Published: 16 Mar 2023

From The Previous Chapter:

“Tomorrow we’ll go out for breakfast, instead of eating Momma’s breakfast tacos, so please be up, showered, dressed and downstairs by nine o’clock. Can you do that for me?” asked Mr. Ken as he ruffled the boy’s hair.

Phillip said he’d set his alarm. Mr. Ken then gave the boy a shoulder hug and then went to talk to the other four boys.

Mr. Ken told the other boys about going out for breakfast and asked them to make sure Phillip was up and ready, as well. Then the man went down to his private retreat to relax some before going to be himself. The Cove was quite the night through.

Knowing he was taking the boys out for breakfast, Ken Thomas got up earlier than usual. He did that so he could read much more of his Sunday newspaper before they all left The Cove at nine o’clock. Once up, he took his shower and got dressed for the day, and that way he could read the paper, and drink his coffee all the way up to the time the five boys were ready to go.

The boys began getting up about eight that morning. They went to the bathroom to brush their teeth and get their showers. They were joking around and Charles was especially happy they were going out to breakfast. It was something he always loved to do whether it was with his dad or Mr. Wayne, or when Mr. Dan took him out way back when the man was staying at The Cove while he recovered from a gunshot wound.

But before Matthew jumped into the shower, he asked if anyone checked to see if Phillip was up. Learning no one had, he put his underwear back on and headed down to his new ‘brother’s bedroom to make sure he was up.

Matthew did the Three Knock Rule and on the third knock he heard Phillip tell him he couldn’t come in. But what also surprised him was he thought he heard the boy crying. That didn’t sound right, so he went into the room anyway because he felt something wasn’t right.

When the twelve-year-old went into the room, Phillip was crying and holding onto Chief like his life depended on it.

The boy saw Matthew come into his room and he yelled, “I TOLD YOU NOT TO COME IN!”

“Yes, I heard you, but you were also crying and that constituted an emergency, so I came in to check on you. So … so, why are you crying?” asked a concerned Matthew.

“He’s going to kill me. I know he is,” cried Phillip as he hugged Chief close to him. “I’m not … I’m not there to give it back to him and … and he’ll be mad as hell. I … I haven’t been there all weekend so … so, I know he’ll be after me and … and, and he’ll beat me up or, or, or even kkkkill me!” got out the new Cover as he cried.

Matthew got down with his ‘brother’ and pulled him off Chief and hugged him. Phillip grabbed onto the pre-teen and hugged him tight, as he continued to cry. Matthew then told Chief, “Go get ‘dad’!”

Chief ran out of the room barking, and, “Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, woof,” was heard, as the resident pet ran down the stairs to find Mr. Ken.

The owner of The Cove heard Chief barking as she came rushing into the Kitchen Nook and skidding on the Nook’s floor as she stopped next to him. Chief continued to bark and bark and ran back and forth indicating to Mr. Ken he needed to go with her.

Mr. Ken got up and rushed, with Chief at his heels, up the stairs. When he got to Phillip’s room, he found Matthew holding the boy and the new Cover was crying and saying, “He’s going to kill me, I know he is.”

‘Dad’ Ken asked Matthew to let him have the boy and for him to go get his shower. Mr. Ken sat on the bed and had Phillip sit up there with him and he hugged him tight as the boy continued to cry.

“Phillip … please tell me why you are crying and … and who is this person who you think is going to … going to ‘kill’ you?” gently asked ‘dad’ Ken.

Phillip continued to cry saying, “He’s going to kill me, I know he is because … because I wasn’t there. She … she took me away and … and I wasn’t there all weekend, to give it back to him,” cried Phillip, as he hugged his foster dad tight.

“Phillip … can you tell me who this person is that is going to be mad at you?” lightly asked Mr. Ken.

Through his tears and now some hiccups, Phillip said, “Rafael.”

“Phillip … who is this Rafael person? What is he to you? Can you tell me that?” continued Mr. Ken, as he was now getting the boy to talk.

“He … he’s a local gang member, I was told, around where we live. He’s nothing to me. I … I barely know him other than that,” said the boy through his tears, that were beginning to abate as he was now talking.

“So, tell me Phillip … why was it that you needed to be there this past weekend?” asked the foster dad.

“Well … Rafael … he … he gave me something to … to hold for him. He … he told me to hold it for him and … and he’d get it from me this … this weekend,” answered the boy, as Chief now had her front paws on the bed and the boy was petting her as he talked, and some tears still streamed down his cheeks.

Mr. Ken thought about how he should continue his conversation, so he then asked, “So … so, why was it so important that this Rafael … that he needed you to hold something for him?”

Matthew quickly headed to the boy’s bathroom and told his ‘brothers’ what was happening in Phillip’s room. The boy then jumped into the shower and hurried to get his shower so he wouldn’t miss anything, because he knew his older ‘brothers’ would go down to Phillip’s room as soon as they were ready.

The older boys did quickly finish their showers, after hearing what Matthew had told them about Phillip hugging Chief and crying that someone was going to kill him. They got dressed to go out to breakfast and then went down to Phillip’s room to see what they could do to help

When they got there, they heard Phillip say, “Well … Rafael … he … he said I wasn’t ever in trouble; that I … that I was a good kid and that … and that nobody would ever suspect me.”

“So, what was it that he gave you that … that nobody would ever suspect you of having? Will you … can you tell me?” softly asked the boy’s foster dad.

Phillip looked up into Mr. Ken’s eyes. He hesitated for a few seconds and then he burst out crying again. As he cried, he said, “Rafael … he said he’ll KILL me if … if I ever told anybody! I can’t, he’ll KILL me!”

The boys out in the hallway reacted to what they just heard.

Billy said, “You got to be shitting me!”

“Did he just say what I heard him say?” Robert blurted out.

Charles, who had at one time a knife at this throat said, “No! We can’t have another one of us that someone wants to kill!”

As the boys out in the hallway responded to what they just heard, Mr. Ken hugged the boy tight to him and told Phillip, “I won’t let that ever happen. You are safe here. Believe me!”

Charles then rushed into the room. The teen put his hand on his ‘brother’s’ shoulder, bent over and looked into the young Cover’s eyes and told the boy, “My dad … he protected our older brother and then me from … from some very bad men who were after us … who were after us … to kill us, too!

“He even protected nine of us who … when we were out Trick-or-Treating when some men tried … when four men tried to kidnap us. He can protect you … just as he protected us. You just have to trust him.”

Phillip, through his tears, looked up into Mr. Ken’s eyes and asked “Did you? Did you do what Charles just said?”

Mr. Ken nodded his head and answered, “Yes, Phillip … yes, I did. I had to protect my ‘sons’ from those men at all costs, and I’ll do whatever I have to do to protect you, too! That is why there are the armed guards protecting the estate.

“Boys … please go downstairs while I finish talking to Phillip. We might be a bit late in going out for breakfast, though,” suggested ‘dad’ Ken.

After the boys left, Mr. Ken asked Phillip, “What was it that was so important to … to this Rafael person that he … that he asked you to hold something for him? Will you tell me what it is, please?”

Phillip, with tears still dripping down his cheeks, wiped them off with the sleeve of his pajamas, sniffed up the drainage from his nose, then looked at Mr. Ken with trust and said, “A … a gun.”

“Oh, geez,” immediately came out of Mr. Ken’s mouth.

“Phillip, why didn’t you tell me this earlier?” the foster dad wanted to know.

“You … you kept me so busy ever since I got here that … that I didn’t even think about it until … that was until I woke up this morning. It was then I realized that it was Sunday and Rafael … that he said he wanted his gun back this weekend.

“He said for me … he told me to be around and that … and that he’d find me and … and that he’d want me to give him his gun back to him. Can we … can we go back to my home, so … so I can be there and I can give the gun back to him? Please!” begged the boy, who still had tears falling down his cheeks.

“Phillip … I can’t protect you … if I take you back to his home turf. But … let me think about this for a bit. OK? And while I do … how about you go brush your teeth, get your shower, and remember to put on some deodorant. Then find something nice to wear out for breakfast and then come down to my Study. Will you do that for me?” requested Mr. Ken.

Phillip wiped his nose with his pajama sleeve and said he would. He hugged the man and told him he was sorry for not telling him sooner, and he was happy he wasn’t mad at him.

Mr. Ken hugged the boy and told the new Cover to go ahead and get ready for the day, and not to take too much time and not to forget to put on the deodorant. Mr. Ken finished with a chuckle. The man again smiled at the boy, ruffled his hair and then left the room.

Phillip was still dismayed at not being home to give Rafael his gun, but he felt safe knowing that Mr. Ken had protected Charles and some other boys from being killed or kidnapped. He then thought that maybe they knew about Rafael and the gun, and that was why they brought him there in the first place, on Thursday, so Rafael couldn’t get to him and hurt him and get him into trouble. Phillip now felt so much better than he did when he first woke up.

As soon as ‘dad’ Ken got in his Study, the boys were right there asking him questions about what they heard up in Phillips room. The man had no answers to their questions. What he did tell them, though, was that Phillip was obviously being used as an innocent bystander to hold on to something that was probably used for some nefarious reasons.

The boys asked their ‘dad’ what it was their ‘brother’ was holding for that Rafael character. Mr. Ken told the boys he wasn’t at liberty to tell them just yet, as he had to think through what Phillip told him so he could develop a plan.

‘Dad’ Ken then told the boys that breakfast would be delayed for sure, because Phillip was just now taking his shower and getting ready for the day. So, he asked Bill to call Mr. Wayne and tell him what we knew so far, and to ask him if he could come and take you four out to eat. ‘Dad’ Ken told the teen to also tell the Estate Master that they were all showered and dressed and ready to go.

Phillip was feeling much better now that he had talked about Rafael, and what he was holding for him, and that he now had gotten it off his shoulders. Just talking about it made him feel better. And now that his foster dad knew; he hoped he could help him deal with Rafael. The one thing that Phillip knew that he had going for him was that even he didn’t know where he was living, so Rafael couldn’t find him even if he tried.

When the boy finished his shower and before he got dressed, he remembered to put the deodorant on Mr. Ken bought for him. The young Cover then put on a pair of shorts, a matching polo shirt, the new sneakers he’d gotten and then he headed down to the Study. He had a big smile on his face, and Chief was right beside him.

While the new Cover was getting ready, Sheriff’s Lieutenant Dan Fischer, dressed in his uniform as he was on his way to work, came to The Cove. He used his key and alarm code to enter the house, and he went directly to the Study, as he knew that was where Ken would be.

“Well, look what the wind blew in,” commented Mr. Ken, when Dan walked into the Study.

“Well, hello to you, too,” replied Dan. “I hear you have a new ‘son’, so I decided to try to catch you before you all went out to breakfast.”

“Who told you we have a new boy?” asked Ken.

“Oh, I saw Wayne last night and he told me. He said you had planned to take the boys out to breakfast, and I am glad I didn’t miss you,” answered Dan.

“Dan … I’m glad you stopped by. I was going to call you. I … well, we … we have a situation that you need to get briefed on concerning our newest Cover. It appears that Phillip,” and that was as far as Mr. Ken got, as the new Cover entered the Study.

“Is he here to a… to arrest me?” asked the boy with surprise.

Mr. Ken got up from behind his desk and went to the boy and hugged him and said, “No Phillip, he is NOT here to arrest you. He is my friend, and he just stopped by to meet you. He didn’t know what we talked about, but … but I think we need to tell him about Rafael and … and what he gave you to hold for him. He and his Deputies … they need to get involved because … well, because of what you told me that Rafael has you holding for him. What do you say?”

“Will I … will I get into trouble, you know, for holding … for holding that … that gun for Rafael?” asked the new Cover.

Hearing the word ‘gun’ perked up Dan’s ears and he just had to ask, “What gun? And who is this Rafael character?”

Just then Billy and the three other boys came around the corner to tell Mr. Ken that Mr. Wayne would be over shortly, and they heard Mr. Dan ask about a gun. Now they too wanted to know about a gun, and who was talking about it.

Mr. Ken now had a dilemma. Does he let the other boys know what Phillip was holding for a gangbanger in his area, or send them packing. He asked Dan if he should let them stay and hear what he has to tell him.

Dan thought about the question for a few moments and then offered his friend, “You know they will eventually know about it, so … if they hear about it now, it could keep them from bothering Phil about it, later. They could also help the boy, you know, maybe help him deal with the fallout, since they’ve had to deal with similar situations themselves.”

So, with the boys sitting in the leather chairs, Mr. Ken began to tell Dan Fischer about what Phillip told him that morning about a gangbanger named Rafael, and him giving Phillip a gun to hold for him.

Dan then began to ask Phillip about Rafael and the gun. The Sheriff’s Lieutenant asked some pertinent questions about Rafael, his height, weight, hair and eye color, what he usually wears, any tattoos, and who he hangs around with.

When the lieutenant got enough of a description of the person, he then asked the boy about the gun. He asked Phillip if he knew what type of gun it was. All the boy could tell him was that it was black and it was very heavy. The lieutenant tried to get more of a description from the boy, when Phillip said it looked a lot like what he sees the policemen use on TV.

Mr. Dan smiled and pulled the gun out of his holster and asked the Cover if it was similar to his. Phillip smiled and said it looked a lot like it. He added it even had something that held the bullets that went into the handle. That made Dan smile.

Dan got the boys apartment information and then asked the boy where he had hidden the gun so no one else could find it. Phillip said he hid it under the bottom drawer in his dresser. He said that when you pull the drawer all the way out there was like a shelf under it that kept things from falling down to the floor. The boy said if you don’t pull the drawer all the way out you would never see it.

Dan got on his radio and made a call back to headquarters about a possible gangbanger gun that could have been used in gang related activities, robberies or worse. He gave them the address and told them they may need a search warrant in order to gain access to the apartment.

A few moments later, Corporal George Carrillo came back on the radio to tell the lieutenant that they had a reported break-in at that address this morning. The lieutenant decided he needed to go outside to get the information in case it wasn’t something the boy needed to hear.

As Dan was going outside, Wayne was coming inside. Once Mr. Wayne entered the Study, he asked the boys if they were ready. Mr. Ken told his Estate Master to have a seat, as he had something that he needed to brief him on. Five minutes later, Mr. Wayne was just as surprised as were the other Covers in the Study.

Outside Mr. Dan heard that the break-in at the apartment resulted in a woman being seriously injured and taken to the hospital. He also learned that the apartment was in shambles, as if it was tossed by someone looking for something. Lieutenant Fischer asked the Corporal to go to the boy’s bedroom and pull open the bottom dresser drawer all the way out and see if there was a black 9mm handgun there.

Corporal Carrillo went and did what he was asked. Three minutes later the Deputy came back and told his superior that he had found the gun right where it was supposed to be. The corporal added he bagged it and would take it to the lab for testing. The lieutenant told him they would find a ten-year-old almost an eleven-year-olds fingerprints on it and possibly someone else’s whose name was Rafael, no last name.

The lieutenant asked the corporal if he knew what injuries the woman incurred and where she was taken. After getting that information, Dan went inside to brief Mr. Ken.

Dan called Ken outside the Study to talk to him about what he could tell the boys. Mr. Ken learned the name of the woman who was hurt, and learning it was different than his foster son’s, he didn’t think it would matter if the boys heard what Mr. Dan learned. So, he decided it should be OK to let the boys know everything. He told Dan he would tell them that just like everything else that they had to keep it between them and not tell anyone else.

“Boys, Mr. Ken said that I could tell you what I just learned. And remember, this is just for you and you are not to go telling your friends when they get here later. You hear me?” sternly said the Sheriff’s Lieutenant.

The boys all said they understood and then waited for the lieutenant to continue.

“OK. Yes, indeed, there was a gun where Phillip said it would be. So, thank you Phillip. That is one less gun out on the streets. Also, there was a break-in at the apartment where a woman, whose name was Mackenzie Flores, was injured and taken to the hospital,” said Dan, who was then interrupted by an outburst by Phillip.

“That’s my moms’ name,” blurted out Phillip.

“I thought your mom’s name was Girroads?” asked Mr. Ken.

“NO,” cried Phillip. “She always used her family name. Girroads was the last name of my dad. Can we go and see my mom?” asked a now crying Phillip.

Mr. Ken went to Phillip and then he asked Wayne if he would take the boys out for something to eat, while he took Phillip to see his mom. He reminded the boys they were not to talk about this to anyone for any reason, or if their friends are within ear shot. He then told the boys not to talk about it, period.

Dan said he needed to leave. He did tell Ken he will need Phillip’s fingerprints to identify his against anyone else’s they find on the gun. Mr. Ken said they could stop by his office after they come from the hospital. Dan told him to call before they stopped by. Lieutenant Fischer, looking at the time, told the boys to have a good brunch and then headed out to his patrol car and out of the estate.

Mr. Ken thanked Wayne for coming in and taking the boys out to eat. He told the Estate Master that he had no clue something like this would come up, and they would undoubtedly have to talk later about what this might mean for the future.

Mr. Ken told all the boys to drain their dragons and to meet at the Study in a couple of minutes. He in-turn also went to his own retreat to get rid of any excess fluid before he and Phillip headed over to the hospital to see the boy’s mother.

The owner of The Cove took his guardianship paper on Phillip, so they could gain access to Mackenzie Flores, when they arrived at the hospital.

The two Covers stopped at the Information Desk and asked where they could find Mackenzie Flores. They were directed to the ICU ward. That didn’t mean anything to the boy, but Mr. Ken knew that it meant the woman had been seriously injured.

Upon entering the ICU, Mr. Ken asked about Ms. Flores. The nurse asked who they were and Mr. Ken told her the boy was her son and asked if he could possibly see her. The nurse asked for some identification. Mr. Ken gave her his guardianship papers on Phillip for her to make a copy. She took them to her nurse’s station and made a copy, but she also picked up the phone and made a call. A few minutes later, a Sheriff’s Deputy arrived.

It took a few minutes to clarify that Phillip was Mackenzie’s son. Mr. Ken asked the Deputy to call either Lieutenant Fischer, or Corporal Carrillo, to identify who he is and the guardianship papers identified the boy. After the clarification was made, Mr. Ken got the medical condition of the woman. Phillip, on the other hand, was allowed to go into the room, but couldn’t talk to his mom as she was not awake and might not be until later tonight.

While all that was happening, the Sheriff’s department was out looking for the person known as Rafael. They already knew who he was. He’d been on their radar for some time, but they hadn’t been able to pin anything substantial on him. Their hope now was the gun they retrieved from Phillip’s bedroom would be his downfall.

They were also looking for anybody who might have seen someone coming or going that Sunday morning at the apartments where Mackenzie lived. There were no cameras at the old buildings, so they had to rely on people who saw things. The neighbors said they heard noises coming from the apartment, but they figured Mackenzie had brought someone home with her, since her son had been taken away.

Mr. Ken had learned that Mackenzie Flores had been hit on the side of her head by a blunt object, probably something as hard as a gun, and that she had a severe concussion. They also were observing her for possible bleeding on the brain, and would do an MRI later if she didn’t get any better as the day wore on.

Phillip did see his mom hooked up to all the IV lines and electrical monitors and he knew it was all because he wasn’t there to give Rafael back his gun. He held her hand and whispered to her that he was sorry for not being there, but he added that she needed to take better care of him, so they could be together.

Mr. Ken was in the room standing back from the boy, but he heard him over the beeping of the monitors. When his foster son finished saying what he had to his mom, he turned and ran to him, hugged him and cried. The man hugged him back and told him they will get through this together, and he will be a better son once this was all over.

On the way back to The Cove, Mr. Ken called Dan Fischer and the two Covers did stop by the lieutenant’s office in order for him to get Phillip’s fingerprints. While the sergeant did the chore that was now done electronically, eliminating the mess that came from the black ink, Dan told his friend Ken that any good defense lawyer would argue that the gun was Phillip’s, and that he showed it to Rafael which was why the older person’s fingerprints were on it.

Ken didn’t like what he just heard, and knowing that defense lawyers would do anything to get their clients off, he told Dan that he’d better talk to Stewart Russell tomorrow and get him read in on this, so he is ready to defend the boy if necessary.

The owner of The Cove then told the lieutenant that he’d call Jules and have his men do some research on this Rafael character and his gang, and see what they can find in the meantime. Dan only chuckled at hearing that, knowing Jules and his team could, and would, do things that he legally couldn’t do without the proper authority.

Mr. Ken stopped at a fast-food restaurant to get him and Phillip something to eat as they hadn’t eaten anything all day. He also wanted to find a quiet corner, so they could talk some more about what was revealed that morning, and for him to get some more information about the boy’s home life, friends, and the gangbangers in his area.

When they returned to The Cove, Mr. Ken stopped just inside the Main Gate to let Phillip get out so he could join up with his friends. But before the boy did get out of the truck, the man told Phillip that it was up to him if he was going to tell them, or anyone, about the gun. Mr. Ken reminded the boy that his ‘brothers’ were told and the Rule was they never talk to anyone about the reason why they are living at The Cove.

Mr. Ken said his friends probably knew about his mom being in the hospital, so he should tell them what he knew there, but it was up to him if he wanted to mention the gun, but if he did, he better be prepared to answer a lot of questions that Lt. Fischer hadn’t and not just about the gun, but about where he lived and more.

Phillip said he understood and said that he wouldn’t mention the gun. He did ask his foster dad again what he thought about his mom getting better. Mr. Ken told the boy honestly that it was way too early to tell, as she had been brutally beaten and they were monitoring her closely in the ICU. The man said they should know more tomorrow and for him to be optimistic that his mom would get better. He then added that he should not blame himself for what happened.

Phillip’s friends saw him slowly walking over towards the Pavilion and they ran to talk with him. The three boys stopped as Phillip explained what he knew about his mom at the hospital and that he wouldn’t know any more until he got back from school tomorrow.

Preston and Bryson told their friend they wished his mom a speedy recovery and then they told him they wished there was something they could do for him. Phillip didn’t say anything for a few moments, but then he told them he was glad they were his friends. And then the Cover burst out crying.

The two friends immediately grabbed Phillip and hugged him. Billy had watched the three boys but when he saw his ‘brother’s’ friends hugging him, he knew something wasn’t right. So, the teenager ran over to the three boys to find out what was happening.

“What is this crying all about, Phil?” asked Billy, when he wrestled the boy from his friends.

“It’s all my fault, Billy,” Phillip cried, Phillip, forgetting not to say anything about what he told Mr. Ken and his ‘brothers’ earlier that morning.

“Boys … let me talk to my ‘brother’ alone, please,” asked Billy.

Preston and Bryson walked away from the two Covers, wondering what Phillip meant by ‘It’s all my fault’. They told one another they hoped he would tell them later.

Billy talked with Phillip about what he said and he reminded him that by saying what he did, he would cause his friends to wonder what it meant, and they would now ask questions. Phillip said he was sorry, but that is how he feels. That if he hadn’t been taken away this wouldn’t have happened to his mom.

But Billy reminded the young Cover that if his mom hadn’t done what she did to get him taken away he would have been there, so it wasn’t his fault that he wasn’t there, that it was essentially all his mom’s fault entirely.

Phillip made a fist and hit Billy. And then the boy hit him again, and again, and again. Billy let the boy do it as he knew his ‘brother’ needed to get the hurt and feelings of anger out of him somehow.

After Phillip hit his ‘brother’, he hugged him and cried. Billy hugged him back and let him cry whatever was inside of him out.

Preston and Bryson saw what happened from a distance, and they were thoroughly confused. They wondered if their friend was blaming himself for not being home when his mom got hurt, as that was what they were told, that his mom was in her apartment when she was attacked.

Robert and Charles were eating burgers and dogs and they saw Phillip hitting Billy, so they put down their food and ran over to their ‘brothers’ to find out what that was all about. Matthew saw the two teens get up and begin running and he decided he needed to find out what that was all about, too, so he put his food down, and hurried to catch up with his ‘brothers’.

When Robert and Charles got to Billy and Phillip, they heard Billy tell the younger Cover, “Phil, please believe me … none of this … none of any of this was your fault. I know a boy whose parents … whose parents were shot and he blamed himself because he didn’t tell someone an important fact, but he no longer blames himself.

“I’ll bet Mr. Ken … I bet he’ll have Doctor Doug over next week for dinner, and he’ll introduce you two and you’ll get to talk to him some. Doctor Doug talked to that boy and over time … that boy came to realize it really wasn’t his fault his parents were shot.

“And Phil … you also can’t talk about what happens at The Cove, especially what concerns any of us boys, but especially you. You’ll only cause your friends to ask questions that could be embarrassing to you, or us. I know you are young and new to The Cove, but … it is important that you don’t let anyone know why we, you, are living here with Mr. Ken.” finished Billy.

“Phil, I wasn’t here more than a day,” began Charles, “when … when a man my mom and I knew came to Mr. Ken’s Carnival and … and he not only tried to kidnap me, he … he held a huge knife at my throat and threatened to slice it wide open if they, the police, didn’t let him escape with me.

“I was the one who put my own mom … my own mom in prison for selling drugs for the man who held that knife. He’d been looking for me ever since the trial and just by chance he found me the night of the Carnival. Mr. Ken … he protected me. He will do the same for you.”

“Phillip … it is things like that … that we don’t want to get out. So … so you need to try very hard to control your emotions,” began Robert. “Yes, your mom has been hurt, but as Billy said … none of that is your fault. Will you try to do that for us? For you?” asked Robert.

Phillip had settled down with all the talking his ‘brothers’ had done with him. He knew what they said came from their concern for him and their lives at The Cove. He also felt bad about attacking Billy. He knew he needed to say something.

“Billy … I’m … I’m sorry for hitting you. I … everything is happening so fast for me and with my mom … with her being attacked, I … I have no one else,” began the new Cover, as the tears began to slowly fall from his eyes.

“You have US!” matter-of-factly stated Billy. “You have us! We are your family now, Phil. Rely on us until … until you and your mom get back together.”

The other three boys said they agreed with Billy and that Phil needed to talk to them, come to them when he had questions and he also needed to listen to them as they’ve been there a long time and know how things are done and how much they can get away with.

They all did a group hug and when they broke apart, Billy suggested Phil talk to Preston and Bryson as they were still watching and waiting for him. Phillip asked the teen what he should tell them. The teenager told the newest Cover to tell them that he blames himself for not being there to protect his mom, and to let it go at that.

The five Covers walked over to the two friends.

“Guys … I’m sorry for … for how I acted. Everything is happening so fast for me and now … and now I learned my mom … that she was attacked this morning, and …and I wasn’t there to defend her. That … that was why I blamed myself for her being in the hospital.

“My ‘brothers’ … they’re helping me get used to living here and … and they’re helping me deal with all the changes I’ve been going through these past three days. Everything is so … so new and different and now this thing with my mom, I’m … I’m sorry you had to see this and get involved,” offered Phillip to his two friends, Preston and Bryson.

“Phillip, I can’t know what you are going through, but blaming yourself for what happened to your mom won’t change anything and you probably couldn’t have done much to defend your mom, even if you were there,” spoke up Preston.

“I agree,” said Bryson. “You can’t blame yourself for something you didn’t have any control over. We don’t know why you are now living here at The Cove, but there has to be a good reason that they took you away from your mom. We know you will be back together again, just like Mark and his parents were after they recovered from their gunshot wounds.”

Hearing Mark’s parents were shot, and remembering Billy telling him he knew a boy who blamed himself for his parents being shot, he wondered if they were the same. But he knew not to ask that question, just yet.

Billy suggested they all go over to the Pavilion and finish lunch and then go swimming, as it being a Sunday all their friends had to leave by five. Phillip said he and Mr. Ken stopped to get a burger, fries and soda so they could talk, but he felt he could still eat a hot dog, or two.

The seven boys hurried over to the Pavilion. The boys there asked Phillip how his mom was doing and he told them she wasn’t awake and they didn’t expect her to wake up until later tonight. He told them he probably won’t know anything until he gets home from school tomorrow. The boys told the Cover how sorry they were to hear about her being attacked and hoped she would recover soon.

After lunch and everything was put away, the boys headed to the indoor pool to swim. Phillip’s swimsuit was in the industrial dryer and he went with the other boys to get it. Then he had to decide if he would change down there or go up to his room and change, as he did yesterday.

Matthew saw his ‘brother’ mulling the question around in his mind, so he went over to him and told him to go with him into the Woman’s Locker Room. Once in there, Matthew explained to the newest Cover how all the new boys learned to change without being embarrassed. He told Phillip what to do and with Bryson and Preston also there the three boys changed.

Phillip was still a bit embarrassed at showing his bare butt, because he never had done that before. As a matter-of-fact, he never even had a sleepover or had attended a sleepover, ever in his life, so he didn’t know what type of ‘boy games’ were played.

At the end of the day, Phillip put his shirt on before taking his swimsuit off and then he put his boxer briefs on and finished dressing. He then helped gather the wet swimsuits and towels and get them into the industrial dryers before walking his friends up to the Main Gate where their parents were waiting. They said their goodbyes and told one another they’d see each other at school in the morning.

The Covers went out to dinner as they usually did over the weekend. Upon their return they stopped in the Study to review the coming weeks appointments and what was happening around The Cove.

Mr. Ken talked to Phillip before bed and the boy apologized for not saying anything to him about the gun and anything else he may have not done or said since he came there. The boy said he was so upset about being moved and scared when he was brought to a whole houseful of strangers, he didn’t know what to think.

Mr. Ken told the boy he hoped he would settle down over the next few days and he asked Phillip to just take it day by day and let his ‘brothers’ lead him and show him the ropes. The man mentioned that the coming weekend they will be working on the Easter Egg Roll and he and his friends can help there.

Phillip asked what would happen if he found a few more friends. Mr. Ken told the boy to make sure they wanted to be his friend and not someone who just wanted to claim he can come over to The Cove.

Mr. Ken told the boy that all of his ‘brothers’ friends help with the cooking and they also help keep the Pavilion washed as well as jumping up and helping out without being asked. The man said to talk to his ‘brothers’, and let them tell him what their friends have done around The Cove.

The two shared a light hug and Mr. Ken went on to talk to the rest of the boys. When he talked with Billy, he learned how the teen handled his young ‘brother’ blaming himself for what happened to his mom, and how he thinks he and his other ‘brothers’ have gotten him to try to control his emotions and that they are now all ‘family’ and he can count on them to be there for him.

Mr. Ken thanked the teen for that piece of information. They then hugged and since the teen was the last boy he talked to, Mr. Ken then headed down to his own private retreat to settle down and try to get a good night’s sleep as tomorrow was the beginning of another full week.

The saga of Three Finger Cove continues. Let Chowhound know you are reading his story: Chowhnd at Gmail dot Com

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