Regrets and Heartaches

Regrets and Heartaches 24

{Regrets and Heartaches is pure fiction. As I am writing this story, I am above the age of 21. If you want a story with lots of sex, look elsewhere. This is a love story. Seeing, as it is a love story, sex is in there, but it is in realistic balance in the characters' lives.

Any similarity to any real events, names, or life events is purely accidental. If you are a underage, (according to your state laws as a minor), if this literature is offensive to you or to anyone around your viewing area, or it is illegal for you to view such content where you are reading it, stop reading the story.

This story cannot be distributed in anyway, shape or form without my expressed consent. I will like to give a shout out to a reader that has helped me with ideas where the story is, thank you!}

Written by J.P.G.

I have a home page for you to see what the characters look like or what the places look like. If you want to walk in their shoes, please go to: http://jacobmillertex.com/

Chapter 24

Just as Harold arrived back at the hotel, everyone was sitting down to eat dinner. He walked into the restaurant and took his seat at the head of the table. The food was passed around; everyone got what they wanted to eat before they started to dig in. It was not long before they were all involved into their conversations.

Before long they were making plans for the next day. After going back and forth on what they wanted to do, they settled on going to Jacob's house to spend the day in the pool. As Jacob, his family and friends left, Jacob reconfirmed the plans with Joey and Harold.

Joey wanted to sit down and talk with Jacob about what was going on at Austin. He wanted to feel out the situation on how Jacob felt about the need of the transfer and what his grandfather might say, but he never got a chance. They were busy all day long and whenever they were not, too many people were around.

Even when Jacob left, Joey wanted to talk to him, but Dewayne and a couple of the others guys from the house were around Jacob, so Joey left it alone. He figured he had tomorrow to talk with him since he, his friends and family were going to go down to his old house and swim, which that gave him a weird feeling in his gut.

He has not been back at the house that he and Jacob bought together since the day he left. The pool was still being built and much of the construction to the house was still going on. He knows returning there is going to bring up some good memories, but over shadowed by the last memory he had of the place, the day he left.

Never before had he seen Jacob so broken as he did that day when he broke his heart. The expression that Jacob had on his face still to this day haunts Joey in his dreams. Even though Jacob says he has forgiven him, he cannot forgive himself for what he did to Jacob, a guy that stood by him through all the stunts he pulled.

Joey did not budge from where he was standing at, in front of the main doors of the lobby until Caleb went and grabbed his attention. Caleb knew that the visit of Jacob, his family and friends brought up emotions in Joey, good and bad. He also knows that the trip down to Jacob's house tomorrow is not going to be a good day for his boyfriend.

Instead of talking about that trip, Caleb pulled Joey into the theater room and put on a movie. They sat there, cuddling with each other watching moves until they were interrupted by Helen and Harold. They were watching television up in their penthouse when it got interrupted by breaking news.

Harold turned off the movie that the boys were watching and turned the television on to Fox. A reporter was reporting from the Westside of town. Joey right away recognized the area where the reporter was at, Jacob's house. He was not in front of the house because the police and fire department were keeping them back, but he knew the block.

At first Joey or the others didn't know what house was on fire because the reporter didn't have that information, but then all at once they saw Jacob and the others. Jacob was walking back from the fire as the others got out of the vehicles. Joey leaned forward and tried to see what was going on, but he really couldn't make anything out.

Jacob was talking to the group and then their reaction gave it away, Joey knew it was their house that was on fire. A few minutes after Jacob and the others disappeared into the vehicles, the reporter got the information what house was on fire. When he gave the address, everyone looked at Joey to see if that was Jacob's house.

Joey turned to everyone and shook his head before turning his attention back to the reporter. The rest of the evening all the reporter was reporting was the same thing over and over again. The fire department and the police were not saying anything, which the reporter was unable to really report any new news.

After an hour of watching the same thing, Joey turned back on the movie. He knew Jacob and knew if he needed help, he will call. Until then, Joey felt there was no need to bite off his nails watching the same thing being reported over and over again.

Joey, Caleb, Harold or Helen didn't want to head to bed until they knew for sure that Jacob, his family and friends were okay. They stood up waiting by the phone, but it never rang. Harold got frustrated just sitting there, so he got up and started to walk around. Just as he walked into the lobby, he saw headlights in the parking lot.

Harold yelled for his wife, Joey and Caleb as he walked to the front door and unlocked it. Just as he unlocked the door, the others he yelled for ran up. They walked outside to find Jacob and the others getting out of their vehicles. They not only looked worn out, but beaten at the same time.

Right away Joey walked up and welcomed his old family and friends back to the hotel. They walked in, but they did not say much since everyone knew what was going on. Instead, Helen and Harold put together key cards for everyone while Jacob and Joey talked. After an hour or so of talking, they all wanted to put this day behind them.

The next morning Jacob and his group had breakfast with Joey and his, but afterwards had a private meeting in the lobby. Soon after that meeting, they all headed out and returned later that afternoon with bag and bags of stuff. Joey and his group went out and helped Jacob and his group unload the truck.

At that point, the day for poor Jacob and the others in the hotel just started. First, before Jacob could make it to the elevator to head to their room with their stuff, Jackson and a group of guys walked in. Jacob talked with them for a while before calling everyone down. That is when all hell broke loose for Jacob.

Just as everyone gathered and Mr. Jackson was about to say what he wanted to say, several uniform officers and a couple of detectives walked through the doors. Mr. Jackson instructed everyone to go back to what they were doing and he will call them back when he deals with those officers that just arrived.

Some of the guys went back up to their rooms, but most of them went to the restaurant. Joey sat down next to Caleb, Harold and Helen. They wondered what was going on out there. A few minutes later they got their answer when Jackson came walking. He walked straight over to Harold, whispered something in his ear and they both walked out. The others tried to follow, but Harold made them stay.

When Harold walked into the lobby, all hell was breaking lose. The officers were trying to pull Jacob out of the building, and Jacob's security was stopping them. He knew if he did not get in the middle of this, things were going to get worse so he walked over and demanded to see the badge of the detective that was giving the orders. As the detective handed the badge over, Harold asked to see the warrant, which there was none.

Seeing that, Harold saw his way in. He made it clear to the detectives since they did not have a warrant, they couldn't take Jacob in. He was able to move everything to the seating area of the lobby, but things just heated up from there. The detective was not looking at anyone except Jacob for the fire at his house. Harold knew if he did not stop this line of questioning, the detectives were going to have enough to arrest Jacob.

Just as he was about to stop the question, a voice that Harold hasn't heard before demanded Jacob not to answer anymore questions. Everyone looked over at the entrance to find Al standing there putting his suitcases down. The detective right away asked who he was, and he informed him that he was Jacob's grandfather.

After everyone was introduced to everyone, things went from bad to worse really quickly. Al and Detective Ramos knew each other from somewhere and they did not like one another. They both refused to back down which made things worse. Al ordered Jackson and his men to show the officers out, but when the officers were approached, they pulled out their weapons, making a bad situation worse.

Al walked over to the phone and called 911. Before they knew it, several more officers showed up. When they walked in, they couldn't make heads or tails out of what was going on. It got so loud in the lobby it brought everyone in the restaurant out. Al and Harold tried to send them back in, but they refused to go. Just then several more officers walked in, along with the chief-of-police.

Harold couldn't believe how quickly everything got out of control. Here in the middle of Joey's lobby were officers with their weapons drawn. Then a man that Harold did not trust or like walking in giving the order to his men to holster their weapons. A man that he has no doubt is dirtier than dirt, much yet is still in charge of the local law enforcement.

Knowing that justice was not going to get done with a dirty chief-of-police, Harold called a fellow judge and got arrest warrants for the officers that pulled their weapons on them. He hung up and informed the other officers that walked in after the fact on what he did. The detectives and the first officers did not believe Harold because they did not hear Harold give their name, which Harold didn't have to.

"I do not need to have your names since they are going to get them from your dispatch office." The smirk quickly disappeared from the detective's face. "You broke several laws and civil rights, you will never put on the badge again. Your lust to go after Jacob has back fired and now you are the one losing out here."

To Harold's surprise, Chief Carnes agreed with him. He ordered the officers to hand over their weapons and their badges and then line up against the wall so where the other officers could frisk them. Soon after they were frisked, Harold noticed Chief Carnes talking to Detective Ramos. He knew what ever they were talking about wasn't good.

Never the less, that didn't matter because a few minutes later dispatch informed the officers that the warrants were issued. Hesitantly, the other officers handcuffed their fellow officers and led them out of the hotel. Harold watched as they were being put in the back of their own police cruisers. Then he heard Chief Carnes talking.

"Your honor, Mr. Hernandez and Mr. Serna I don't know what to say, but sorry. My officers and detectives are not like what you saw here. They respect the law, civil rights of people and more importantly their badge. Whenever we have officers do things as they did, it looks bad for the entire police force. What I am trying to get at is if you guys would not go to the press on this. Let us clean this in house."

Harold did not get a chance to respond to what Chief Carnes said because Al did the talking and the flipping off. If he would have been the one that responded, the chief-of-police would have gotten more a verbal beating than he got from Al. Harold does not trust the guy and knows that the guy won't clean up his house since he is the one that is the dirtiest. No he would have more than likely buried everything.

Al and Chief Carnes stood there trading verbal punches for another ten minutes, but at the end, Al won. The chief was lost for words and all he could do is say good night and head out of the hotel. At that moment Harold had more respect for the man standing before him than he has had for any man in a very long time, besides the governor of Texas.

Just when Harold thought the fireworks were over, for the night, they started up once again, but this time it was between him and the man he just an hour ago held out the most respect for. Jackson called everyone in and went over the new security procedures and then answered several question.

When the pilot program was brought up, Al had no idea it had already got started. Then Harold said things that he wishes he could take back. He said things that he did not mean, but were said in the heat of the argument not only to Al, but as well to Jackson. When everything was said and done, he could not help but worry that he might have screwed things up for Joey because at anytime Al cold take back the gift he had given.

It took Helen to settle things down and then Jacob said a few words that surprised everyone in the room. Once everyone took their seats, Al and Jackson spoke in private before rejoining everyone and excusing the meeting. Harold got up and headed straight to the elevator, followed by Helen. She could tell just by the way he was walking, that he was not in a very good mood.

They did not say anything on the way up for several reasons. One of the reasons is that they were not alone in the elevator. Harold lives by a code that they do not air out their family problems in public, and that includes what just happened. The other reason nothing was said was because Harold was settling down. When they got off the elevator and were in their penthouse, Harold opened up.

"Who in the hell does Al think he is. I know that he works for the governor and that doesn't give him the power to walk in here and just take things over like he did." Harold walked over to his bar and poured himself a shot of whisky. "If he thinks he is going to tell me what I can and cannot do, he has another think coming."

"To be completely honest with you Harold, he has all the right in the world to tell you and everyone in this hotel what to do since he still owns the thing. Come on honey, he donated this building and everything in it to Joey and you are treating him and his family like servants. That is not right and I know you know that deep down inside."

Helen walked over to Harold and took the whisky bottle away from him. "You better not mess this up for Joey. Al looked pissed when you said he and his family were guests here and if they do not like it, they can leave. You were wrong and will always be wrong if you make those types of demands since eventually this building is going to be owned by your future son-in-law. He is the only one that can make those calls."

Harold knew what his wife was saying was right. He over stepped down there and known he has to go and clean up the mess. There is no way he can live with himself if Joey lands up losing this beautiful hotel because of him and his mouth.

"You are right and I will go down and fix things with Al and Jacob."

"No you will not Harold. Just leave it alone and we will see what comes out of it all. I think both of you said your peace down there and nothing else needs to be said anymore on the subject. If you go down there and reopen the whole thing again, you will lose this hotel for Joey for sure, just let it go!"

Letting things go as Helen wanted him to, is something that Harold is not used to doing. He doesn't like to leave things hanging out in the air because they always find a way to come back. When they do, it is worse than before. He has always felt it is best to handle things as they come, not put them to the side and play the waiting game.

He tried to explain that to Helen, but she was stuck on letting things go. Reluctantly he agreed to save himself from sleeping on the couch. Once the subject was dropped, they changed in their eveningwear and sat down in front of the television. Every so often Harold got the itch to go down and speak with Al, but Helen held onto him.

Meanwhile down stairs Joey was waiting in the lobby to speak with Al. He knew it was not the best time, but he had to let him know what was going on at Austin High. The main reason for that is because he had no idea how long Al was staying in town this time. In addition, he felt bad that he has not been able to tell Caleb and the others what he was going to do on the matter of transferring out to El Paso High School.

When Joey and Caleb sat down and discussed with the guys what they were offered by Principal Haynes, they all wanted to take the transfer. However, they took it back when Joey told them that more than likely he was not going to transfer. When Joey told them that, they were confused because he left out the reason why he was going to stay.

The guys probed for the reason, but Joey and Caleb kept a tight lid on it. They gave up figuring that when the time is right, one of them, if not both of them, will tell them why Joey was not willing to take Principal Haynes up on his offer. Until then, they all agreed that they will stay put at Austin as a group, not leaving anyone behind.

The more and more Joey thought about things at Austin High, the more he wanted to transfer out. He had a bad past already with the school, and now his past is repeating itself. Not with him, but to a person that didn't deserve the beating in the quad. Almost in the same spot where he was beaten up the summer before his freshman year.

Memories of that day came flowing back, mixed with the memories of the camp where his mother put him. These two events were the worst times of his life that he wants to forget, but they seem to keep coming back to haunt him. As he started to tremble, Joey heard the front doors open and Jacob and Al laughing as they walked in.

Joey got up from the couch and was about to walk over to see if Al could spare some time to talk with him, but he stopped. He heard Jacob offer his grandfather to help him with his bags. They both picked up a couple of bags and headed to the elevator. Joey sat back down and did not move again until he didn't hear them talking anymore.

Even when he felt the coast was clear, he stayed in his seat for a couple more minutes before getting up and heading to the elevator. When he got on, instead of hitting his penthouse, he hit Jacob's floor number. As soon as the door opened, Joey looked out into the hallway to see if he saw Jacob, his grandfather or really anyone.

He didn't, so he headed over to Al's room. Nervously he tapped on the door and waited for Al to say something. After waiting for a few minutes and not hearing a thing, Joey knocked a little harder. This time he did not even have to wait a minute before the door opened and Al inviting him.

"I am sorry for bothering you so late sir, I know you are probably tired and want to get some sleep. It's just I need to talk with you about something and I feel if I do not get you now, I will not get you later." Joey spoke right away as he walked a couple feet into the room and closed the door.

"Not a problem at all Joey, not a problem at all. It has been a long day, but I can spare a few minutes for you. Why don't you come all the way in and take a seat?" Al pointed to one of the chairs in the room. "If you are wondering if things are going to change as far as the hotel because of what happened between Harold and me earlier, don't worry. Jacob and I are men of our word and we never take anything back once we give it."

"Oh, that is good to hear and that isn't the reason I am here, but it is good to hear." Joey sat down as Al sat in the other chair. "When I knew we were going to move down here, you were the first I spoke to. I felt I owed you that respect since what happened between Jacob and me when I left here with my family.

That day we spoke about a lot of things, but I also made you several promises. One of which is not to attend the same high school as Jacob. I had no problem with that and still don't, but a few things have changed since then. I need you to hear me out and then what ever you say; I will do without an argument."

Joey went on to explain to Al what has been going on at Austin High School. From the way they have been treated when they first arrived by the principal and some of the other teachers, to the student body. At first, Al couldn't believe it, and then Joey told him what had happened to Aaron by the group that has been making trouble for Joey and his friends. When Al heard the detail of the beating, he got sick to his stomach. Before Joey could ask the question he came up to ask, Al interrupted him.

"There is no way you and the others here in this hotel can stay in that school. I do not care if the principal down there will not sign off on the transfer. You guys are getting out of that school as soon as possible. You need to go to a school that you are not always looking over your shoulder every minute of the day. The only school I know that you do not have to do that is El Paso High."

"The principal at Austin and at El Paso agree with you on that. The kid I was telling you about that was beaten up from an inch of his life is the son of the principal of Austin High. After what happened to his son, Harold and Principal Michaels from El Paso High talked with Principal Haynes and got him to agree with the transfer to El Paso. Harold was in that meeting, so he told Helen and Helen told us that evening when we got home from school about the offer.

I was not going to take the offer until I had a chance to speak with you first, and then depending on your answer, Jacob. Just like you and Jacob, I am a man of my word when I give my word. If you would have said no on this, I would stay put until I could get another high school to let me attend it without moving into its area."

"It was wrong of me to make you give me your word not to attend the high school my grandson is attending. I have no right to make that request. You and your friends here in the hotel have the right to attend any high school in this city or anywhere in this country and you do not need my permission to do that.

With that said, I feel I need to explain why I asked you to give me your word not to attend El Paso High." Joey didn't see a need for Al to explain anything to him, but Al wouldn't let Joey interrupt him. "You and my grandson were together for a couple of years and what I saw it looked like true love. You may disagree with me on that, but I can read people really well, and I saw true love between you two.

The day you left and broke my grandson's heart, I wanted to go and find you and kill you. I really did want to kill you for months, but over time I let that hatred go. Then when Jacob came and told us he spoke with you at a gas station that hatred returned. I couldn't believe you had the balls to come back into town and ask for the meeting.

Then I saw the meeting did more good for Jacob than bad. He stopped moping around here and got out of the house a lot more. Then he met Dewayne and was able to move on with him. I do not think he would have been able to do that without you two talking when you guys did that day at the gas station. He was able to get off his chest what he was feeling and that freed him more than anything we said or done.

Over time you guys started talking and little by little Jacob was able to forgive you. If my grandson was able to do that, I wondered why I can't. Then the call came in about what your mother did. The anger I still had for you disappeared and was replaced with worry for you and anger for your mother and uncle.

Those two were the ones I wanted to seek out and kill now, not you. I do not care what you did in your life Joey, you never deserved what your mother and uncle did to you. As you know I saw it first hand because I was one of the first that walked into that ugly place and found you. My heart dropped seeing you the way you were. My hate for those that put you in there grew even more, but the love I had for you came back.

No matter what you do in your life Joey, I will always love you as my grandson. You made my grandson a very happy guy in those years that you were together. That is something that no one can take away from you. Now you two are becoming good friends and I can see in the future you guys will be friends for life."

Tears started to roll down Joey's cheeks as Al went on. When Al saw that, he got up and walked over to Joey and pulled him into a hug. "You are always going to be part of my family. I want you to know that. I also want you to know if you ever need anything, a person to talk to or help in a certain matter, come to me. I will always be here for you, because you were always there for Jacob when he went through his hell and loved him."

Joey couldn't speak, he was crying to hard. Al pulled him in even tighter, trying to get him to stop crying, but it made him cry even more. He hasn't felt this kind of love from a parent figure

in a very long time. Yes Caleb's parents love him, but it is different for some reason with Al. In his eyes he has always seen Al as the father he wished he had, and got when he was with Jacob, but lost when he broke up with Jacob.

It took a while for Joey to get control of himself, but once he did, Al let go and sat back down in his seat. Not a word was spoken by either of them for a couple of minutes. If was dead quiet in the room. Then Joey found his tongue and the words that were trying to make there way from his mind to his tongue came out easily.

"Every day since the day I left here I hated myself for what I did. When I first moved, I woke up the next day and promised myself that I was going to do what my mother and uncle wanted me to do as quickly as possible. Then come back here and try and win Jacob back. However, things have changed since then and I know now that I will never get Jacob back. We both have moved on are happy with our lives now.

The day I realized that, I wished at least to get a friendship from Jacob, which we are getting there. I know I still have a lot of growing up to do. I still do many stupid things, but I know that eventually I will be where Jacob is now. When that day comes, I hope Jacob, you and everyone in this hotel are there in my corner."

"First, we will always be here for you no matter what stupid thing you might do. You are just a teenager Joey. You are bound to make stupid decisions everyday. That is part of growing up. I made stupid decisions, your parents made them, and still are, Jacob makes them, but we all learn from them and not make the same mistakes twice. That is all any parent can ask for. That is all I can ask from you, learn from your mistakes. At the same time, do not be in such a rush to grow up. There is plenty of time for that."

Once again Joey was lost for words. Everything that Al just said rang true. Seeing now that he is not the only one that makes stupid decisions, he felt a little bit better. Al saw that Joey was struggling to find his words again, so he called it a night. He felt enough was said between them and nothing else was needed to be said. He bid Joey good night as he walked him to the door and told him again that if he needed anything, his door will always be open to him, day or night.

When he got up to his and Caleb's penthouse, Caleb was already asleep. It was a rough weekend and a rough week they just went through. As Joey got ready for bed, he could not help but wonder if things were going to get any better. Everything around him seems to be going to hell in a hand basket, and there is nothing he can do to stop it.

The morning when the alarm went off, Joey and Caleb jumped out of bed at the same time. They sat up in bed and started to stretch. As they stretched, they touched each other's hands by accident, but Joey grabbing a hold of Caleb's wasn't. At the same time they both leaned back as far as they could. It was enough to kiss each other on the lips.

Knowing that time was an issue, they broke the kiss and headed to take a shower. As they got dressed, Joey told Caleb about his conversation he had with Al the night before. Caleb couldn't be happier with the answer Joey got out of Al. Not knowing the man, he knew he was going to say the right things by what he has heard about the man.

"I knew he was not going to make you stay at a school where you and the rest of us are not safe." Caleb walked over to Joey and gave him a peck on the lips. "Now that he has given you the all clear, I say the first thing we do this morning is go straight to Principal Haynes office and tell him that we are taking him up on the transfer offer."

The look Caleb was getting from Joey, he knew that was not going to happen. "I have gotten permission from Al to transfer, but I also want to let Jacob know before I do it. Things are getting better between us, but they are not where I thought they would be at this moment. I thought that we would have been better friends by now, but there is something there that Jacob is not letting go of that is stopping us from being better friends."

"I am not seeing what you are seeing with Jacob, but you know him a lot better than I do so I will take your word on that. I do not think you need to get his permission to do anything with your life. You two are no longer going out and therefore you do not need to go to him for permission for anything."

"Caleb when we were going out I never went to him for permission for anything. We had that kind of relationship." Joey sat next to Caleb on the bed and grabbed his hands. "I know this is weird for you having my ex in the same building. If I was in your shoes I would be freaking out, thinking all sorts of things, but let me make this very clear to you, the only one I love and want in my life as my boyfriend is you.

Yes there are some feelings still there I have for Jacob, but like when I first met you. What he and I had is gone and there is no way we will ever get it back. If you need proof of that, just look at us. We love each other with all our hearts and there is nothing that can tear us apart. At the same time, I can see Jacob and Dewayne have that same love.

You and I are going to grow old together, I hope." Joey looked at Caleb with a look that Caleb has never seen before. "I have a lot of growing up to do still. Along the way I am going to make mistakes that will get you angry, but I hope you will forgive me when I do make those mistakes.

I can promise you I will never cheat on you as I did to Jacob. I can promise you that I will never leave you the way I did Jacob. I can also promise you that I will always be here for you whenever you need me. When ever you need a shoulder to lean on or a person to hear you out! Something that I was never to Jacob! I learned a lot when I was with Jacob and I plan to use everything I learned from that relationship to make this relationship the best that I can."

Joey moved closer to Caleb. "I know I do not need permission from Jacob to do anything in my life and that is not why I want to talk to him about the transfer before I do it. I want to talk to him so where he knows what is about to come. I will hear him out if he has any objections, but at the end my safety, your safety and the others that look at us for guidance safety I will do what is right. At the end of the day I am hoping that I will not lose Jacob as friend, but if I do, it will hurt, but I will move on."

"Yes you will and I will be here to help you do that. Still I do not think you will lose Jacob as a friend. In fact I think this move to El Paso High is going to be the best thing for both of you to make your friendship stronger. I know him a lot more than his grandfather, and I do not think he is going to object to the move."

The boys kept talking about the transfer until Joey noticed the time. It was a little after seven, and they still had to eat breakfast before heading to school. They quickly finished getting ready before heading down to the restaurant to join the others.

Meanwhile at Thomas Hospital Aaron was barely waking up. Just like the mornings before, he was woken up with shutting pain shooting from all areas of his body. Dr. Whitmore has been slowly reducing the amount of painkillers over the last couple of days, and Aaron can feel the difference. The lower the dosage, the more he has been in pain. This morning is the worse since he woke up after his beating.

He kept pressing the nurse's button, but it took a few minutes before a nurse walked in to see what he needed. When she did, he cried out in pain, asking for more pain pills. The nurse walked over to Aaron's bedside and looked at his vitals before saying a word.

"I know you are in pain right now Mr. Haynes, but you have to deal with it. Dr. Whitmore left strict instructions not to give you any more pain medicine besides the ones he has Okayed. The more you think of the pain, the more it is going to hurt. Think of something else, breathe and I promise you the pain will die down."

The pain was so strong, it brought Aaron to tears. The nurse tried to calm him down, but no matter what she said or did, she was unable to. Finally after five minutes of trying to get Aaron to calm down, she gave up and went to the nurse's station to call the doctor on call to see if she could give her patient some more pain medicine. A few minutes later she returned with a shot and put it in Aaron's IV. It only took ten minutes for Aaron to feel the difference, and when he did, he stopped crying.

"As soon as your doctor gets here, I will let him know what happened that he needs to up on your pain medicine." The nurse looked down at Aaron as he looked up at her with his innocent eyes. "You have to understand the quicker we wing you off the hard pain medicine, the quicker you can go home."

Aaron shook his head. "Okay then, you rest and I will return with your breakfast. I want you to eat everything that is on the plate, you understand?" Once again Aaron shook his head. "Good be right back then, so get ready for breakfast."

As the nurse left the room, Aaron pulled himself up in his bed. He looked around for the remote for the television, and once he found it, he turned it on. Before settling on cartoons, he did channel surfing looking for anything but cartoons, but there wasn't. Well there was, but the other things that were on were morning talk shows that he hated even more than he hated cartoons."

Just as the commercials came on, the nurse who gave him more pain medicine walked back in with his breakfast. She placed the tray on the table and then moved the table over to him. Before leaving his bedside, she took the top off and reminded him of his promise that he made that he was going to eat everything on his tray.

When he had woken up, the pain was so strong he did not realize that he was starving. He had eaten everything that was on his tray. There was not even a crumb left. When the nurse returned, she was happy with what she saw. Aaron smiled at her as she picked it up. As she looked down at the handsome young man, her heart went out to him. Under all those bruises and bandages, she knows is a very sweet, kindhearted young man that did not deserve what he got.

After the nurse left, Aaron settled in for another long morning of television and starring out the window. Neither his father nor brothers stop by until after school. So all day long during the week, he is alone without visitors. That leaves him to sink into his mind and think about everything that has lead him up to where he is today.

The night before, he and his father had the first heart to heart talk in a very long time. At the end, they found common ground on everything, including him being gay. His father told him about the transfer to El Paso High, which at first scared him. However, when he went on to explain that Joey and his group will more than likely go he settled down.

He knows even with Bill and his friends locked up and suspended from school, he cannot show his face back at Austin High School. None of the other kids there will let him forget about the beating he got and why. Moreover, every time he walks through the quad, he would be reminded of it. There is no way to skip the quad since you have to go through it at some time or another through the day to get to a class or two.

All in all at the end of the conversation, Aaron felt closer to his father than he has in a very long time. After they got through the hard parts of their talk, they were able to speak more freely and more openly to each other. Another side he has never seen of his father, the open side. Even when his mother was alive, his father always showed the rough side of himself, but never the sensitive side.

As Aaron was going back over the conversation he had with his father the night before, Joey was also in his own mind as well weighing out what he needs to do. Just like Aaron, he was going over conversations he has had in the last twenty-four hours. From the one he had with Al the night before to the one he had with Caleb this morning.

The one that is bothering him the most is the one he had with Caleb before school. He feels that he came off over bearing about how he plans to handle the conversation with Jacob. Just like Caleb, he agrees that Jacob will not say no on his group and him on going to El Paso High School. At the same time he knows it is going to be weird at first when they start attending the same high school due to the fact of their past.

All day long, that is all Joey could think of. When the final bell of the day rang, he was surprised the day was over. He could not remember most of the day and what he was taught. All he knows is that he has to have the talk with Jacob about attending El Paso this evening, a conversation he is not looking forward to.

Trying to make the evening not to drag on, Joey sunk himself into the task of getting up the shelter. They have moved in, but there is still a lot to be done before they are able to bring anymore kids to live there and he knows that has to be done really soon because the money that Al helped him raise will run out. The more kids in the hotel, the more money he will get from the state to pay for the day-to-day operations.

After dinner, Caleb and a couple of the others kids helped Joey out on getting rooms ready to be moved in on floors not being used. As they worked, Joey thought about the size of the hotel and how many rooms. He came to a realization that he is going to need a lot of help from Al and Harold to get these rooms filled.

Harold will need to send more kids into the program he had started. Right now they have assigned one floor to that program, but there is only one person right now staying on that floor. Joey made a mental note to talk with Harold about it and see when he plans to start sending more kids into the program he has started.

Just as they finished the last room on the eighth floor, Jacob and his group had just walked in. Joey didn't right away go down and talk with Jacob. He let him eat first and settle him before doing so.

When he got off the elevator, he found Jacob in the lobby, but not alone. Dewayne, Alex, Matt and Chase were there talking with him. Hesitantly, Joey pushed himself to continue towards Jacob. When he got closer, the guys saw him and stopped talking, making him feel even more uncomfortable about what he is about to do.

"Jacob, can I talk with you for a few minutes?" At the same time Jacob and Joey looked at the other guys, but they did not move. "If it is all possible I would like to talk with Jacob alone." That did it, the guys walked out of the lobby. Joey could see that Dewayne and Alex were reluctant at first, but they left.

"What's up Joey, how can I help you this evening?" Jacob spoke in soothing tone as he took a seat in one of the couches. "If this conversation is about you attending El Paso High, I have no problem with it." Joey looked at Jacob with a surprised looked on his face, which Jacob saw. "Not only my grandfather told me, but I have heard several of the other guys here in the shelter talking about it."

Jacob waived Joey over to sit in the chair next to him. As he sat down, he could not help but worry about what Jacob is going to say. The last couple of times they have spoken to each other alone, it really hasn't gone well for him. The first was the gas station where Jacob made it clear how he thought. Once again the weekend when he and the guys came down when he was in the hospital. Jacob made it clear that it is going to take a while before they could be true friends. Now here he is about to talk about attending the same high school, which is going to make it rough for all concerned at first.

"Joey you never needed to get mine or my grandfather's permission to transfer out of a school that is making yours and your friends lives a living hell. Especially after what a group of them did to that poor kid." Once again Joey looked at Jacob surprised that he knew about Aaron and what had happened to him.

Jacob chuckled as he hit Joey on the back. "Come on my friend the entire city knows by now what happened the other day at Austin High School. It was the leading story on the local news for a couple of nights as well as being on the front page of the El Paso Times. The only way anyone in this city doesn't know what happened at your school is if they live under a rock, not watch television, read a news paper or talk to anyone that does."

"I guess you are right on that Jacob as always. I keep forgetting that we are living in the same city now. What ever happens here, we both know." Getting comfortable in his seat, Joey looked straight into Jacob's eyes. "Are you sure you are okay with me and my friends transferring into your school. I know we still have a lot of unsolved issues between the two of us that I would have liked to have resolved before I even moved back here to El Paso, more less transfer into the same school you are at."

"Let me say this. Neither my grandfather nor I own the school that I attend. Therefore, you can go El Paso High or any high school in this city without needing to get our permission. Don't get me wrong I am thankful that you thought of coming to my grandfather and me first, but there was no need for that.

The other thing about the issues that are still out there between us and not yet resolved, well those issues cannot be resolved over night." It felt like a ton of bricks had just fallen on Joey. "It is hard for me to forgive you for how you left, very hard. We were together for over two years and you just woke up the day before Thanksgiving last year and decided to throw all that away. It hurt a hell of a lot, a hurt that is still there.

With that said, I can look at you now as a friend; unlike I was unable to do when you first left. In fact, I am further along than I was when we went down to visit you when you were in the hospital. But it is going to take me a lot more than these last couple of months to completely forgive you." Jacob got up to leave, but Joey grabbed his arm.

"What is it going to take for you to forgive me for what I did to you?" Joey looked up at Jacob with a look on his face that used to melt right through him when they were together, but not this time. "I understand I hurt you really bad, but I am trying to make amends for that every time I see you, but you seem to not want to even entertain the notion of forgiving me. Tell me if you think that day will ever come, or am I wasting my time."

"Joey you still do not see or understand what you did. I forgave you on a lot of things, and you know that. When we were going out, I was willing to let you do anything, as long as you came home with me. All those guys you cheated on me with, I knew about them, but I just pushed it to the back. All the stunts you pulled, I let them go because I loved you a hell of a lot and thought we were going to spend the rest of our lives together, but boy was I wrong on that.

Not only do I need to find my way to forgive you for leaving me, but also how you did it. I begged you to stay that day. I grabbed onto your leg and asked you to please not leave. You dragged me out of the house crying and begging you not to do what you were doing, but you didn't listen to any of that. You brushed me off by kicking me to the side like yesterday's newspaper and not once looked back.

That day is the hardest one for me to forgive you. I have forgiven you on all the rest, but that day is the one that is going to take me a lot more time than you are allowing me." Jacob kneeled down in front of Joey and grabbed his hand. "I am not saying these things to hurt you. That is the last thing I want to do to you.

One day I know I can put that day behind me and not ever look back at it again, but today is not the day. Today we are moving towards that day and at the same time becoming friends. So don't think you are wasting your time, you are not. You are my friend and I know that some day we can talk and say we are best friends, even brothers."

Jacob leaned and kissed Joey on cheek. "You will always be my first love. That part of me will always be yours and no one else's. I will also never forget what you did for me when you were there for me when I needed you the most. All the good times we had together is what I choose to remember, not any of the bad because the good times out weigh the bad by a huge margin."

Lifting up Joey's face to his level, Jacob wiped away the tears that were rolling down his cheeks. "I will always love you Joey no matter what we say or do to each other. Remember that whenever you start to think on giving up on a friendship I know we will have soon. Also think about all of what you went through since you left El Paso. You have grown up a lot and I really believe you do not need a person like me in your life anymore since you are me now. You are strong and you will never let anyone bring you down like in the past. It is going to be great having you and your friends at the same high school from now on."

Once more Jacob wiped the tears off of Joey's face, leaned in and kissed him o the cheek before getting up. He did not leave until he was for sure that Joey was fine. Once he was confidant that he was, he patted Joey on the shoulder and headed to the elevator, looking back several times.

While Joey and Jacob were clearing things up, Aaron got some good news when his father and brothers were visiting. The nurse reported back to Dr. Whitmore that Aaron is no longer refusing to eat. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, he cleared his plate and that is the main thing Dr. Whitmore was looking for. Just as Aaron's family was getting up to leave, Dr. Whitmore walked in.

"Young man I have been hearing a lot of things about you." Aaron looked at his doctor with a confused look on his face. "Don't worry it is nothing bad! In fact, it is all good news I have been hearing about you. So good that I have decided to go ahead and release you from the hospital tonight, but with some strict rules.

First, you must make sure you take the pain medicine as instructed. It is going to be strong, so there will be no need for you to take more than instructed. I do not want to get a call that you were rushed into the hospital because you took too much." Aaron shook his head as Dr. Whitmore explained the dosage to him and his father.

"Good I am glad you all understand everything on that. Secondly, I need you to not try and do more than I have instructed you to do. Pretty much your entire right hand side is going to need time to heal, which means take it easy. Do not think you are super man and try and climb buildings or jump over the Rio Grande." Aaron and his brothers started to laugh at the last part Dr. Whitmore said.

"Finally you need to see a therapist. Not only does your body need healing, but your mind does as well. If you don't take care of both, you will be worse off in the future. That I promise you!" Dr. Whitmore scribbled something on Aaron's chart before handing it to the nurse. "I know it seems strange to you and your family on that request, but you need to do it. If you don't, you will be haunted the rest of your life on what happened to you the other day by those students."

Dr. Whitmore looked over at Principal Haynes. "I know you are a man of your word and therefore I am not going to worry about the last part. Your son is getting well, but he has a long ways before he will be completely over what happened to him. As long as you understand that, things will move along a lot better for everyone concerned."

"I understand and as I promised, he will see a therapist and stay with that therapist until he or she says he is able to stop. But you are still going to be his doctor right?"

"Yes I gave my word on that and I will keep it." Dr. Whitmore handed Aaron's father his card then several papers. "The first one is your son's prescriptions. Please get those filled before you get home. The next couple is instructions on how your son can take a shower and everything in between. The final sheet is his appointment with me. He cannot miss one appointment with me or his therapist."

Principal Haynes promised that all the instructions are going to get followed to the T. Dr. Whitmore gave instructions to how to get to his office as he finished signing the rest of the paperwork to release Aaron. Once everything was done, Dr. Whitmore wished Aaron good luck as he left the room in order to let Aaron get dressed.

His brothers stayed in the room to help him since his entire right hand side was pretty much in a cast. Moreover, it was hard for Aaron to move on his own with his ribs the way they were. Neither of his brothers or father wanted Aaron to hurt himself again. Not when they could help him and make sure that doesn't happen.

Once Aaron was ready to go, a nurse came in with a wheel chair. At first, Aaron refused to sit in it, but after the nurse explained it was hospital policy, he sat down not wanting to get her in trouble. All the way down to the first floor, the Haynes brothers talked about what they were going to do on their way home.

Joey sat in the lobby for while in his own mind. He could not stop thinking about what Jacob had told him. The more and more he thought about it, the more he remembered the day he left. He blocked out those memories. Just like Jacob, they hurt way too much and there is no one to blame for that hurt except for him. If it was not for Caleb pulling Joey out of his past, he would have stayed the night down in the lobby stuck in his mind.

When Joey crawled into bed, he was surprised that he went right to sleep as his head hit the pillow. The other surprise is that he did not wake up once through the night. For the first time in a long time he actually not only slept through the night, but it was a good sleep. When he woke up the next morning, he felt better than he has felt in a long time.

After breakfast, Joey held the guys back that he takes to school every morning. They were confused on why Joey had held them back, but as soon as Joey started to talk, they understood why. They were happy that he finally came to the decision that he came to.

"As you all know, Principal Haynes gave us a option to transfer out of Austin to El Paso. After having a chance to talk it over with a few key people and getting their opinion on it, I have decided the best thing for us is to take the principal up on his offer. So this morning as soon as we get to school, we are going to do what ever we need to do in order to get the hell out of that school and over to a school that will not look down at us."

All at once, everyone started to ask questions. "Hold on you guys, I can only answer one question at a time and even then I probably do not have most of the answers. So give me a break and let me breathe a little here. I will answer what I can, but again I do not think I will have most of the answers to the questions you guys are asking." As Joey looked around at the guys, he saw nothing but blank looks in their faces.

"I have attended El Paso High as well and let me tell you it is a lot better than Austin. It is a lot bigger, but it is not hard to get around. The teachers and the principal are a lot cooler and they will not look down at us. Moreover, unlike Austin, there is a core of gay students that are in the open and most of the students are not giving them a hard time on being gay. Things will be a lot better, but we will lose a few things by this move."

Joey went on to explain what he meant by lose a few things. No one interrupted him as he spoke, which allowed Joey to finish quickly and then out the door. When they go to school, instead of going straight to Principal Hayne's office, they went to the cafeteria to talk with Sam and the guys.

They knew something was up, but had no idea exactly what it was until Joey explained what he and the others were going to do. Not one of them liked the idea, and voiced that to Joey. It made Joey feel bad, but he had to think abut the guys he brought down from Alamogordo. Their safety has to be on the top of his list, as well as his.

"Look Joey we thought by you coming back here, we were going to have an unbeaten season next year." Thomas spoke over everyone else, causing everyone to quiet down. "I know it is wrong for me to think the way I am, but come on we all are thinking that. In addition, we barely got one of our friend's back that we thought we lost our freshman year. Now here you are telling us that you are giving up and moving away.

Ever since I have known you and Jacob, you guys have always been fighters, and never allow anyone to run over you. Both of you went through hell your first year, with worse people than Bill and his friends. Now they are gone, so there is no threat to you guys." Joey looked at Thomas as if he was out of his mind. "I know, I know, there are others here that think the way Bill and his friends do, but they will never act on their thoughts."

Joey gathered his thoughts before answering Thomas and the others' concerns. "I know you guys don't understand any of this. It is no longer just me I have to worry about; it is these guys as well." Joey pointed to all the guys from the hotel standing behind him. "I have to think about them as well and that is what I am doing. There is no way I can do what I did in the past because of these guys."

Sam, Thomas, Adrian and Juan looked at each other for a few moments before looking back at Joey. They understood the position Joey was in and told him that. Before saying anything else, they took off and did not return until the bell was ringing. Joey extended his hand to say his final goodbye, but the guys pushed it away.

"My parents were not happy with that happened here last week." Sam spoke as he pushed Joey's hand away. "They wanted to pull me out of this school and send me to another, but I stopped them. I wanted to stay here because of my friends and yes what are chances are on winning everything next year. I will not lie, if we do what I know we will be able to do, there is going to be scouts out there watching us, which means scholarships. That is something I am not willing to lose all because of a couple of jackasses here that did not understand you guys.

The only school that would have been a threat to us next year is El Paso, and you now going back there insures them a winning season. I just went and called my parents and told them that I want to transfer, which made them happy. They are now on their way down to pull me out of this school and register me at El Paso High with you."

One by one the other three told Joey basically the same thing, ending with either one or both of their parents coming down to pull them out of the school. Thomas and Adrian had a little harder of a time to sell to their parents the move, but when they mentioned their chances on scholarships, that was what got them on board.

Joey tried to explain to Sam and the guys the chances of Principal Haynes approving the transfer is slim, but they did not care. They felt confident they had enough to persuade the principal to see it their way so Joey dropped it just as they reached the principal's office.

As soon as they walked in, the secretary saw them and immediately informed the principal. He walked out a few minutes later and was surprised to see Sam, Juan, Adrian and Thomas there. He tried to send them to class, but when they told him that they wanted to transfer out as well, he was stunned.

"I do not know if Joey told you on why I am Okaying their transfers, but if not, let me do so. As of right now, they are not safe here. Until I clean up this school with the students that think the way those that harmed my son and will act on their hate, I cannot ensure the safety of the gay students here at this school. Therefore, to make sure they are not harmed, they are being given the opportunity to transfer out to a safer school. None of you guys fall under that since none of you guys are gay."

Sam looked at Principal Haynes with a grin on his face. "I rather wait for my parents to arrive before speaking on this, if that is okay with you sir?"

Principal Haynes had no other choice but to agree with Sam and Sam knew it. He sat down, followed by his three friends while Haynes escorted Joey and the others from the hotel to his office. He explained everything to the guys that Joey had already explained, so no one had any questions when he was done.

Happy that there were not questions, he called up his register office and told them what was going on before sending everyone to that office, except Joey. He needed to talk to him about one item them he is reluctant to do because he feels it shows that he cannot protect his family. At the same he feels he is because what he is about to ask Joey will ensure his son Aaron's safety completely.

Joey sat down, and just as the door was about to shut, Caleb walked in. The principal asked him to leave, but he refused to. Seeing how determined Caleb was on staying, Principal Haynes gave up and allowed him to stay. Before explaining why he asked Joey to stay back, he made sure the others were already on their way to register's office.

Once he was confident that no one else was going to walk in on them, he sat back down behind his desk and started to explain what was on his mind. "My son was released from the hospital last night." Both Joey and Caleb congratulated Haynes and asked him to ask Aaron to call them when he could. "I am sure he will be happy to hear that you guys asked about him and asked him to call. He really needs guys like you in his life to help him get through this tough time.

That brings me back to what I need to ask you Joey. It seems that some of the haters out there had a connection in the hospital because they knew my son was released. Several kids and I know they were kids because of their voices, came around last night yelling ugly things outside my house. Every time I walked out, they went running, and that again tells me that they were kids.

Anyway it really was bad last night with the name-calling, Aaron was shaking. I have never seen my boy as scared as he was last night. Then when I thought things could not get any worse, they did. One of those little shits threw a rock through Aaron's bedroom window, which is telling me they know Aaron.

I need to keep my son safe and that will not happen with him staying at my house right now. So what I am about to ask you is the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life, but I cannot be thinking of myself. I must think of Aaron right now. Aaron needs to feel safe, and your hotel is the only place I can think of where that will happen. Can he stay at your hotel until things settle down and he is safe to come home? I will pay what ever it costs, just please help me out here and let him stay, the only place he can be safe right now."

For the first time since he started attending Austin High School, Joey saw emotions in the principal's face and heard how much he cared for his son. He now sees that the principal really does love his son and will do anything to keep him safe. That includes letting him go, which Joey and Caleb could see it is taking a lot out of Haynes to do so.

"The hotel is open for any gay teen that needs a place to stay. Neither the boys nor their parents will ever have to worry about paying for that safety. That is why my shelter has been opened and we have people out there donating to keep it running. So all you have to tell me is when he is coming so I can set him up a room."

Haynes has never shown his students the side of himself that he is showing Joey and Caleb at that moment. He is actually very emotional, almost at the point of breaking down. All he has ever wanted is his kids to be safe, and more now than before for Aaron. He knows there are people out there that want to hurt his son just because he is gay and that he has to stop before it ever happens.

"No matter what your answer is on this Principal Haynes, your son will always be welcome at the shelter." Haynes looked at Joey a little uneasy on how he started. "Would you please let Thomas, Sam, Adrian and Juan transfer to El Paso High School with us?

I know they are not gay and you are only allowing gay students to transfer for their safety, but they are not safe here as well. The other students here look at them the same way they look at us because they hang out with gay guys. Once we are gone, they will become the students the others are going to bully."

Haynes never thought that way. He never thought that the others that supported or hung out with the gay students, they are at risk too. Now it being pointed out to him, he can see it as clear as day. Therefore, he knows that he has to allow Joey's friends to transfer in order to keep them safe as well.

Principal Haynes informed Joey that he will not stop his other friends on transferring out as long as their parents want it and they follow the same rules. Knowing that was not going to be problem, Joey dropped the subject. He got what he wanted and that was all his friends and those that look to him for guidance transferred to a safer school.

Before leaving to get their transcripts filled out by their teachers, Joey confirmed with Principal Haynes when his son was going to move into the shelter. He made the principal one more promise as he walked out the door, and that was giving him a key card to the hotel so he could come and visit with his son whenever he needed without needing to be let in. That put a smile on Haynes face as he thanked Joey and Caleb.

TO BE CONTINUED...

WRITER'S CORNER:

{Welcome one and all back to another great chapter of "Regrets and Heartaches". This chapter was a little slower than the last couple, but there has to be a few here in there slow likes this in order to set up future plots, end current plots and bring the story up to date with the other three stories that are part of the "Jacob" world.

The chapter started a little slow, with some review, but I think the review is good at times since there are a lot of chapters posted of all four stories. By the time this chapter is posted, chapter eighty of "Jacob Finding His Way" and chapter fifty-one of "Beneath the Mask" will already have been posted. What I wrote at the beginning of the chapter happened in the "Jacob" story way back in chapter seventy-two so you all might have forgotten some of what happened in that chapter since it was posted over two months ago. I bet you that you did not know that, LOL!

Anyways I tried not to repeat myself and I think I did a pretty good job. I had to talk about the same plots, that were repeated, but it was done through another's person's point of view and not word by word from the earlier chapters of "Jacob". I hope you agree with me and I did not bore you guys half to death.

With that said we all know what happened at the hotel when the police came in and tried to arrest Jacob. We all know what Harold, Jackson, Al and Jacob said and did at that point. In fact, if you all have kept up with all the sagas, in chapter seventy-two, you learned a little more about Chief Carnes that you did not know. I also did not put it in this chapter since it happened out side the hotel after the arrest of the officers. If you cannot remember what I am talking about, go on back to that chapter, it is at the beginning.

Now what was not written about in the other sagas was how Harold felt when Al stood up to him. Thankfully, Helen settled him down and kept him from making things worse. Who knows what would have happened if Harold went down and confronted Al on how he felt. These two are good friends; would it have destroyed that friendship? Would AL have taken back his gift of the hotel from Joey? Would Jacob gotten into it? So many questions are there, but will never be answered since it never happened thanks to Helen.

Man did Al have a very emotional first night back. Remember in seventy-two of "Jacob" Al and Jacob had a heart to heart talk out side. Then Joey went up and had another heart to heart talk with Al. I wonder if Al was emotionally drained when he went to bed that night. I do not know about you guys, I would have been.

Are any of you surprised on how Al and Jacob dealt with Joey having to transfer to El Paso High? Al said all the right words, so did Jacob. That should not have been a surprise to anyone. What might have been a surprise is what else Jacob said to Joey when they talked. He opened up on how he felt. What do you guys think? Did he go too far? Should Jacob just forgive Joey and let it go? Tell me what you think about that plot.

It is good to see that Aaron is doing well, but as Dr. Whitmore said, it is going to take a long time for him to get over what happened to him, not only physically, but as well emotionally. Don't suspect Aaron waking up in the next couple of days and skipping to school. It is going to be a long time before he gets to that point, if he ever does.

It is good to see that Joey and the others are finally going to transfer out. We all knew that was gong to happen. That is if you are reading all the other sagas. We see how it came about and how Sam and the others landed up transferring as well. It is going to be rough at first like Joey said, but it will be a lot better at El Paso High than it has been at Austin High. I hope the guys give it a chance, which by the looks of it they are.

Again let me remind you guys to not forget about all the other open plots and characters out there. This story is less than a week behind Jacob and Alex's. We just go through the weekend that Jacob and the guys came down to help Joey and his group settle in. On top of that there is Beth, Dominic plots still open. As well as the dating situation between Fran and Allen and much, much more still to cover. So come on back and see how all that unfolds.

There is so much going on in this saga. I can keep writing, but I will not. You guys are going to need to tune in to the next chapter to see what is going on. More plots are going to open and old ones will be closed. This story, like my others, will keep you on your toes. Do not miss what is coming up in the chapters to come.

I do not want to say too much more and spoil the future chapters to come, so I will not. I warn you though! Do not skip a chapter, or you will be lost. There is a so much to answer in the chapters to come. Keep reading the future chapters, and enjoy! Please email me and let me know how I am doing at jacob@jacobmillertex.com, Thanks!}

EDITOR'S CORNER:

I am glad to be back with you after my trip to Europe! I was able to read all 4 stories thus keeping myself up-to-date. This chapter had to do a bit of repeating since the story timelines are a little apart, BUT I always like a refresher* and especially as Jacob has done here, old info but from a different person's perspective.

*At my stage of chronological giftedness, I do sometimes forget a detail or two! :-)

I am also glad to see signs of Joey's increasing maturity. It has not always been a smooth and easy 'journey' for him but the last paragraph of this chapter (STOP now and reread it) shows me good things about Joey!

When he volunteers a hotel key card to Principal (father) Haynes so that he is able to visit with Aaron, his son, at ANY time with ease, which is a huge step of caring and being sensitive to another person's most personal emotions and feelings. CONGRATULATIONS JOEY!

Yes, there are still a number of situations ahead of him and of us who follow him. But I trust Jacob to lead us through them in a timely way.

--Kent D. (SW Ohio area)