waited for Chris.

After Chris got to Jim's car, they headed for the hospital. Jim looked at Chris, "You're being awfully quiet, what's up?"

"Just thinking, the trial for Wallace is coming up and Dad seems worried about something. He's thinking about asking if I could stay at your house or Zac's for a few days, but not telling me why," Chris replied.

"Just so you know, you are always welcome at either. You don't need to ask, just let us know," Jim informed him.

"I know you guys say that but I wouldn't feel right not asking," Chris admitted.

"You're almost my brother and in seven months you'll be living with us. Less than seven months, actually. You are family, so you are welcome any time. Mom's already talking to someone about building your room.

As Jim walked to Dusty's room, he stopped at the nurse's desk. "I know that you have a rule about only one person at a time, but this is my brother Chris, well future brother technically. His dad is marrying my mom. I would like to introduce him to Dusty, is that alright?" Jim asked.

"Actually, that was just a rule the first day, you can have two in the room now, but no more than two," the nurse replied.

"How is he?" Chris asked.

"He seems to have stabled. His decline in brain activity leveled at around eleven this morning. Maybe that's a sign," the nurse responded and then added, "I hope." Jim had a tear run down his face when he heard that. That was the time that the Science teacher started to pray. Maybe it did do some good.

They walked into the room and Jim started talking, "Hey Dusty, I don't know if you remember Chris, he was with us in the cave that one day. He's the one that you told could talk to you anytime about what happened to him. How can he do that unless you wake up?"

"Dusty, this is Chris. I'd really like to talk with you about what happened to me. The trial is about to come up and I'm really scared. What if they don't believe me? What if Wallace gets let off and he comes after me? I have lots of questions and while I know that I can talk with Jim, I'd really like to talk with you as well."

As they drove home, Chris shared with Jim some of the things that he really wanted to share with Dusty. Jim listened and replied with the best answers that he could.

They walked into the house and Nick looked at them, "Chris, I was talking with Heather and Marilyn. The three of us agree that you should stay either here or over there until after the trial. If you want to stay here, Joe offered to share his bed or you can sleep on the couch. Your other option is sleeping in the Schoen's spare bedroom."

"What's going on? What aren't you telling me?" Chris asked.

"Are you aware that our house burning wasn't an accident?" Nick asked, not sure if he should tell his son this.

"I thought one of the fuses shorted. Isn't that what the fire chief said?" Chris replied.

"At the time, he didn't know for sure. Matt Wallace's brother works in the police department, and I suspect that he started the fire, trying to discredit me or kill us, I don't know. The fire inspector believes that it was him but he doesn't have quite enough evidence to charge him yet. With the trial coming up, I am worried that he may try to do something to our new house and I want you safe," Nick stressed.

"I understand Dad, just do me a favor and be safe yourself. Also, nail the bastard," Chris stated.

"I'll do my best, and while I don't normally like you using that word, I think it fits. Also Dawn will be with me," Nick smiled. Chris went to hug his dad. "I don't plan on anything happening to me, but if it does, it's in writing that Heather will have custody of you."

"I hope it doesn't come to that, but at least I know that I'll still be loved," Chris started tearing up. Even the thought of something happening was too much.

Chris chose to share Joe's bed. That night he asked Joe if Jim had shared anything of what happened with him. "No, I just know what you've shared over the radio by accident," Joe replied. "Besides, if you shared something with Jim that was personal, he would never tell anyone unless you gave him permission."

"You think a lot of him, don't you?" Chris asked.

"As far as brothers go, you won't find a better one. And as a friend, I know that he'll always be there for me. We keep joking about which one of us is the better brother. You can help settle it and tell him that he is."

"I've spent more time with him, but something tells me that I'm going to have a tough time deciding," Chris grinned. He opted to tell Joe everything about what had happened and his worries.

Every night Dawn would sneak into the Archer's home hoping that no one caught her. Her and Nick acted like they were he and Chris going through a normal evening. At night, she would go to Chris's room and turn on the light. After the normal length of time, she would turn out the light to make it look like Chris had gone to bed. Then she would sit in the dining room watching the back door while Nick sat quietly on the steps watching the front.

They followed this routine, making slight changes so that it didn't appear that everything was simply on a timer and everything seemed quiet. Dawn started to think that maybe Nick was just being overcautious, but never said anything. She would assist Nick any way that he asked and the Sheriff agreed to pay her overtime for helping.

It was the night before Wallace's trial was to begin. The Sheriff told Nick to get some sleep so he could be fresh for the trial. He said that he would stand watch so that Nick could. As Nick was heading to his bedroom, he heard glass break in Chris's room. He walked in to see Officer Wallace standing over the bed after having stabbed the covers with a knife. Nick pumped his shotgun and aimed it at Officer Wallace.

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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