Tales from the Ranch

Disclaimer: The following story is a work of fiction. If you are offended by descriptions of homosexual acts or man/man relations, please exit this page.

TALES FROM THE RANCH Copyrightc 2003 by Tulsa Driller 7. All rights reserved.

This is a story of men who have two common interests. You will see that they love the land where they live and work, but it is also the story of young men who love other men and their coming of age in a culture of prejudice and misunderstanding. It is a story, which deals with difficult and often disturbing issues but, nonetheless, issues which must be confronted in today's world.

This is a work of fiction and in no way draws on the lives of any specific person or persons. Any similarity to actual persons or events is entirely coincidental. This work is copyrightedc by the author and may not be reproduced in any form without the specific written permission of the author. It is assigned to the Nifty Archives under the terms of their submission agreement but it may not be copied or archived on any other site without the written permission of the author.

PLEASE: In a perfect world AIDS doesn't exist. My characters have unprotected sex. I hope you use proper precautions because I'd like you to be around the read the last chapter of this story.

Tales from the Ranch Chapter 30: A Big Surprise

Monday morning dawned with overcast skies and light rain. This was the weather system that was supposed to arrive on Friday, but got stalled out in west Texas, dumping heavy rain in the mountains east of El Paso and had caused light flooding in the Midland, Odessa and San Angelo areas. When the storm front finally started moving again, the gulf moisture wasn't there to produce heavy rains when it reached the Williamsport area.

Dale had put Michael in charge of the crew and told them to work on Saturday and Sunday to get the wheat planted, unless it was raining. The Bar-W would pay overtime for the two days and then if the three wanted a "weekend" later in the week, they could have it.

Obviously, they couldn't work in the fields today, but there was plenty of work to do in cleaning up the equipment they had been using in the new fields. That was one thing that Dale was really strict on. Clean up the equipment and make sure it's ready to use when you store it. That way, if it was needed quickly, it was ready to go.

This wouldn't have any effect on the construction of the new house as all the work was finished on the outside, except for painting and the siding was pre-primed, anyway. The sheetrock crew had arrived on Friday morning and didn't waste any time getting that project underway. Dale and Craig had checked the progress when they arrived from Waco on Sunday afternoon. Two men had been working on each floor and had completed about half the work. The sheetrock had been put on the ceilings and lower half of the walls. Ray and Craig had been right, the rooms had taken on definition and dimension and one could tell exactly how they were going to look. 'The men should certainly be pleased with these living quarters,' he thought.

He and Craig had a great time in Waco with the two Williamson families, Mort and Margie Parker and Lee and Adele Baker. The women had teased Craig, trying to get him to go shopping with them, but he politely declined. They were serious about it as none would have minded having a handsome hunk along with them, but Craig wasn't into shopping and wanted to spend his time with Dale. He fit in well with the other men, although he didn't know anything about horses.

So, that Monday morning Dale and Craig woke early and took their time getting the day started, lying in bed playing with each other. Things were just getting interesting when the telephone rang.

Craig answered it, wondering who could be calling at 7 a.m. on a Monday morning. A man, who identified himself as a social worker for the Veteran's Administration in Houston, asked if he was speaking to Dale.

"No, just a moment," Craig told him, holding the receiver for Dale to take.

"Hello?" Dale answered.

"Dale, my name is Jay McCormick and I'm a Social Worker for the Veteran's Hospital in Houston."

Dale's first thought was about his father.

"Yes?"

"Are you Dale Joseph Richards and do you have a father by the name of "Joseph Sullivan" who is also known as "Jolly Joe" Sullivan?"

"Yes. to both questions," Dale said, wondering what was going on. By this time he was sitting on the edge of the bed and Craig had moved around to sit beside him.

"Dale, according to Joe, he hasn't seen you for about eleven years."

"That's about right," Dale agreed.

"He was admitted to the Veteran's Hospital here in Houston on Friday night. He has lung cancer and, quite frankly, he's in bad shape and probably doesn't have a lot of time left. He's refusing any treatment except for some pain medication."

Dale was suddenly numb. Here was this man he had never known, surfacing in his life again, the first time when he had gotten his mother pregnant, the second time when he was thirteen years old and again, eleven years later when he was twenty-four. 'What was all this about?' he wondered.

"Okay, what am I supposed to do?" Dale asked.

"He would like to see you and I'm calling to see if you can come to Houston today or tomorrow. I know it's short notice, but I tried to reach you on Saturday and found that your phone number had changed, then couldn't get an answer at this number," Jay told him.

"Yes, I moved about a month ago and we were out of town for the Central Texas Horse Show in Waco over the weekend."

"I know it's short notice, but would you come see him? It really is important to him as he needs to talk to you."

"Just a minute," Dale told him.

He put his hand over the mouthpiece and hurriedly explained the situation to Craig.

"Do you want to see him?" Craig asked, putting his arm around Dale.

"He's dying. and wants to see me," Dale said, with tears in his eyes. He didn't know why he was tearing up, but it was an emotional request.

"If you want to go see him, I'll go with you," Craig told him, giving him a little kiss on the cheek.

"Mr. McCormick?" Dale asked.

"Yes."

"I guess that we can be there today in the early afternoon. I have some things that need to be taken care of at the ranch, but we should be able to get away from here shortly before 10 o'clock. How long does it take to get to Houston from west of Austin?" he asked.

"It's around 200 miles and it's probably faster to take Highway 183 from Austin to I-10 instead of going through San Antonio. It's a good, wide road. I've driven it many times."

Dale quickly wrote down the information, along with directions to the Veteran's Hospital and was told to go to Jay McCormick's office first.

After telling him they should be able to be there by 1 p.m., Dale hung up the telephone.

"What's going on?" Craig asked.

"I'm really confused about all this. He's ignored me all my life and now that he's dying, he wants to see me. Am I supposed to forgive him or is he supposed to forgive me?"

Craig did his best to comfort Dale, gathering him in his arms. Dale put his head on Craig's shoulder and suddenly was sobbing, almost out of control.

"I never wanted anything from him. I don't even know him. The only thing he ever did was to pay for my college and then I had to use most of that money to take care of my mother when she was dying."

"I know. It sucks, but maybe seeing each other will be good for both of you. Let's go see him and you'll at least have a chance to tell him goodbye. I guess this is better than just receiving a notice that he died," Craig told him.

"You're probably right. It's just that I almost never think about him and all of a sudden. here he is again. Maybe he just needs me to pay to bury him. I don't know."

"You go get started in the bathroom and I'll start the coffee and get some juice for us. I'll call Don and tell him that I need to go to Houston with you, and then it wouldn't hurt if I wash a few more things to take with us. Do you think we should plan to stay overnight?" Craig asked.

"I don't know what's involved, but maybe it wouldn't hurt to be prepared. Maybe I'll have to make funeral arrangements or something," Dale replied sadly.

"Go get cleaned up. You'll feel better," Craig said.

They started their morning routine, but didn't shower together as usual. By the time Craig was through shaving, Dale was getting out of the shower. Craig went back to the kitchen to get coffee, then showered while Dale was starting to dress for the day. He put on a newer pair of Levis, his best boots, then a polo shirt. As he put his watch on, he decided to wear his ring since he wouldn't be working on any equipment today.

Dale called Mort from the kitchen.

"Mort," he said when he answered.

"Yeah."

"Mort, this is Dale and I've got a situation that I need to take care of today."

"Oh, anything I can do to help you?"

Dale explained the situation with his father being in the hospital in Houston, then ended up. "I'm going out to the Bar-W after a bit. Looks like it's going to be too wet for the crew to drill wheat or work ground today, but I want the guys to clean up equipment before it's stored. They also need to clean out the hen house, the horse barn and the milk area. Then I'd like them to prepare an inventory listing of all the parts we have in stock so I can see if there is anything we need to order to have on hand."

"I'll meet you out there a little after 8 o'clock and we can see what needs to be done and how much ground got worked over the weekend," Mort said.

After he hung up from talking to Mort, Dale called Marty to let him know what was going on.

Mrs. Wood answered the telephone and routed the call to Marty.

"Morning, Dale. How are you today?" Marty said, wondering why Dale was calling him.

"Hello Marty, sorry to call so early."

"It's not a problem, Dale, we're ready to go downstairs for breakfast and the boys are probably not too far from being ready to go to school. What's going on?" he asked.

Dale explained the development in Houston.

"Craig and I are going to try to get away from here about 10 o'clock and I don't know if we will need to stay over or not. I guess we'll know more when we get there and meet with the Social Worker for the V.A."

"Don't worry about things here. Have you called Mort?" Marty asked.

"Yes, just before I called you. He's going to meet me a little after 8 o'clock."

"Okay, Dale, thanks for letting me know. And. good luck. I know this won't be easy for you, but all of us will be thinking of you in our prayers."

"Thanks, Marty," Dale said. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes again.

Craig came to the kitchen as Dale was hanging up the telephone.

"I'll called Mort and he's going to meet me at the ranch a little after 8 o'clock. Then I called Marty to tell him what's going on."

"No problems?" asked Craig.

"None," replied Dale.

Dale arrived back at their condo about 9:30. Craig had just finishing pressing some chinos and cloth shirts for them to take.

"Playing housewife?" he teased.

"Yeah," Craig smiled. "But I know you can do this, too."

"That's right, but I could have ironed my own clothes."

"I didn't really 'iron' them," Craig said. "There were just a few wrinkles that didn't shake out when I took them out of the drier."

Craig had the suitcase packed and ready to close, showing him what he'd put in and what he had hanging in their garment bag. The toiletry case was ready, also. All Craig had to do was put on a pair of pants and shirt. He decided to dress like Dale but wore a green shirt instead of a blue one.

They locked the apartment and carried their things to the parking lot.

"Let's take the Blazer. We may have some things to bring back to Williamsport and might as well have the extra room available if we do," Dale said. However, Dale couldn't imagine his father having anything he'd want.

Their route took them around Austin on the south side and they followed it to US-183, making a right turn to take that highway to I-10.

The sun had come out before they left Williamsport and the road was already dry. There hadn't been very much rain. They stopped for fast food in a town called Katy, on the west edge of Houston.

Craig was as good at navigating, as he was a driver. They easily found the V.A. Medical complex and parked in the lot closest to the entrance, then made their way inside the building. Jay McCormick's office was easy to find and they gave their name to the receptionist, who told them he would be available shortly.

After a short wait, they were taken to his office.

Jay McCormick was probably about 45 years old, a very good- looking man who had kept himself in shape. He greeted Dale, who introduced Craig as his 'partner' hoping that Jay would pick up on the meaning.

"Dale, I'm pleased to meet you. You too, Craig," shaking hands with both. He motioned to the two chairs in front of his desk.

"Thank you for coming to Houston on such short notice. I'm sorry the circumstances of your visit are what they are, but I need to give you some history as to what is going on and why I need to talk to you."

He began the story.

"Did you know that your father had served in the Navy and was in Vietnam for one tour?"

"I just remember him saying that he'd been there and that he'd been in the Navy."

"He was there for one tour of duty in 1974. He became ill shortly after arriving back in the states. He responded to the treatments. At the time they didn't know what caused the problem. Now we think it was exposure to the Agent Orange used to kill foliage on trees to try to eliminate hiding places for enemy troops. And, this could very well be the cause of his lung cancer.

"Anyway, shortly after coming back stateside he was stationed at the San Diego Naval Base for two years, working on a maintenance crew aboard various ships. As you know, he was a steamfitter and there was no lack of work. In fact, when he got out of the service he went to work for the company that had the contracts on the maintenance. He was doing the same job, just getting paid with a different check. About a year later, he took a job in Galveston, working for a company that builds offshore drilling rigs.

"He met a woman by the name of Valerie Miller and they moved in together. She became pregnant and they married shortly before a son was born."

Dale and Craig both looked startled.

"They named the son, who was born in 1976, Joseph Dale Sullivan, Jr."

Both of their jaws dropped.

"I didn't ever know what his middle name was. My name is Dale Joseph Richards. That's because he and my mother weren't married, although his name is on my birth certificate. I knew his name was Joseph, but I always thought the Dale was for my great-grandfather, my grandmother's father. I know my mother wanted to name me for my father, but my grandparents wouldn't hear of it. Oh, man, I can't believe this."

"Well, Dale, you have a 14-year old half-brother who goes by the name of Joey."

Dale and Craig didn't know what to say. They certainly hadn't expected this information.

"Now, to further complicate things, Valerie left your father and the boy about 10 years ago. We have no idea where she is. Your father filed a petition for full custody about 3 years later and also got a divorce, charging her with desertion. It is a valid divorce and custody, so she can't claim the boy, even if she did show up here."

"Wha.?" Dale started to ask.

Craig reached for Dale's hand and held it, a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by Jay McCormick.

"May I ask a personal question?" Jay asked, looking at each of them.

"Yes," Dale said, realizing that Craig had his right hand in his left.

"Are you fellows gay. a couple?"

Dale wondered where this question was going, but answered 'yes'.

"Good, this may make this a little easier for all of us."

"What do you mean?" Dale queried.

"Dale, your father is gay. maybe bi-sexual. but the reason his wife left him is because she caught the UPS man and him in bed. Joe says that she went into a screaming fit and called him all kinds of names, said she didn't want to ever see him or their son again. She packed up and moved out of the house that night. As I said, they have no idea where she went."

"Oh, brother!!!" Dale groaned. He looked at Craig.

"This means that when he came to see me and left the money for my college, that I already had a half-brother."

"That's interesting," Craig said.

"Can you fill me in on this?" Jay asked. "I think I've already heard the story, so maybe we can fill in the blanks for each other."

Dale started.

"During the summer after I was 13, he showed up at our door, unannounced on a Sunday afternoon. My grandfather answered the door and let him in. I was in my room, studying, so he called me out to meet my father. My mother and grandmother were out playing Bingo somewhere, so grandpa went to look for them, to bring them back to the house.

"My father didn't stay very long, but he told me a little bit about being in the Navy, going to Vietnam and that he worked for a construction company in Galveston. He was kind of nervous and said he had to get back to Galveston. He left before any of my family got home, but he left an envelope with a savings passbook. The account had been closed out, but there was a cashier's check for about $15,000. He wrote a letter saying he was sorry he hadn't been around to see me grow up or sent money for my needs, but hoped the money could be used for me to go to college."

Jay told them, "The only thing I can add to that is he couldn't bring himself to tell you he had another child - that you had a half-brother. He was also dealing with his sexuality at that point. He was married to his wife, but was carrying on with other men, too."

"I can't believe that my father is gay. Do you think that's the reason I am?" he asked Craig.

"No, I don't think that has anything to do with it. My father didn't make me gay," Craig said. Then he added, "Besides, you didn't even know your father."

"Yeah, guess you are right. Not that it makes any difference. I'm happy. and I've got you."

Jay was a little embarrassed, but his training as a social worker had prepared him for about any situation thrown his way. These men were very masculine in appearance and seemed to have their heads screwed on straight. and certainly seemed like good role models for a child.

"Dale, Craig, may I have some background information on you fellows? I'd like to know a little bit about each of you because there are some decisions coming up regarding Joey. Right now he's staying with Joe's aunt, but she isn't in good health and can barely take care of herself. There is no other family, except for some cousins who live in Oregon."

"Are you asking me to take him. to provide a home for him?" Dale questioned.

"We'll get to that after you fellows answer some questions for me, if you will, please?"

"Sure," Dale said. Now he was curious.

"Okay, Dale, let's start with you.

Jay ran through his list of questions regarding age, education, employment, annual earnings, hobbies, where he lived, did he go to church, did he have pets. The list seemed to go on and on, Dale answering the questions, and then Jay filled out a sheet by asking Craig the same questions.

He seemed quite surprised when he asked how long they had been together and they told him just four weeks, but that it was permanent.

Jay had the impression that Dale worked on the Bar-W as a laborer and was pleased to learn that he was the manager. and at such a young age. That was a lot of responsibility and told him a lot about his abilities in dealing with people and details.

He was also pleased that Craig was a professional person, in partnership with another architect and was thinking they would be expanding their company in another year.

When he had the sheets filled out, he leaned back in his chair. "Now let me tell you about Joe Junior or Joey, as he is called."

He pulled a file from his desk drawer and started reading and talking. "Joseph Dale Sullivan, Jr. was born June 29, 1976 here in Houston. Your father was 31 years old when he was born and Valerie was 28. She claimed to be from Flagstaff, Arizona, but we couldn't find any trace of her family having lived there. Valerie was supposed to have an older brother and a younger sister, but we don't know their names and school records don't show anything, so maybe her maiden name wasn't Miller. She might have been married before, but your father doesn't know, either.

"Your father has full custody of the boy, so she can't make a claim on him. and he has a valid divorce with desertion by her as the grounds, or reason.

Joey is in the 9th grade at Remington Middle School. He has been an honor student all through middle school, usually on the "A" Honor Roll. He's interested in baseball and also plays soccer. He's in Boy Scouts, First Class rank and is hoping to get on the debate team.

He knows of his father's sexual preference as Joe has had several men living with them over the last few years. He's not entirely comfortable with it, but it's not been a problem and I think he's accepted it.

"Let's see, he works out some, is 5'11", weighs 160 pounds. He has brown eyes and brown hair and is a good looking boy." He handed Dale a couple of pictures for he and Craig to look at. In one, he was wearing a suit and the other was in a baseball uniform, posing in batting position. Dale did a double take. Those pictures could have been him when he was 14.

"Sounds like a good kid. Is he hostile about the fact that his. our. father is dying?" Dale asked.

"Yes, he's very upset about it, but realizes that it is something he has no control over. I've interviewed him twice and he seems to have a lot of self-control. He and his father have had an excellent relationship and they seem to have complete trust in each other."

"That's good to know," said Dale. "So, what do we do now?" He and Craig both knew what the next question was going to be.

"His biggest concern is being placed in a foster home and becoming part of a system that really doesn't work for any of the kids, but especially a good one, like him. Would you. both of you. be willing to provide him a home and see to his needs?" Jay asked.

Dale and Craig looked at each other and silently nodded their heads. Jay saw that there was no hesitation on the part of either.

"Okay, that's what I was hoping to hear and the way you support each other in this makes me feel all the better about it."

Dale spoke up. "I don't think this should be just our decision. I think we need to talk to Joey and find out what he expects of us and what we might expect of him."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Jay said. We can have him brought over here after he gets out of classes this afternoon."

They agreed.

Jay continued. "Now that we have some of the preliminaries out of the way, we need to go upstairs and talk to your father, Dale. Craig, you come along, too, I think Joe would like to meet you."

As they walked to the middle of the building to take an elevator to the cancer floor, Jay explained about Joe's condition. "He looks pretty good, although he's lost weight. He's alert and can talk to you. He's on pain medication and oxygen, but is completely lucid, although that may not last long as they have to give him stronger and stronger dosages to control his pain. They discovered about three weeks ago that the tumor had metastasized and now the cancer is in his liver and kidneys, so the prognosis is not good. His skin is starting to take on a yellow pallor due to the buildup of waste in his bloodstream. They can keep him comfortable, but treatment is a waste of time.

"He signed a 'do not resuscitate' form yesterday and has refused dialysis as he doesn't want to prolong this. He thinks it's too hard on himself and especially Joey to see him waste away."

"He's smart," Dale said. "My mother died of a brain tumor and that was her wish, that she not be kept alive just for the sake of keeping her alive."

"You may be asked to make that decision for Joe, when the time comes, Dale. Joey can't do it because he's a minor and Joe's aunt was upset when we talked to her about it."

By this time, they were at the door of Joe's room.

"Let me go in first and talk to him, then I'll come back and get you both. We just don't want to surprise him by all of us walking in together," Jay said.

Dale and Craig talked quietly while waiting for Jay to come get them.

"Hon, are you okay with this? I could find an apartment and he and I live there," Dale said.

"Are you out of your mind?" Craig asked, giving Dale a full hug. "We are together, a couple and couples help each other. There is no way that I would allow you to even think such a thing."

"Okay, I just didn't want to drag you into something that might cause a problem. After all, it is your place."

"It's our place. Your name may not be on the deed yet, but it is as much yours as it's mine," Craig said, giving Dale another hug.

Jay stuck his head out the door. "Come on in, fellows, Joe wants to see both of you."

They followed Jay into the room. Craig was at a loss for words. Joe looked like an older, though not healthy, version of Dale. The hair was the same, except Joe's was graying. The eyes were the same, except Joe's didn't seem as alert, which was understandable. The facial features were the same, right down to their mustaches. Lying in bed, it was hard to tell if they were the same height, although Dale probably outweighed him by at least 20 pounds.

Dale, too, was astounded, it was like looking at himself in a mirror that had made him age 20 years.

Joe was propped up in the bed. He was also surprised when he saw his son. Dale had turned out to be a fine looking man and he certainly could see himself at a younger age in Dale's features.

"Dale?" Joe asked, reaching out for the man he hadn't seen for 11 years, and then only for about a half hour. This was only the second time he'd seen Dale.

Dale went to his bedside, started to reach out to shake hands and changed his mind. He, instead, leaned over to give him a hug. Both men had tears in their eyes when Dale stood up.

"I'm sorry you have to see me like this, Dale, but I can't help it.

"Dad. I've missed not having you around."

Dale turned around. Craig was standing there beside Jay. Dale motioned him over.

"Dad. this is my partner, Craig. Craig Bastian. He drove down with me today."

"Hello, Craig. I'm pleased to meet you, too, but I'm sorry I'm flat on my back."

Craig shook his hand and said, "I'm pleased to meet you, sir."

Joe looked at both men for a little bit, and then asked, "Dale, did you say your partner?"

"Yes, Dad. Craig and I are lovers. We've not been together for very long, but we're committed to each other and plan to have a formal ceremony sometime soon. I want to be baptized and confirmed in our church before we do that, though."

"Oh, Dale. I guess Jay's told you about me. I was never lucky enough to have a lover. one that lasted, anyway.

"I'm having a hard time believing this. Jay just called me this morning about 7 o'clock and this is a pretty rushed event that's taking place for me today, finding out you are ill, that I have a half-brother and that you are gay, too," Dale told him.

"Well, some people would say I'm 'bi-sexual' but I think I'm more gay than anything. Sure I have two sons, but I was trying to prove something to myself - and I did. I have two boys, but I'm gay."

"Jay, can these fellows stay and visit for a while? I'd like to get to know them better," Joe asked.

"Sure, I think they have the time. And. we're going to pick Joey up at school and bring him here so they can meet him, too. Joe, the good news is that Dale and Craig are willing to give Joey a home and see to his needs."

Joe burst out crying, and was having a hard time getting his breath. Dale leaned down and tried to comfort him, to let him know it was okay.

When Joe regained his composure, he told Dale and Craig to pull chairs up to his bed so they could visit.

"Jay, if you want to stay and listen to us sit and lie to each other, that's fine, but if you have work to do, then go do it because I want to talk to these men."

"As a matter of fact, I do have things to do. You aren't the only patient in this hospital, you know," he teased. "When Joey gets here, I'll call up to the room and have Dale and Craig come back to my office to meet him. Then all of you can talk to each other after that. Okay?" Jay asked.

"Okay. Now go get us a bottle of bourbon and our visit will be even better," he laughed.

Jay said, "As much as I'd like to do that, I don't think your liver or kidneys could handle it."

He waved as he left the room. "Be sure to answer the phone when I call back up here in about - oh probably in an hour."

Dale and Craig were both surprised at the ease with which their conversation with Joe went. Dale wanted some family history and Joe answered those questions about his grandparents and other relatives. There was some family living in Oregon, but Joe hadn't had any contact with them for years.

Joe told Dale about the missing years - all 24 of them, hitting the high points. Then he wanted to know about Dale and his job.

"I work for the Williamson family and am general manager of the Bar-W Ranch. They just promoted me about three weeks ago. They are good people to work for and treat all of their employee's really well."

"That was a big place when I was in Williamsport. How large is it now?"

"We just purchased 3 sections of land so it's over 17,000 acres now. About 27 square miles," Dale said.

"And my son runs it. I'm really proud of you, Dale. I know I've never been part of your life, but there were very few days that went by that I didn't think about you, wondering what you were doing, how you were getting along in the world and what you looked like. I know I should have tried to contact you a long time ago, but I was just too chicken to do it. Although I always had a good job in the construction industry, I guess I was kind of ashamed of myself for not marrying your mother, and then getting married to another woman and having a kid with her, too."

Joe wanted to know about Craig, too, and Craig filled him in on the pertinent information he thought he would be interested in.

Joe settled back. "Just so you fellows know, because with this Jay fellow, I don't have any secrets anymore. Joey won't be a financial burden on you. I've made some good investments over the years and also have quite a bit of insurance. Money has already been put into a trust fund for Joey and we'll make you the administrator of it, if you take him. I've got a nice home in a good section of town and it may bring as much as $250 thousand when you go to sell it. If you take Joey, I'll put that in your name and you can do whatever you want with it. Maybe you'll want to sell it and use the money to build a house for the three of you. I think I know where you might find an architect, right Craig?"

Craig smiled and nodded his head.

"Now, when it comes to my funeral, I want to be cremated and you can do whatever you want with my ashes. You can scatter them, bury them or flush them down the stool for all I care. I don't know where I'll end up going, but I'm sure I won't need my body either place." He laughed.

They had talked about an hour when the telephone rang. Dale answered it, listened for a minute, then hung up after saying, "We'll be down in a few minutes."

"Was that Jay?" Joe questioned.

"Yes, he wants us to come to his office to meet Joey, then we're all to come back up here," Dale answered.

"Dale, you don't know what a relief this is to me. I hate to burden you. and Craig. with taking care of Joey, but he and I have been pretty tight as we only had each other. You can trust him, guys. He's a good kid and just needs someone to love him like I have. I think you guys can do that because I sense that you love each other and are committed to each other for the long haul. Am I right?"

"Yes," both answered together.

"Good, now I need to take a little nap before all of you come back up here, so go!" he commanded.

Dale and Craig left the room and headed toward the elevator. They passed a small chapel that was empty. Dale reached for Craig's hand. Come with me. Let's talk about this a little before we go back to meet Joey."

They went in and sat in a pew facing each other.

"Am I. no. are we. crazy to even think we can do this?" Dale asked.

"How can we not? I know we haven't met him yet, but he sounds like a decent boy and there isn't anyone else who can do this for him. You heard Jay said that the foster care system doesn't work very well for any of the kids and the good kids get lost in the shuffle, too," Craig said.

"I know. but it's not fair to you. We have hardly gotten settled with each other and now we're talking about become parents to a teen-age boy. We've got to think of ourselves as well as him," Dale said, a little worried.

"Hon, I know this is happening all too quickly, but your heart and my heart are in the right place. It's not like we don't have people to support us. There's the people at church, your work, my work, some of our other friends, the D/I group at church. If you want to do this and I think we both do, then let's go meet Joey and see how he feels about us.

"He's going to have reservations about moving to a new town, going to a new school and leaving all of his friends behind. Plus, he's going to be living with two strangers and we only have to learn to live with one. This isn't going to be as easy for him as it might be for us," Craig said.

Dale agreed.

"Let's say a prayer. for Joe, for Joey and for us," Craig said.

They knelt, next to each other and asked for guidance in their actions.

They stood up, gave each other a hug and kiss, then headed to the elevator.

In the meantime, Jay was talking to Joey in his office.

"Joey, we located your half-brother this morning. He drove to Houston to see your. his father this afternoon. They are in his room talking to him now, getting acquainted."

"Neat," Joey said.

"Do you know anything about your half-brother at all?" Jay asked.

"Not very much. Dad talks about him from time to time, but the only time he ever saw him was when Dale was about 13 years old. He told me that he didn't stay very long because he got cold feet."

"Let me tell you a little bit about what I found out in talking to him. Dale is gay and has a friend that lives with him. Both of the men are very nice people and I think you will like them. Dale and Craig - that's his friend or lover - didn't know about you until I talked to them this afternoon. Dale is the General Manager for a large ranch, called the Bar-W, close to Williamsport, that's about 30 miles west of Austin."

"That's far out. They live on a ranch?" Joey was excited.

"No, they don't live on the ranch. They live on the 5th floor of an apartment building. The ranch is less than eight miles from where they live. Williamsport is a really small town compared to Houston.

"Do they have horses and cows. and all kind of neat things other ranches have?"

"I assume they do, but you'll have to ask Dale because he and I didn't talk about that.

"When will I get to meet Dale. and Craig?" Joey asked. "Do you think they'll like me and want me to live with them?"

"They will be down after you and I are through talking and I call them, okay?"

"Sure."

"Joey, we need to talk about things. In the first place, if they decide to take you to live with them, you have to remember that they live 200 miles away. That means you will be going to live with strange people you don't know, all of your old friends will still live in Houston, but hopefully, you will be able to make lots of new friends, because you will be going to a different school.

"We're going to have to establish some ground rules here. You know, things like what you expect of them, what they expect of you. It's going to be different than living with your father. The two of you trust each other and at this point you don't know if you can trust Dale and Craig and they don't know if they can trust you.

"Sure, I think they are nice people, but what if you get into a problem with them and you are unhappy as a result? You are not going to be able to just walk out because there isn't anywhere else for you to go. They aren't going to adopt you - at least we haven't talked about that yet - but they will have full custody and it will be the same thing as having new parents.

"You could go into the foster care program, but those people who become your temporary parents are usually in the business for the money rather than providing a wholesome, healthy atmosphere. Dale and Craig would be willing to take you because you are Dale's family. Dale doesn't have any other family, his grandparents and mother are dead and he never knew your father, like you do. So, you have a lot to think about in the next few days. Maybe. and this might be a good idea. you could go home with them for a few days and look the town over, spend some time with them and check out the schools and see about meeting some new friends."

"Yeah, that would be kind of neat. It would be kinda like taking a vacation and spending it with some cousins, or somebody, I didn't know ahead of time."

"Let me have them come down here and you can meet them," Jay said, picking up the telephone.

It was a good ten minutes before there was a knock at Jay's door. He was beginning to think they had made a wrong turn and was about to have them paged.

Jay went to the door to let them in.

Joey was surprised. "Wow, you look just like my dad," he said to Dale. "Only he looks older than you."

Dale laughed. "That's probably because he is 21 years older than me."

Jay spoke up. "Joey, I guess you've already figured out who your brother is. This man is Craig Bastain, Dale's partner.

Joey was polite and shook hands with both, saying, "Pleased to meet 'ya."

Dale replied, "Well, I'm glad to meet you, Joey. And as far as people looking alike, I have some pictures at home that were taken when I was about 14 and it's pretty easy to tell that you and I are brothers from looking at them.

Craig offered his hand, too. "I'm pleased to meet you, also, Joey.

Dale was looking at Joey, seeing himself at that age. Joey had apparently sailed through puberty at an early age, like himself. His voice was that of a mature teen, deep and sure, no wavering up and down in pitch. He appeared to need to shave at least every other day and maybe everyday. He was dressed in Levis, a pullover, athletic shoes and an over-shirt that wasn't buttoned. It was obvious that he worked out some as he had a muscular chest and trim waist. Add some weight and a little height which would come naturally in a few years and Dale could see that they would look almost alike. He liked what he saw, although not from a sexual interest. The Sullivan genes were good genes and were dominate in each of them.

"Do you really run a big ranch? Do you have horses and cows. and other farm animals?" Joey asked. He was really excited.

"Yes we have about 25,000 cows and steers and there are about 4,500 horses. There are a few buffalo on the land. We thought one time about raising them for meat, but they aren't as stable as cattle. We've got all kinds of ducks and geese, and Jason and Kevin have had lambs and goats for their 4-H projects."

"Who are Jason and Kevin? Are they my age?" Joey asked.

"No, they are the children and grandchildren of the people who own the ranch. Jason is 11 and Kevin is 9. They are neat kids and just recently got two new collie puppies that are about 12 weeks old. They are a lot of fun.

"Jason is in Boy Scouts. In fact he just went to his first campout. There is a campground on the ranch that the troop uses."

"That's neat. Maybe he can be one of my new friends, although I'd like somebody older, closer to my age. I'm in Boy Scouts, too. I got my First-Class last spring."

"There are plenty of kids in Williamsport. The schools don't have as many students, so it's probably easier to meet kids and make new friends. Jason plays soccer and I've helped coach little league ball."

"Cool. That's a lot of cows and horses. Can I learn how to ride a horse?"

"Sure, we have six saddle horses that the family uses for riding and they keep them in a corral close to their house. It's easy to learn to ride. The tough part is learning to put the saddle and bridle on so you can ride."

"Jay. Mr. McCormick said that maybe I could go to Williamsport with you. kinda like for a vacation and see if I want to live there."

Jay laughed. "Joey, you are getting ahead of me on this. I haven't talked to Dale and Craig about that, yet."

Craig spoke up. "That might be a good idea. Williamsport is certainly different than Houston. It's a lot smaller and people are better acquainted with each other for that reason. It's easy to meet people there and make new friends."

Jay spoke. "Fellows, all of you. We've talked some about the three of you living together. In the case of Dale and Craig, it's the same thing as adopting a child, one that doesn't know them and they don't know him - in this case the child's name is Joey.

"In Joey's case, he's getting two new parents - two dads, if you will - and he doesn't know them either.

"Now Joey, if you decide to live with Dale and Craig, they will become your parents and it's going to be them who have to approve of things you want to do, like play on the ball team, go to school dances, where you can go, who you can invite over, what time you have to be at home, seeing to it that you maintain your grades, that you have your homework done and probably a couple of hundred more things I can't think of right now.

"By the same token, we don't want them to be unreasonable about things, but if you get into a disagreement with them, you can't just walk out because there isn't anywhere for you to go. Your father is going to sign over custodial rights and that essentially means Dale - and Craig - is your new father and you are their new son.

"So, I think the best thing for all three of you to do is get acquainted, maybe go somewhere to eat tonight. Joey, do you have any homework that has to be turned in tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I have an Algebra assignment that's about half finished and I have to read two chapters in my history book."

"Okay. I just want you to know that Dale was an honor student and studied history and that Craig was valedictorian of his high school class, so you have two people who will want to see you maintain your place on the honor roll, too. I'm sure they will be fair taskmasters.

"Joey, why don't you go on up to see your father and I'll bring Dale and Craig along shortly."

"Okay, Mr. McCormick. See you guys after a bit," he said as he went out the door.

"It seems like your first meeting with Joey went okay. Sorry he pulled the thing about going to Williamsport for a visit. I wanted to talk to you about it first, but he clearly is excited about the idea, anyway."

"That's not a problem. In fact, I think it's an excellent idea. What do you think, Craig?" Dale asked.

"I agree. Williamsport is a nice town and it is a good place to raise children. I just hope that Joey is capable of making new friends quickly, because that will keep his mind off his friends in Houston. We can certainly get him involved in outside activities, but also don't want to push him too hard," Craig said.

"When do you men have to go home?" Jay asked.

"We came prepared to spend the night, but we really need to go home tomorrow afternoon. We can come back over the weekend, if we need to," Dale said.

"Are you willing to take Joey for a visit and bring him back over the weekend, maybe Sunday afternoon? I can get his class assignments from his teachers in the morning. Since he's an honor roll student, it shouldn't be any problem to get him out of class for three days," Jay told them.

"I think it's a reasonable idea. He can see where he's going to be living and we can see to it that he meets some young people his age. He can see where we both work and see what the town is all about," Dale said.

"Okay, let me see what I can do," Jay told them.

"Before we go upstairs again, we need to ask you something. Joe started talking about investments, trust funds, his house and so on. What do you know about his financial affairs? Is it anything you can share with us?" Dale asked.

"Yes, that is another thing in his folder and I intended to get to it tomorrow because I wanted to be sure you were doing this out of love for Joey instead of the money involved. But, I can see that's true with no problem.

"Joe has plenty of money. He's made some good investments - he had a Navy buddy that is a stockbroker - so he's accumulated a lot of stocks and other securities. This has been put into a trust fund for Joey and it should keep growing if the market stays good. There is something like $1.3 million in that fund. He has about $375,000 in life insurance, again going to Joey, although I think there is one $20,000 policy naming his aunt as beneficiary and another one made out to you for $50,000. The majority of the insurance money should be invested and if you take custody of Joey, you will also become administrator of his trust. It's set up so he gets the principal either when he completes a master's degree in his chosen field or when he turns 25.

"Now the other thing Joe proposed is the disposition of his house. It's in a good neighborhood and is probably worth about $250,000 plus furnishings, so maybe $300,000. He proposed signing that over to you if you take Joey, so he wouldn't be a financial burden on you. Of course, at the time we talked about this, we hadn't located you and neither of us had any idea about your own personal finances. Regardless, I would suggest you sell the house and anything Joey doesn't want - or you don't want - and invest the money, taking a reasonable sum each year for Joey's expenses, health care, clothing, whatever he needs to take care of him. Probably by the time he's a senior, he'll want a car. That's not unreasonable in Williamsport. Here in Houston, we're trying to get the age for driving raised to 21.

"So, Joey is set for life without financial worries. He should be able to start a business, or if he invests the money carefully, he could live well. As for you and Craig, you would have help from the sale of the house and the investment income that generates. In addition, as a minor child he is eligible for Social Security payments until he's 18-years old. In other words, guys, Joey is not going to cause you financial problems and still have everything he needs."

"That's more or less what Joe told us. We're not worried about the money. He can live with us regardless of his finances. Certainly we could take care of him ourselves, we'd just have to do it more carefully," Dale said.

"Okay. That sounds good to me. Let's go see Joe and Joey and visit for a short time. I'll talk to him about some of the details in the morning and get permission for Joey to miss 3 days of school. Maybe tonight you can go to Joe's house and help Joey get clothing and other things he needs for his trip."

Joey was excited about meeting Dale and Craig and was bubbling over as he greeted his Dad. "Mr. McCormick thought it might be a good idea for me to go home with them for a few days, kind of like a vacation, and see if I like them and the town where they live. Dale said they have horses that I can ride at the ranch.

"He and Craig seem like pretty nice guys, Joey. Do you have any problem with them being gay?" Joe asked.

"They love each other, Dad. I guess I'll be getting two new Dads and I still won't have a mother."

"Is that going to be a problem? You know, sometimes other kids don't understand and try to bully you about it," Joe told him.

"That happens sometimes here, but there are other kids in my class that have two Dad's or even two Mom's.

"Williamsport is a smaller town, Joey, you just will have to be careful who you talk to about this. Just don't announce it to the world, because that's asking for trouble. You will need to talk to them about how they feel about it. They can help you decide what to say and answer those questions for you. After all, that's where they live," Joe told him.

"Okay Dad. I'm sure going to miss you. I wish you weren't sick."

Joey started sobbing and went to his father for comfort. Joe held him the best he could, patting him on the back and soothing him.

The door opened and Dale entered the room, followed by Craig and Jay. Dale knew how Joey felt. He'd been through it about 4 years earlier when he lost his mother. His heart ached for Joey because he was so young, not that there was ever a "right age" for these things, but he wasn't self-sufficient as Dale had been.

Joey turned around and embraced Dale, then Craig walked up on the other side and held Joey, too. Joe was pleased to see that show of affection from Joey's new Dads.

After a frank discussion with Jay listening and contributing his thoughts, it was agreed that Dale and Craig give Joey time to do his homework, then they could take him to his home to get clothes needed for the trip. After they ate, Dale and Craig would return him to his aunt's home.

Jay would get permission for Joey to miss school for three days. Dale and Craig could pick him up at school and would have his suitcase with them. The two men could spend time with both Jay and Joe on Tuesday morning, working their way through the legal and logistical problems they would encounter.

Joey retreated to a corner of the room and used a small table for his desk. Craig and Dale each looked at his homework when it was completed and Craig questioned the way an Algebra problem was worked. He arrived at the same answer when he did it his way and told Joey he needed to discuss the method with his teacher.

They told Joe good evening and said they would see him the next morning. Both embraced him as they left, then Joey was next.

"Take good care of these guys, Joey, I think they are the answer to your prayers," Joe told him.

Jay wrote out the directions to Joe and Joey's house. Although Joey had a door key, Joe gave them his key ring and explained the alarm system.

Although the house was on the other side (northern) of Houston, the freeway system, although crowded, took them to the house in a short time. They parked on the driveway and Joey went in first and disarmed the alarm system. His first mission was to go to the backdoor and let his dog, Mitsy, in. Mitsy was a Sheltie and was beautiful. A neighbor had been taking care of her since Friday night and she was glad to see Joey.

"How old is she?" Dale asked.

"She's three," Joey said. We got her to replace Blackie. He was a Border Collie that died."

"Well, I don't have to worry about getting a dog now," Dale laughed.

"Can I take Mitsy with me?" Joey asked, afraid of the answer.

"I don't know why not. We don't have a dog, but Dale would like to have one," Craig said.

"You guys can share Mitsy with me," Joey said with no hesitation. "She never causes any problems in the house."

"Okay Bud," Dale said bending down to scratch her ears.

Both Dale and Craig were impressed with the house. It was definitely obvious that two men lived there, but it was neat and clean with everything being put away. Joey proudly showed them through the house, which had three bedrooms.

"Joey, if this works out, and I think it will, you are going to have to make a list of the things you want to keep and we'll move them to Williamsport. We may have to put them in storage for a while but you need to decide what you want.

Dale looked in the garage. It was neatly arranged with a nice workshop and a new Oldsmobile Cierra sedan in the far stall. He hoped they could find someone as good as Paula and Carole to handle an estate sale here in Houston.

Craig was helping Joey while Dale wandered through the house. Although the furniture was nice, there was nothing that was top quality. He felt strange, looking in all the rooms, getting a glimpse of the personal life of a parent he'd never known until today.

Joey's room was a typical boys room, although neat and clean. Mitsy hopped up on Joey's bed and curled up, watchful of her master and the men who were with him. There were posters and pictures on the walls, some mounted on corkboard and some affixed to the walls. Joey was into model cars and Navy ships and had a huge model of the battleship Missouri.

"That took me almost a year to put together," Joey proudly said.

"I'm sure you want to keep it?" asked Craig.

"Yeah, sure, is that going to be a problem?" he asked.

"No, anything you want to take with you, we'll find a way to accommodate it. Do you have a note pad that you can write down what you want to keep?"

"Sure." Joey went to his desk and produced a steno pad.

"Why don't you put that in your backpack, then every time you think of something you can write it down," Craig said.

It didn't take Joey very long to gather up the stuff he needed. He put Mitsy in the backyard, checking her food and water supply, then giving her some treats. He went next door to talk to the neighbors who were taking care of the dog, introduced Dale and Craig and told them he was going to Williamsport until Sunday afternoon.

Their next stop was a barbecue restaurant that Joey recommended. The food was good and Dale and Craig were as hungry as the teen-age boy they were feeding.

Joey bombarded them with questions the entire meal and by the time they were through eating he was relaxed and seemed perfectly at ease with Dale and Craig.

Craig decided that they needed to discuss the affection he and Dale had for each other, but waited until they were back in the car.

"Dale, before you start up, we need to talk to Joey about something important and make sure it's not an issue with any of us."

"Okay, let me start the engine so we can have air conditioning." It was still hot and humid in Houston that evening.

"Joey, you need to know that Dale and I love each other very much, just like a man and woman, husband and wife, love each other. You are going to see us kissing each other, giving hugs to each other and sometimes holding hands. Anything beyond that will be in the privacy of our bedroom. If you have any questions about sex, we will be glad to answer them for you, within reason, but we'll be truthful and tell you that it's something you don't need to know if it's too personal. However, you need to respect our privacy and we will go the same for you. If you are in your bedroom and the door is shut, we won't enter unless you tell us it's okay. We expect the same courtesy from you. Is that a problem for you?" Craig asked.

"No, Dad's always been pretty truthful with me about some of the men he's brought home. Several of them stayed for a few weeks or a couple of months, but it never worked out. I know what they did with each other. I used to think it was pretty gross, but it really doesn't bother me anymore. I don't think I want to have sex with another man, but I'm not sure I want to have sex with a woman, either. I've seen porn movies. Some of it has been men and men, men and women and women and women and other combinations. Dad insisted that I look at them so I would better understand, but I'm not sure I wanted to know some of it, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Too Much Information," Dale emphasized.

Craig continued. "We just want you to know that we need to be truthful about this with each other, so it doesn't cause a problem later on. We respect you, but will never touch you in an improper way. But we want you to know that you can hug us and we'll return the hugs and I hope we can do that."

Nothing was said, but Joey leaned forward, putting his arms around both their necks. "You guys are the greatest and I already love you!"

Dale and Craig had tears in their eyes. They were thankful, of course, that Joey wasn't a little hellion, but still realized this might not be an easy ride for them and their new son.

After they dropped Joey at his aunt's house and meeting her, they made their way back to the area of the V.A. Center, finding a Hampton Inn a few blocks away. They had a double room available and they were soon checked in and in their room.

"How about a drink?" Craig asked.

"Sure, do you think there's a bar close by?"

"Sure is." Craig unzipped one of the bags and pulled out bottles of gin, scotch and club soda. "One of us needs to go get a bucket of ice."

"I can do that, then I want to see you naked when I get back."

"Oooh, a naked bartender?" Craig asked. "Sounds a little kinky to me."

"That's right. I'll help you work out the kinks," he said, going out the door with the ice bucket.

Craig wasted no time stripping down to his boxers and Dale did the same while Craig fixed them each a scotch and soda. They stretched out on the bed, sipping their drinks and holding each other.

Dale looked at the clock. It was a little past 9 p.m.

"Did you think at 7 o'clock this morning when Jay called that we would be parents by the end of the day?" Dale asked Craig.

"Not in my wildest imagination," Craig answered.

"I just hope we are doing the right thing. He seems like a good kid and we seem to get along well, but I'm wondering what kind of baggage he's going to have after the newness wears off and he realizes his father is dead?"

"I'm worried about that, too. Do you think we need to make an appointment to take him to meet Father George? One of the questions we haven't asked is if he's had any religious training," Craig said.

"I'd thought about Fr. George, too, but for a different reason. We don't know too many boys his age, although I know a few from little league. I thought maybe Fr. George and Paul could help us with introducing him to some other boys and girls his age, some that he will be going to school with," Dale said. "I know there is a youth group at the church."

"That's a good idea. Let's call him now and get his viewpoint on this and maybe we can arrange for a small group to meet him on this trip. That should make it a little easier for him to start school, if he already knows a few kids," Craig said.

"Yes, and I need to call Mort either tonight or in the morning, too. He needs to know that we'll be back tomorrow evening and I'll be back at the ranch Wednesday morning. I can make sure the guys there have enough to keep them busy, then maybe I can saddle up a couple of horses and take Joey up the river. I don't think he's been out of Houston that much, so he should enjoy our wilderness tour."

Craig picked up Dale's cell phone. He had free long distance so there was no use paying the extra charges they would incur by using the motel phones. He punched in the number, asking, "Should I talk to him if he's home?"

Dale nodded his head yes.

"Father George," came the voice after the second ring.

"Fr. George, this is Craig Bastian.

"Craig! I was going to call you this week. I haven't seen you or Dale at church for two weeks and I didn't have a chance to ask any of the Williamson family where you were. Come to think of it, only Jason and Kevin were at church yesterday. I hope everything is okay?"

"No, we're fine. I went to a Builder's Trade Show in Ft. Worth the first weekend and Dale went with me. Then Friday Dale and the Bar-W people went to the Central Texas Horse Show in Waco and I went with him."

"I hope to see you next Sunday, then.

"Yes, we should be there, but we need to talk to you about something and see if you can help us out."

"Sure, Craig, what do you fellows need?"

"I'll let Dale tell you the story, although it does concern both of us."

He handed the phone to Dale, who told Fr. George about their day and the changes that were going to happen in their lives, with Fr. George interrupting several times to ask questions.

As Dale got to the end of the story, he told the priest that Joey would be coming back with them for a visit and would be there until Sunday afternoon.

"Find out if he can sing. regardless. bring him to choir rehearsal on Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. He will have a chance to meet some of the boys' choir kids and then maybe we can arrange something here at the rectory on Friday or Saturday evening. Paul can probably get a little group of young men and women together. Sure, we'll be glad to help you out and meet Joey, too.

"The two of you are brave to take on this responsibility, but from what you've told me, he's not rebellious and you don't have to deal with a hostile teen whose hormones are raging - just a teen whose hormones are raging," he laughed.

"Thanks Father. Craig and I really appreciate your interest and support," Dale said.

"Dale, that's what I'm here for. I'll add your father to the prayer list and also include you and Craig and Joey, too."

"Thank you again. We'll see you Wednesday evening."

Dale pushed the "end" button, then immediately called Mort's number.

They didn't visit too long. Mort told him that they hadn't had enough rain to cause any problems in the field, so they had finished drilling wheat and were back to working the other fields.

"I'll see you Wednesday morning," Dale told him before disconnecting.

Craig fixed them a second round of drinks. They had a thousand questions to ask, try to answer and other information they needed to wade though.

"I'm glad you were brave enough to talk to him about our sex lives. I'm not sure I could have done it," Dale said.

"I thought it was probably the most important thing we needed to talk about, because if there is no respect for each other in that area, then there is no need to try to take this to the next phase. I think you probably agree that he's not shocked since he's seen porn movies. I'm not sure I approve of Joe showing those to him, but I guess it's in our favor that he has seen some and isn't too bothered about it," Craig said.

"I love you," Dale said, rolling over to give Craig a kiss. "Thanks for being here for me - and for Joe and Joey, too. I can't imagine having to do this by myself and would have probably said no."

"We'll get through this with no problem. I only foresee one major problem."

"What's that?" Dale questioned.

"This is going to speed up any plans we might have of building a new house or finding one we want to buy and renovate for our needs," Craig said.

"You've got that right. At least our second bedroom is on the other side of the living room and if he has his door shut and we have ours shut, we can still fuck our brains out," Dale teased.

"Cowboy, I like your reasoning. and right now he's several miles away," Craig said with a leer.

Tuesday morning they awoke as the sun tried to peek through the drapes in their room. They each had dried cum on their chests and groin and it had matted the hair on Dale's stomach and chest where they had stuck together.

They got out of bed, relieved themselves, brushed their teeth and shaved before taking separate showers. It was too crowded in the tub shower. Craig showered first and was laying out their clothes for the day as Dale dried himself, then walked up behind Craig.

"Great sex last night," Dale said in Craig's ear as he put his arms around his chest in a hug.

"And you weren't so bad yourself," Craig teased, turning around so they could kiss. It certainly didn't take much to get them aroused this morning, but they had things to do and questions to get answered.

After a bountiful breakfast at a Village Inn next to the Hampton, they emptied their room and checked out. Dale managed to park in the same area at the V.A. Center as the previous day and they made their way to Jay's office. After a short wait, the receptionist told them to go on in.

After exchanging greetings, they sat down and Jay asked how the evening had gone.

"Really well. We got clothes for Joey and met Mitsy. We walked through the house and told Joey to start preparing a list of things he wants to take with him," Dale said.

"Great. Did you become better acquainted with him?" Jay asked.

"Yes, we had a good evening. He seemed to relax and we were all comfortable with each other by the end of the evening," Dale said.

"In fact, Craig gave him the talk on respecting privacy and that it was a two-way street. He seemed to understand that," Dale added.

"Jay, we didn't think to ask Joey about his religious training, or if he's even had any," Craig said.

Jay pulled Joe's folder. "It just says Protestant then Presbyterian, but you'll have to ask Joe about that, he said. "Is that going to be problem for you?"

"No, no, not at all. We're Episcopalians - the Anglican variety - but certainly that's not an issue. We called our priest last evening and he's going to arrange for a little social gathering of kids Joey's age on Friday or Saturday. That will allow him to meet some kids so he'll know a few when he starts school," Craig said.

"And, we don't know if he can sing, but he's invited to choir practice on Wednesday. We have an excellent men and boys' choir and he might enjoy that. Certainly, he'll have a chance to meet more boys there.

"Good, good, anything you can do to help ease his transition. It sounds to me that you are beginning to cover the bases," Jay told them.

"Jay, how long does Joe have? What's going to happen here?" Dale asked.

"We're not sure of his liver and kidney function at this point in time. He's still able to urinate with no problem, but his blood isn't being cleaned of all the impurities and the function of the organs is going to keep decreasing. The toxic fluids will build up pretty quickly and he has refused dialysis, so the prognosis isn't good. He doesn't see any reason to prolong this and I really don't blame him. They can keep him comfortable with morphine and other pain medication.

"I look for him to go downhill pretty quickly, but I don't have the latest from his doctor. They would like to do some tests, but at this point, what's the reason?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"Are we talking about just a few days or a few weeks?" Dale questioned.

"Guys, I'm not a doctor, but I've been in this business for about 20 years. It's my guess that he probably has less than a week and he could be gone by the time you return to Houston with Joey, although I assume you could be here in a few hours if we called you."

Dale wasn't quite prepared for that report and grabbed Craig's hand.

Jay was happy to see that they leaned on each other for support, regardless of their sexuality.

"You said something about maybe having to make a decision as far as keeping him alive?" Dale asked.

"That is a possibility. We'll have Joe sign the papers designating you to make that decision, should the time come, but usually the only time that comes into effect is when someone is brain dead, on a ventilator and there is no hope. I don't think that will be the case here as he won't be hooked to machines. He should just slip away and have no pain when the time comes."

Dale felt a little better about this. He didn't want to be the one to have to make that decision. He was lucky he didn't have to do it for his mother, either.

"Now, I've talked to the principal at Joey's school. They are going to prepare a folder of his school records and you can use them to talk to the school officials in Williamsport. This won't be an official transcript, that can come later, but it will allow him to get started in school with no problems. While I'm thinking about it, you're picking Joey up at school at 2 p.m. His last class is gym and he can skip that today. Here's the address of the school. It's only about two blocks from where his aunt lives."

"We walked around in the house last evening. There's a lot of stuff to dispose of. Can you give us names of reliable people to have an estate sale and possibly a realtor?" Craig asked.

"Let me work on it. Certainly, I've had to do this before, but I want to make sure you have the best because of the value of the house and contents," Jay told them.

"Also, what about the car? And. is there a safety deposit box?" Dale asked.

"Let me call his attorney. You need to meet him anyway and I just hadn't gotten that set up yet. Excuse me and I'll call him right now."

"We're going to walk down to the coffee shop while you do that," Craig said.

Jay made his phone call and secured an appointment for him to meet all of them at 11:30 in Jay's office. Jay's secretary could notarize any papers that needed to be signed and witnessed.

As they were walking in the hall, Craig said, "I don't know what we would do without having Jay handling all this stuff for us. I wouldn't have any idea where to start."

"You're right there, but I guess he's been doing this for so long that he knows all the ropes. It sounds to me that Joe has things in good order and things seem to be falling into place. I bet that doesn't happen very often," Dale said.

"I'm sure you're right. I don't know about the usual patients the V.A. receives, but I would guess that in most cases, it's the people who don't have anything and can't afford to go to a regular hospital and the V.A. is a place of last resort, only because there is no insurance."

"I need to ask Jay when this was diagnosed, not that it is going to help Joe, but just because I'd like some medical history." Dale said.

Dale and Craig were soon back at Jay's office, not having gone to the coffee shop, but needing a chance to walk down the hall, a time to gather their thoughts.

"Fellows, Joe's attorney is Arlen Fischer and he will meet us here in my office at 11:30 and then we'll all go talk to Joe. In the meantime, why don't you go talk to Joe and ask him any questions you feel need to be answered and we'll get Arlen Fischer to clarify anything that is not clear.

Dale and Craig made their way to Joe's room. He was looking more alert than the day before, except both thought he had more jaundice than previously, but that was what Jay said would happen.

Joe was glad to see them and greeted them with enthusiasm. "How did you fellows get along with Joey last night?" he asked.

"Really good. I think we reached an understanding about several things," Dale told him. "We're going to take him to Williamsport this afternoon and bring him back to Houston on Sunday afternoon. He can see the town, where we live and how our lifestyle is. This way he can decide if he wants to live with us or not."

Joe choked up at little and reached for Dale's hand. "Dale, he doesn't have any choice. I'm just glad that you and Craig are willing to step in and be there for him. I think he can learn to love you fellows just as he and I love each other. He's had a pretty good life and I trust that you can be there for him when he needs you - especially now."

"He's a good boy and if he'll give us a chance, we'll certainly love him, too," Dale said.

Craig squeezed Joe's hand in agreement, tears in his eyes, too.

They sat on chairs next to Joe's bed and visited, Joe telling them about some of Joey's likes and dislikes and Dale and Craig asking questions and telling of some of their experiences.

Finally, Dale remembered to ask Joe about Joey's experience with religious training.

"Joe. Dad." Dale stumbled.

"It's okay, you can call me either," Joe said.

"Craig and I need to ask you about church and if Joey goes to Sunday School."

"Well, he goes with some friends from time to time. He probably would go more on a regular basis, but the neighbor boys don't go every Sunday. I think he enjoys it and was in their Junior Choir for a time, but soon outgrew that."

Craig spoke up. "Dale and I go to the Episcopal Church. I'm a member and Dale is just starting to go to Inquirers class, which is kind of a catechism class for adults. Our church is 'Anglican' in the English Cathedral tradition, but we'll see to it that Joey goes wherever he's most comfortable. If he can sing, our choirmaster would be interested in talking to him and can maybe secure a place for him in the men and boys' choir."

"The only reason I wrote 'Presbyterian' on the sheet is because that's the church Joey attended with our neighbors. He's never been baptized there."

"Our priest is very anxious to help us make things easy for Joey and has offered to arrange a gathering of young people of Joey's age so he can get acquainted with them. That might make it easier for him to start school if he knows some of the kids ahead of time."

"That's wonderful. It sounds like you have people to help you and Joey, and I know he will be anxious to meet them, too."

The three discussed other aspects of Joey's future and Dale and Craig told him they were to meet with Joe's attorney later in the morning.

After they had talked for about an hour, really getting comfortable with each other, Joe began to tire and dozed off. The telephone rang and it was Jay, telling them to come to his office.

Since Joe was asleep, they left quietly and were in Joe's office within a few minutes.

Jay took care of the introductions.

Arlen was a personable man and seemed to have everything with him that he needed.

"Dale, I have paperwork ready for Joe and you to sign which transfers his house and car to you, to dispose of as you wish. Jay tells me that you are willing to put the money in a trust fund for Joey, but that you would be the administrator. You would be free to use the funds as you wish, even for personal usage, but it is Joe's hope that the money be used to take care of Joey's needs until he comes into his own majority and control of his trust fund.

"There is no legal requirement that we can place on this transaction, but trust you use it wisely and with discretion for Joey's needs.

"In the case of Joey's trust fund, Joe wishes to make you administrator, again only to agree with Joe's financial advisor as to how the money is invested. You will have no control over the principal or accrued interest, which will be reinvested until Joey meets the requirements of Joe's will."

Dale agreed.

"Now that's the simple part of the will. Jay has forwarded the information you and your partner, Craig, have given him and it's easy to see that you both are financially secure and trust that the money Joey has will be used for his best interest. In the State of Texas, that is all the legal requirement we can put on you, but all of us feel that you are honest and will follow the intent of Joe's wishes. Am I right?"

Dale cleared his throat. "Yes, Craig and I agreed to take Joey, as he is my brother, but that agreement was before we had any inkling of financial Joey's solvency. We would have taken Joey under our care, even if we found later that Joe was destitute."

"Good," Arlen said. "I think with that information, we can go up and get the necessary signatures on the papers and documents if Jay can provide us a Notary Public to witness the transactions."

As they started down the hall to the elevators, Arlen pulled Dale aside. "I know this is tough for you, coming into this situation blind and not knowing either Joe or his son, your brother, but Jay is convinced that you are sincere and will provide a good home for Joey."

"You can count on it. I wish that I'd had a chance to know my father while I was growing up, but I now understand his reason for staying away. His heart is in the right place and I'm glad that he felt he could call on me in the time of his and Joey's need. I know that Craig and I can't replace Joe in Joey's eyes, but we'll do our best to see to it that he has a good home and is safe."

Arlen shook Dale's hand. "That's more than Joe hoped would happen."

Dale made sure that both Jay and Arlen had all the telephone number where he or Craig could be reached during the day and evening.

They rode the elevator to the 5th floor and walked into Joe's room, awakening him. Dale and Craig could tell that his health had slipped since they met him the afternoon before.

The prepared paperwork, legal documents and signature cards were signed and notarized. There was no question but that Joey would be living with Dale and Craig after Joe's death.

On their way to pickup Joey, Dale asked Craig, "What do you think about taking the dog and Joey's bike with us? It might help his transition a little to know that his dog is welcome and we might be able to rent bikes and show him the town, too."

"I think that would be great," Craig replied. "That's an excellent idea."

After picking Joey up from his school, they drove to the V.A. Center so all of them could see Joe. Joe looked less healthy that afternoon. Dale and Craig knew he was starting into his last decline as they had just put a Foley catheter in. He was too weak to get out of bed and was starting to lose control of his bladder.

They planned to bring Joey back to Houston on Sunday afternoon, but none of them had any idea what Joe's condition would be on Sunday, or if this would be the last time they would see him alive, although they were prepared to make an emergency trip back to Houston, if necessary. It was a tearful goodbye for all concerned, especially Joey and Dale.

As they were leaving the V.A. parking lot, Dale turned to Joey and asked, "How would you like to go pick up Mitsy and your bicycle and take them with us today?"

"Awesome," was the reply from Joey.

Dale drove to the house to do their errand, telling the neighbor they were taking the dog and would be back late Sunday afternoon. Craig made sure they had Mitsy's food and bowls with them, as well as a leash.

"Super, do you guys have bikes?" Joey asked.

"No, but we might be able to borrow two that belong to our friends," thinking of Tom and Eddie. "Or if we can't, we'll see about renting a couple for a few days.

"That would be fun," Joey said, knowing he liked being around his new Dads.

The new family group consisting of three men and dog drove to Williamsport, arriving at their home about 6:30 p.m. Joey, of course, had not been out of Houston more than a few times, so was excited about the new adventure that awaited him. He chatted almost constantly asking questions about the town, about Dale and Craig, about the schools, about the other kids he might meet. It did make the trip go much more quickly and the men gladly answered Joey's questions, hoping to ease his transition.

Dale and Craig proudly showed him his new home and bedroom, telling him that if he wanted they would bring his bedroom furniture to Williamsport and put it in this room. Joey liked the idea of having a queen-size bed to sleep in, so told them he would have to think about his old furniture.

He was impressed with their condo and was curious about the hills that could be seen from the west windows. Dale promised that they could drive to that area the next day, but that he would also take him up the river on horseback. That earned him many points in Joey's book.

There were storage lockers in the basement of the building so they put Joey's bike in there for safekeeping. They needed to remember to give him a key for the padlock so he could get it whenever he wanted to ride.

They relaxed for a period of time, discussing the next day, then took Joey out for his first meal in Williamsport. Pizza at Tony D's Restaurant.

Greg was working that night, as most nights and greeted Dale and Craig and the young boy who was with them. When Dale and Craig introduced Joey as THEIR SON, he did a double take, and then seated them at a table. He needed to find out more about this.

(to be continued)

Author's Note: This is my first attempt at gay fiction, and the only way I can learn whether or not I should continue is from my readers' feedback. I would appreciate your comments, criticism, suggestions, and anything else that you would care to say. All Email will be answered. If you wish to receive e-mail notification of subsequent postings, please let me know by sending your request to the following e-mail address: TulsaDriller7@aol.com

Thanks for the overwhelming response to previous chapters. I have received positive replies from all over the world. My special thanks for proofreading help to Paul Daventon, who has taken time to help me catch obvious errors.