Jaiden Chapter 122
Gregory A. Patrick
08/01/2021
Jaiden – Chapter 122
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Greg Patrick
"Ashley, this is Jaiden, is Mom busy at the moment?" "Dr. Riley-Reynolds, Dr. Reynolds is free at the moment; let me transfer your call." "Ashley cut the crap, my dear; I am still the boy whose snotty nose you used to wipe." "Allison, you won the lunch; Jaiden said precisely what you said he'd say."
"Ashley, are you and the ladies taking bets on me now?" "Not really; we're just trying to see if we know you as well as we think we do, and apparently we do. You sound chipper today; everything must be going well." "Ashley, if it was going any better, I don't know if I could keep my feet on the ground." "That's good, Jaiden. Your mom is standing here laughing; hold on a second."
"Jaiden, you must be feeling tremendously better!" "Mom, I discharged Alicia today." "And?" Mom, Ginny, Gampy, Granny, and the Reverend went to see her Wednesday night, anointed her with oil, and prayed over her according to their faith. When I walked into her room Thursday morning, the nurse told me she had been walking up and down the corridor. She was dressed in a sweatsuit and sitting in the chair in her room, smiling from ear to ear. The on-call physician Wednesday night authorized removing the morphine pump, and Alicia didn't have any pain all night."
"My rounds nurse told me the blood labs were miraculous overnight, and when I looked at them, there were no cancer markers, and all other results were normal." "Jaiden, I have never seen that happen."
"Nobody here has seen it before either. All I can think of is that Hashem honored Granny's and the Reverend's prayers along with those of Ginny and Gampy. Outside of that, there is no other plausible explanation."
"What are y'all going to do with her case?" "We staffed the case, and everybody agreed to let her resume a normal life after her GP tells her parents Alicia's immune system is on par. She'll come back to St. Jude's in six months for a recheck."
"Son, that is unbelievable. That is a case you should follow and write an article on. Then, you can submit the paper to the AMA after Alicia's recheck." "I didn't think of that, Mom; I'll start the file tonight."
"After a long day, it was time to go home. Jaiden and Peyton started a slow walk home together. As they walked hand in hand, Jaiden said, "Peyton, thank you for helping me through the last few days. I knew things would be rough at times, but I had no idea how telling parents a child was terminal would affect me, and I wasn't prepared for that. I don't know if a person can prepare themselves for such a situation; all I know is I wasn't prepared."
"Jaiden, you are the love of my life, and there was no way I was going to let you go through your grief by yourself, and you know that. I don't think anybody can prepare themselves for what you had to do; I know I couldn't. I don't know if I will ever be able to prepare myself for that situation. But we both know it is something I will have to do at some point; all I can do is pray that I will do my job as professionally and as lovingly as I can when the time comes. You did that, and you know it. While the pain you suffered afterward hurt me deeply, I was incredibly proud of the strength you had when you needed it most." "Thank you, sweetheart."
They walked a block without saying a word when Jaiden stopped abruptly, turned to Peyton, and asked, "Peyton, will you do me a favor?" What is that, Jaiden?" "When we go to bed tonight, will you hold me? That is all I want; you to just hold me." Peyton had his hand around Jaiden's waist, pulled him into a walking hug, and laid his head on Jaiden's shoulder.
When they got home, they noticed the Nautilus wasn't in the driveway. "Peyton, did we drive to the hospital this morning?" They both started laughing because they did drive to the hospital that morning and would have to walk back to get their car. "I guess you can call my mom and tell her we took that long walk around the neighborhood." "I think I'll do that, handsome, and while I am talking to her, I'll let her know how much better you are feeling."
When the two walked into the house, Jaiden said howdy to Granny and Ginny. Ginny said, I sure am glad to see you are feeling better as Granny gave Jaiden a hug." "Peyton stuck his bottom lip out like his sons do when they want something and said, "Where's my hug?" Ginny leaned against the kitchen door and started laughing hysterically. Granny looked at Peyton and said, "Come here baby and get your hug!" Peyton got his hug, and they all started laughing.
Jaiden stuck his head through the door to the den and, in a whispered yell, said, "Daddy's home!" The boys quickly turned their heads, got up, and ran to Peyton and Jaiden. They laid on the floor and rolled around with their sons, who climbed all over their dads. The boys were squealing with laughter as small children often do when having a good time, and Granny and Ginny were having a ball watching them.
Jaiden's phone rang, and he answered it, saying, "This is Dr. Jaiden." "Hello, this is Dr. Mom. May I please speak with my son?" "I'm sorry, he is busy at the moment; may I take a message." "I would rather speak with him. What is he busy doing?" Peyton knew it was Jaiden's mom on the phone, so he told his boys to say, high grandma. Jaiden hit the speakerphone as his sons said, "high, ga-ma," and then laughed.
"Jaiden, that made my day; thank you for having the boys do that." "Peyton did that, Mom; I was talking to you." "Same difference, Jaiden, you nut! I'm glad you are feeling better." "I am too, Mom. It has been such a good day. It was so good that Peyton and I walked home from the hospital. The only problem is that Peyton and I drove to the hospital this morning. So, we have to go back and get the car."
"Jaiden, that is hilarious. I'm glad I live far enough from work that I can't do that. Can you imagine me doing that at my age?"
"Mom! At your age? You're not even 50, and you say at your age. You remember what Seth said in the hospital, `Mr. Jaiden, I'm gonna have to close my eyes.' When I asked him why, don't you remember him saying, `if beautiful women keep walking into the room, I am gonna get in trouble?'"
"Hey, son, I'm a grandma, and that gives me the right to act old." "I guess you're right, Mom; you are old!" "Son, I'm gonna get you for that comment." "I'm sure you will, but ya gotta catch me first." "When you least expect it, Jaiden." "Uh, oh!" "Yeah, uh, oh is right."
"Son, I just wanted to call and make sure you were feeling better." "Thanks, Mom, I am." "Hey, guys, say `bye-bye, Grandma." "Bye-bye gam-ma." "Bye-bye, sweeties."
Jaiden, Peyton, would you two mind getting the babies in their highchairs. Dale and Charley just got home, and I am putting dinner on the table for y'all. As the guys were getting the babies into their highchairs, Peyton asked Ginny and Granny to call Gampy and the Reverend to come over and eat dinner with them.
"Peyton, I hadn't planned on that." "Ginny, is there enough food for everybody?" "Should be." "You should do what the doctor says; it'll help you be healthier." "I suppose you are right, doctor. But unfortunately, I also think you're a nut." "I am, Ginny, but you love me anyway, and I know that." "Oh my, the doctor has been right twice today." Jaiden started laughing when he heard Ginny make that last comment.
As everyone was finishing their dinner, Jaiden said that he would walk back to the hospital to get his car if they would excuse him. Charley couldn't resist as he asked, "Jaiden, why have you got to walk back to the hospital to get your car?"
"Charley, Peyton, and I had a fantastic day at the hospital, so we decided to take a slow, enjoyable walk home. About three-fourths of the way home, we remembered we drove to work this morning. Charley threw his head back and started clapping his hands and laughing.
"Charley, are you sure you and I don't have the same mother?" "I don't think so, Jaiden, but I believe your mother has rubbed off on me." Laughingly, Peyton said, "it sure looks like it to me."
"Jaiden, it's too late to walk back to the hospital; I'll drive you over to get your car. Dale and Peyton can stay with the boys. We'll clean off the table and get the dishes in the dishwasher when we get back."
"Charley, I looooove you!" "Yeah, I know!" Again, everybody started laughing at the banter between Jaiden and Charley. The truth is: they really do love each other.
As Charley was driving to the hospital, he said, "Jaiden." "Yes, Charley." "You know I'm not going to let you live this down."
"Charlie." "Yes, Jaiden." "Remember what Peyton did in your room a while back and then closed the door?" "How can I forget that?"
"I'm going to make sure he eats that same dinner again." "Jaiden." "Yes, Charlie." "Never mind." "That's what I thought you'd say." They both started laughing.
When they got home, Jaiden looked at Dale and said, "Dale, Charley said he wasn't going to let me live down forgetting that Peyton and I drove to work this morning and he had to drive me to the hospital to get the car. "I told him I was going to make sure Peyton got the same meal that made him have those stinking farts he left in your bedroom a few weeks back."
"Charley, so help me, if Peyton gets those bad farts again, goes into our bedroom, fumigates it, and closes the door as he did, you will be in the doghouse - and get nothing for two weeks!"
"Dale, I won't do it, I promise. I promise...I won't do it...I won't." "You better not if you want to swing from the non-existent chandelier anytime soon!"
"Peyton, I wonder what Jenny would do to rag Charley if I told her about tonight." Charley said, "Jaiden, you wouldn't!" Jaiden took a sip of coffee, smiled, and didn't say a word, and Peyton was about to bust a gut to laugh out loud.
Peyton announced, "Well, gentlemen, it is time to get our swimsuits on, bathe the babies, and get them in their beds. When he said that, the babies headed to their bathrooms. If there is one thing they love, it is playing in the shower under the `rain' when they get their baths. It is also the dad's favorite quality time with their children.
Jaiden and Peyton walked into their bedroom, and Jaiden remarked how good the bed was going to feel when they climbed into it. Peyton said, "Babe, we need to shower first." Then Peyton went into their bathroom, started the shower, and got it to the temperature Jaiden enjoyed. Then he went back to Jaiden, took his hand, and led him into the bathroom, where he removed his and Jaiden's clothes.
When they climbed into the shower, Peyton pushed Jaiden to the wall and said, "you said you wanted me to just hold you when we went to bed, and that means no sex in bed. So, enjoy this!
Peyton sunk to his knees and began working Jaiden over. He was making his moves so intense Jaiden was retching and struggling to stay on his feet. He was bracing himself against whatever he could to remain standing and not fall on Peyton. Finally, when the desired explosion occurred, Jaiden had no choice but to slump to the floor of the shower as his legs became unable to support him.
When Jaiden caught his breath, Peyton helped him up, soaped up a soft washcloth, and bathed his husband from head to toe. As he finished completing his task, Jaiden returned the favor. He looked down and said, "Peyton, your skin looks a bit dingy here. I'm going to spend a little bit of time washing up and down on this spot."
A few minutes later, Peyton let out an explosion of Alabama white barbecue sauce. Then, their hair washed, and their bodies cleaned and dried, they climbed into bed.
After they had lain in bed for twenty minutes or so, Jaiden said, "Peyton, may I ask you a question?" "Of course, sweetheart." "Is that a flashlight against my lower back?" "No, it's more like a police baton." "I sure do like how warm it is and the way it feels!" "I'm glad you like it, Babe; I'll let you play with it tomorrow."
The next day at St. Jude's, Jaiden's good mood carried over into the day. He went into the room of a little boy named Peter, who was nine years old. The boy was responding well to his treatment, so Dr. Jaiden decided to get him out of bed to get a little exercise. They both put on their masks, and Jaiden took Peter out of his room into the corridor. The two started skipping down the hallway with Jaiden singing:
We're off to see the Wizard
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
We hear he is a Whiz of a Wiz
If ever a Wiz there was
If ever, oh ever, a Wiz there was
The Wizard of Oz is one because
Because, because, because, because, because
Because of the wonderful things he does
We're off to see the wizard
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!
The smile on Peter's face made the extra time more than worthwhile.
Peyton filmed the escapade as he, Richard, and the nurses laughed at Jaiden as he and Peter skipped down the hallway.
Jaiden was grateful to E.Y. Harburg, Harold Arlen, and Dan Coates for writing the song's lyrics and music and arranging the song. Lyman Frank Baum held a special place in Jaiden's heart for writing the children's book that was made into his all-time favorite movie.
Throughout the day, Jaiden was doing something with every patient to make them laugh, dancing wildly with them, singing animated children's songs, making faces, and anything else he could think of. The best thing of all was that everything he did was caught on camera.
Peyton got hospital security to make a CD of Jaiden interacting with the children so he could send it to his mother-in-law without his husband knowing it.
That night, Peyton downloaded the CD into his computer and sent it to Jaiden's mom, who watched it at her office with her staff.
Everyone in the office was incredibly proud of Jaiden, especially his mom, for how he was interacting with his patients and getting their minds off why they were in the hospital.
"Jaiden, this is Mom again. I got an interesting video of you from inside the hospital. It is somewhat suspect, so I thought I would ask you about it."
"Suspect? How, Mom?" "Well, it shows you with a patient doing something you don't usually see a doctor doing with a patient, and it came from a security camera." "I don't know what it could be because I never put myself in a compromising situation."
"Son, I didn't say it was compromising; I said it was suspect."
"Then tell me, suspect in what way, Mom."
"Let me say I suspect you made the patient you are shown with in the video very happy." "OK, Mom, I think I know where you are going with this." "Really, Jaiden." "Yes, really, Mom." "OK, if you know, tell me what you know."
"It was a video of me skipping down the corridor with a nine-year-old patient while I was singing `we're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz." "Hmmm! You're very intuitive, son. That is the incident I am referring to."
"You made me so proud to see you were working with a young patient that way, and you reminded me so much of your dad. He would do the same thing with his patients whenever he could."
"That little boy will never forget the special time you spent with him, and, more likely than not, it will help him to not be afraid of his other doctors."
"Mom, if I have done that for him, then I'm happy. That day was particularly delightful. I was surprised that Richard and Peyton were on the floor and saw me doing that. Peyton made my day by telling me he was proud of me."
"How did you do that, Jaiden?" "Nope, that is between him and me. I don't kiss and tell."
"Jaiden, I've said it before, and I'm going to repeat it: you are a hoot, and I'm incredibly proud of you." "Thanks, Mom. I have tried hard to make you proud and to honor dad's memory."
"Jaiden, you have done that on so many levels. The ladies in the office watched the video with me, and they asked me to tell you how proud they are of you as well."
"Tell them I said thank you." "I will, son. I love you, now get some rest, and I will talk to you later." "I love you, too, Mom."
Jaiden walked into the den and asked, "OK, guys, who sent the video to Mom?" Peyton replied, "What video, Jaiden?" "The video of me skipping down the corridor with one of my patients."
"Sweetheart, I don't know anything about any video of you with a patient." Jaiden acted angry and said, "Peyton, I want to see you in the bedroom NOW!"
Jaiden looked furious as he walked into the bedroom with Peyton and closed the door. Then, he pushed Peyton somewhat hard onto the bed and began yanking his clothes off until Peyton was naked. Then Jaiden stripped and jumped on top of Peyton.
"Peyton, you can't lie worth a crap. When you try, you always crack a grin that gives you away."
"When I see that grin, I want to do this: Jaiden grabbed Peyton and began kissing and stimulating every external erogenous zone Peyton had, driving him into a sexual frenzy.
An hour later, they stepped into the shower and cleaned themselves from head to toe. Then they put on their favorite Khaki shorts and a tee shirt and went downstairs to eat dinner.
Charley said, "Jaiden, you looked furious when you walked upstairs an hour ago; I hope everything is OK." Peyton smiled and said, "it is now, and I suspect that Jaiden will punish me again later tonight after the boys go to bed. At least I hope so!"
"Dale, do you reckon you can get mad at me like Jaiden got mad at Peyton and punish me the same way?" "Maybe, after the children go to bed. Would you like for me to spank you?" "Heck yeah. Make my butt the same color as my hair."
Jaiden said, "Charley, I am beginning to think you are bonified crazy." "Nah, Jaiden, you and Peyton just got me hornier than normal. Thank you!" Peyton hung his head and said, "damn," as he and Dale started laughing.
"Dale, I am so sorry I made Charley so horny." "Don't be sorry, Jaiden, when Charley is horny like that, I have a fabulous time for at least two hours."
After the children were fed, they played with their dads for at least an hour. Then, when the babies started getting tired, they went to their showers and had a great time as they were getting their baths. After they went to bed, Jaiden, Peyton, Dale, and Charley went to the den to watch a movie together.
"Jaiden, this movie is hilarious. Where'd you find it?" "Dale, someone was talking about it at lunch the other day, so I looked it up. It looked so funny I thought we had to watch it.'
Charley said, "I'm glad you did, Jaiden. Those guys going into the boiler room of the showers and punching holes in the wall to watch the girls shower is hilarious. And the guy sticking his pecker through one of the holes and Ms. Ballbreaker grabbing it, that was priceless."
"When Ms. Ballbreaker took the four boys to the office and asked the principal if they could do a police lineup so she could look at the guy's dicks to identify the one she grabbed, I almost peed myself - especially when I saw the four teens and the head coach turning so red trying to stifle a guttural laugh. Damn, that was funny!"
"Charley, remember the guy who showed up at the diner after going to Porky's and getting the crap beaten out of him?" "Yes, why?" "Wait until we watch Porky's II if you think Porky's was funny."
"How long is Porky's II?" "Dale, it is about an hour and fifteen minutes." It's only 8:30; why don't we go ahead and watch it?" "Peyton, are you game?" "Let's watch it, Jaiden."
Jaiden got Porky's II started, and the guys were laughing so hard they were having a hard time getting a breath. Those teens had rigged the dock going into Porky's with explosives to Dump Porky and his thugs in the river when they ran out to see what was going on.
They rigged cables to the pilings holding the bar up and tied those cables to two boats and a wrecker. Then, when Porky and the thugs were in the water, the teens took off in the boats and wrecker and pulled the bar down.
The explosives on the bridge over the river didn't explode when the trip to the dynamite was pushed. So Porky and his thugs chased the teens who led them into the next county where their Sheriff was waiting on Porky. When Porky stopped his antique car, he was reminded of what he had done to the teen's car.
First, the Sheriff shot out one tire; shot a hole through the car's hood and into its radiator. Then, he took the butt of his rifle, broke one headlight and one tail light, told Porky what the fines for those broken lights were in his county, and then told him to get back to his county.
All Porky could do was turn his car around and hightail it back to where the bar used to be.
Peyton said, "Jaiden, the teens in these two movies were hilarious. You never knew what they were going to do, but you knew whatever it was, it was going to be funny. I can't wait to see Porky's revenge." "Peyton, It's the funniest of all three movies. We can watch it tomorrow night after the children go to bed."
The guys headed to their bedrooms and hit the sack. All four had a long day coming up, and sleep tonight was paramount.
"Charley." "Yes, Pauli." "Why have you been squealing like a pig every time you pass Dale today?"
"Our brother heard about a movie yesterday during work at the hospital. So, he checked it out and thought it would be fun to watch. We laughed so hard during the movie that it was hard to get a breath. We had some time left before bedtime when the film ended, so we decided to watch the second CD of the three-show series."
"Peyton is from a rural farming community in LA, and the second show reminded us of a saying we have back home, "don't piss off a bunch of country boys; they will get you back." "I thought Peyton was from Orange Beach, Alabama." "He is, Pauli. When we say `LA,' it means lower Alabama where we come from." "Now that's funny, Charley."
"You just don't know, Pauli. It gets so hot and muggy down near the Gulf of Mexico that our Southern drawl slows down by ten miles per hour; you have to listen closely to tell what we are saying."
"When we were on our honeymoon in Hawaii, restaurants would get quiet while people tried to listen to the four of us talk."
"You guys honeymooned together?" "Yep, sure did. We are incredibly close; we have been for years. We also got married together in Mobile."
"That's interesting. Where did y'all go in Hawaii?" "Jaiden's mom and Peyton's parents gave us a three-week, all expenses paid trip to Maui. We stayed at the Kaanapali Resort in the Lahaina area of the island."
"If you go to YouTube and search for Kaanapali Resort and Lahaina, you can see the place where we stayed. To see the other beaches we visited, check YouTube for `Maui Beaches'."
"We took long night strolls on the beach at Kaanapali, thanks to the boardwalk there. Jaiden and Peyton found several romantic spots where we could hide and have fun – if we were the only ones around. After that, we visited the Kamaole Park beaches on Kihei Road in Maui, mostly Kam 3 beach, our second favorite."
"If you have a stressful day, you can Google `Kam 1 beach cam' and watch the ocean and people there until it gets dark. So, we do that and listen to the music of Israel Kamakawiwo'ole in the background."
"You said Kam 3 was your second favorite beach; what was your favorite beach?"
"Without a doubt, our favorite was Little Beach to the right of Makena Beach. You have two ways to get to that part of the beach: climb over the cliff of lava rock, or walk on a long path from the roadway. Either way, you are on your own there: no lifeguards there and no rescue squads will try to get to the beach to help you if you have a problem." "Then what is so special about the beach, Charley?"
"It has everything you could want on a beach. If you are gay, there are plenty of good-looking young men sunbathing or swimming there. If you are a heterosexual, there are some of the most gorgeous women you could ever want to see. It is also heaven to lesbians."
"You can say that about the beaches at the Gulf of Mexico, Charley." "That's true, Pauli, but what you can't say about Gulf beaches is that everyone there is naked."
"Naked, Charley?" "Naked as a newborn baby! When we were there, a woman walked back to the sand after swimming; the only thing on her body was the hair on her head; she looked like a European goddess painted by one of the masters. Hell, I'm gay, and even I sprung a woody when I saw her. We also met our Rabbis on Maui and their brothers at Little Beach."
"How long did y'all stay at Little Beach?" "Not as long as we wanted to; the two guys we met called the Rabbis when we let them know they were on the island."
"The Rabbi's brothers told them we were at Makena Beach, and they said they were at the store down the road and would meet us at the beach in fifteen minutes."
"That must have been neat to have met your Rabbis at the beach." "It might have been, Pauli, but at the end of the conversation, Rabbi Kravitz said it would be enough time for us to get our clothes on and get our butts off of Little Beach."
"How did he know you guys didn't have any clothes on?" "He and Rabbi Belsen were standing on the cliff behind us, looking down and dying laughing at our embarrassment as we scurried around trying to get dressed."
Pauli looked down as he started laughing and said, "leave it to you to get caught that way, Charley."
"Pauli, the more embarrassing part of the story is that when the Rabbis brought their families to the resort that night for coffee and hors d'oeuvres, they told the story to their wives. All four of us guys were redder than an apple."
"That is hilarious, Charley."
"Pauli, that's not the funniest part of the story. The most amusing part of the story was when we got home to Erie so Jaiden and Peyton could start med school and Dale and I could start grad school. We went to the synagogue where Rabbi Kravitz is senior Rabbi. He and Rabbi Belsen told the entire congregation how he and Rabbi Belsen met us twice: once on Little Beach and once at The Cheeseburger Factory restaurant in Lahaina.
"That had to be embarrassing to the four of you." "It was, especially when you consider all of our families were in the synagogue with us. Everybody in the synagogue laughed when our mothers leaned forward and gave us the eye."
"I bet your parents still rag you about that." "Not really; when they come to visit us now, they spend their time with our children."
"How many children do you guys have?" "Ten, all thirteen months old." "Ten babies? In one house?" "Yep, but it's a substantial home, and the babies are intelligent and well behaved." "How so, Charley."
"Pauli, they started walking at seven months of age, and at age one, they started talking understandably."
"We work our schedules so we have two to three hours with the babies every night and all day on the weekends. During the day, and sometimes on weekends, God sent us his four best angels to help raise the children."
"When we planned our move to Memphis, they let us know they were coming with us to care for our children. Ginny and Grampy live directly to the left of our home. Granny and the Reverend live on our right. Ginny raised Jaiden after his dad was killed in a plane crash."
"How did you decide on Memphis?" "Jaiden's mom and dad were doctors at St. Jude's. The west wing of the hospital is dedicated to Jaiden's dad. So, one thing led to another, and St. Jude's recruited Jaiden and Peyton. St. Jude's found out about Dale and me and that we didn't want to separate the children. The managers contacted the University of Pennsylvania and worked it out for us to come here as well."
"Charley, when the firm let us know the two of you were coming, we also heard that you and Dale were famous back in Erie."
"We are, but it was Jaiden and Peyton that got all that started. They pulled us into the situation to work with school children's insecurities."
"What kind of awards did y'all win?" "It was more award than awards. If I show you, do you promise not to make too much of it here at work?" "Sure, I won't do that."
"Charley Googled Peyton's and Jaiden's names and then said, OK, Pauli, here it is." When Pauli looked at the article on the internet, his chin hit the floor, and he stared at Charley.
"Charley, are you kidding me. "No. It was quite some time before the commotion quieted down, and our lives got back to normal. Hang on a second, and let me show you something else."
Charley got the computer to pull up the story on the Jacobs-Anderson Middle School Magnet Academy. When Pauli looked at that info, Charley had to tell him that if he didn't pick his jaw up off the floor, he would wind up swallowing a fly.
"Charley, all this, and you aren't even twenty-five years old yet!" "All that and more, Pauli. If Peyton hadn't caught Dale and me having that heated argument, and told Jaiden, who lit a fire under our butts, none of what you have seen would have happened."
"Jaiden and Peyton worked with us and pushed us hard. As a result, we went from failing and being known as trouble makers to the Dean's list with perfect 4.0-grade point averages every semester. And then Jaiden and his mom got Dale and me a full-ride scholarship to the engineering master's program at the University of Pennsylvania at Erie."
"Peyton's uncle was Dean of Men, and his aunt was head of housing at Wellstone University. Peyton went to them and told them what he and Jaiden were doing with Dale and me, which got us out of trouble with the university. We've been family ever since. It has been six years, and we haven't spent a day apart in all that time. Our children were all born on the same day, and they, too, have never been separated from each other; and we don't foresee them ever being apart."
"We call Jaiden's mother mom, and she is quick to tell people we are her sons just like Jaiden, and she treats Dale's and my children as her own grandchildren. We are treated the same by Peyton's parents. Because of Jaiden's mom and Peyton's dad, Dale's and my dad are in our lives and the lives of our children. Dale and I have been so blessed because of Jaiden, Peyton, and their parents."
"Charley, we all love you and Dale around here, and to hear that story makes me feel so honored to know you two. Do you mind if I tell my wife?" "No, just please don't make it an issue with everybody here at work."
Over the next few weeks, the engineers at Dale's and Charley's company noticed that Charley and Dale were becoming close friends with Pauli. Then, Arnie, another coworker, asked Pauli what was up. "Arnie, forgive me for not answering that question. I'll simply say that I discovered the history behind Dale, Charley, and their brothers. That history is more incredible than anybody could or would ever imagine.