Shelter Kid
By: Jon Stewart
(© 2021 by the author)

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

jstewart@tickiestories.us

Chapter 15

It was now late. Billy said good night to Pops. "Is he gonna be alright, Pops?"

"Don't worry Billy; the body has a tremendous capacity to heal, especially when you are young like you and Josh. Yes, he'll be fine. In a couple of weeks this will all be a bad memory."

"Thanks, Pops, we are so lucky to have you."

"Oh, go on now, stop trying to butter me up. If Josh wakes during the night, you come get me. Understood!!"

"Yes Sir, and I'm not buttering you up. It's true, we are lucky to have you."

"I'm sorry, Billy; I guess I could do better on accepting compliments. I am lucky to have you, as well, and Josh. Billy, you have a habit of saying the nicest things in such an honest way. It's a good trait and don't lose it."

Pops hugged Billy again. The boy looked up at the old man. Jon saw all the pain and misery that he had endured in his young life. Pops picked up Billy and kissed him on his cheek, Billy wrapped his arms around Pops' neck. "I love you too, Pops, just like Josh does."

"I know Billy and I hope you know I love you, too, just like I love Josh."

"Really Pops; I thought, you was just being nice because I was Josh's friend."

"Maybe in the beginning, before I really knew you. But every time I see you, I see what a fine young man you are and I love you for just being who you are. Soon your Mom will have a good paying job and you'll be out of the shelter. You have already started to heal, you should know that you are worthwhile, that you and your Mom deserve a better life than the shelter, and your Mom is going to get it for you. Josh has no one, you have your Mom, but lucky me I have both of you."

Jon put Billy down. He was surprised he was able to pick him up. He gave him another hug and shooed him to bed. Billy wiped the tears from his eyes. He didn't know why he teared up. Maybe, it was seeing his best friend, his brother hurt so bad. Maybe, it was because he knew he had the love of Pops and he could take the place of the dad he never had. He was sad and he was happy, at the same time.  He so wanted his real dad but was glad he had at least found Pops.

Pops got up for his middle of the night pee and checked on the boys. Billy was up and sitting Indian-style on his bed. Tears were streaming down his face. He was whispering "Don't let anything bad happen to him, God. Please get him well."

Pops went tip toeing over to Billy took his hand and stood him up. Picked the 15-year-old up and carried him out to his bedroom. Billy was hugging Pops around his neck as tight as he could. He had to hold on, Pops carried the mostly naked boys with his arms under Billy sexy boy underwear. Pops put Billy on his bed pulled the covers up and got in the other side.

"Billy?"

"Yes, Pops?"

"What are you afraid of?"

"I don't want Josh to be hurt and die. I never saw him hurting so bad. If he dies, I won't be able to come and see you anymore or be able to play with him. I don't want him to die, like my dad, Pops. I can't let that happen."

Pops brushed the tears from Billy's eyes and kissed his cheek. "Billy, do you think I would lie to you."

"No, Sir."

 “Did I tell you Josh would heal and this would be a bad memory in a couple of weeks?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Why don't you believe me?"

"I don't know, Pops; I never seen him hurting so bad. He's always been so brave and tough."

"Well, I'm promising you he will be better when you come next weekend. And another thing if Josh is not here, like on a trip or something I expect you to come on the weekend, just like you would if he was here. I would be mad at you if you didn't come. It would mean you only came to see Josh and I didn't count."

"Oh no, Pops, I would never think that. I am always so happy to see you. You saved my Mom's life; you got rid of my crabs. You got me clothes; you feed me like I've never been fed before. Pops, you take such good care of me.  Pops, you are the best grandpa in the whole world."

"So, you would come to see me then."

"Oh, yes, sir."

"So, what was that about not being able to come if something happened to Josh."

"I don't know, Pops, I was just scared, I guess."

"Are you scared now?"

"No, sir."

"Come on over here and give your old Pops a hug and let’s get some sleep, ok"

Billy scooted over to Pops and hugged him and kissed him on his cheek.

"I'm sorry for being such a baby, Pops."

Pops hugged Billy tight; Billy's face buried in his chest. "Hey, we all get scared, you are not a baby at all. And if you get scared like that again you come right here to me just like Josh does when he has his bad dreams. Understood."

"Yes sir." Billy squeezed closer to Pops and kissed his cheek again, "I love you, Pops."

"I love you too, Billy, now we have to get some sleep."

Billy slept close to Pops and for the first time in his life that he could remember, he really felt safe. He wasn't alone. Yeah, he had his Mom, but half the time he felt he had to protect her. This was different; he had a man to help and protect him.  No one would hurt him with Pops around.

Sunday brought little change in Josh. Billy had to help him with everything he did. He got Josh dressed the same way they had done the night before. He loved his brother, and for sure wanted to help in any way possible. Josh had no idea that Billy had been up half the night worrying about him. Pops was busy in the kitchen and Josh asked him to help him to the bathroom. Billy said "I'll do it, Pops."

"I don't think you wanna help on this one buddy. I gotta take a dump."

"Gee, that would be a bit stinky, but just to show you how much I care,  I'll wipe your ass for you."

Josh was a little shocked, but said "Really? Thanks, buddy."

"But if I ever need help you got to do the same for me. Promise?"

"Cripes, I hope you never have this kind of problem but if you do. I'll do it for you."

Billy helped Josh up off the couch and to the little downstairs powder room. Helped him pull down his sweat pants and sit down on the throne.

"Do I have to stay here while you stink up the place or can I wait outside?"

"Thanks a lot Billy, I mean it, you are the best brother a guy could have. Stay where ever you are happiest."

"Guess, I'll stay here and make sure your skinny little ass doesn't fall in the bowel and get flushed down the sewer."

Josh chuckled at that. But when he did his ribs hurt like the dickens.

"Billy, please don't make me laugh, it hurts my ribs so bad."

"Oh, so tickling is off limits, too."

Josh laughed again "Please stop, Billy it really, really hurts."

"Ok, I can see you're not going to be much fun today."

With that a massive fart, a big plop was heard in the bowel.

"Excuse me, I have to go now." Billy got up and faked leaving. He did get a gulp of fresh air at the doorway.

Josh said "I'm done."

Billy said "Thank God. So, how are we gonna do this, Genius Boy? It's gotta hurt if you bend over while sitting there."

The pain was getting to Josh. "Ohh, I don't know, Billy."

Billy saw Josh's distress and softened his macho demeanor. "Ok Bud, I'll have you out of here in no time and back on your comfy couch."

Josh tried to smile through clenched teeth.

"How about you stand up and lean against the wall and I do the wiping bit. Ok?"

"OK."

Billy got Josh up leaning against the wall crouched down, spread Josh's cheeks, and did the deed. He wet the final wipe to be sure he got him clean. Pulled up his pants and said "let’s get you back on the couch."

Holding him as straight as possible, Billy got Josh back to the couch.

"It's been 3 hours and 45 minutes, want me to check with Pops if you can have another pain pill."

"Yeah, please. Thank you, Billy, you are the best."

Billy wanted to come back with a wise crack but thought better of it; in case he'd make Josh laugh. Billy got the pills from Pops and a glass of water and went back to his charge. Josh took them and soon fell asleep. Billy sat on the floor next to Josh. No big brother could ever have been more devoted to his little brother than Billy was to Josh. Pops marveled at the love between his two adopted grandsons. He knew Josh was special with his feelings for other people, but now he knew Billy was special with his feelings for Josh.

Billy hovered over Josh like a mother hen getting him his meals and meds, and taking him to the bathroom. He put the TV on when Josh was awake so he had something to amuse himself, then shut it off when Josh dozed off, lest it disturb him. Pops had dinner early around 4:00 so he knew Billy had a good meal in him before heading back to the shelter. At 5:00 o clock, Pops said it was time to head to the bus station. Billy always hated going back but this time all the more. "Pops, won't you need my help in taking care of Josh. I'll call my Mom. She'll understand."

"Billy, you did a great job taking care of Josh today and I'm sure he would rather have you helping him than this crusty, grumpy, old man. But you have school and that is important. You can call as many times as you want every day to check on Josh. If you go over your minutes, I'll pay for it. So don't worry about that. I really think it's best that you go and when you come back on Friday, you'll see how much better he is. OK?"

Billy looked at Pops with tears in his eyes. "If he's not better, can I come back, please."

"Billy, I told you last night that you can always come here. I am your foster grandpa, too. You'll be surprised at how much better he'll be by next weekend."

Billy put his head down and went in to Josh on the couch. "I gotta go now. Will you be ok while Pops takes me to the bus stop? Do you have to take a leak or anything? Can I get you anything?"

Josh looked up at his friend, his foster brother. Saw the tears in his eyes and his worry. "I'm gonna be OK, Billy, really. Thank you for all you did today. No one ever had a better brother than you." With that Josh willed himself to get up and did not show the pain just like he did when he shot the winning basket. He went towards Billy. Billy rushed to him and Josh hugged him as tight as he could. "See I'm gonna be alright. I'll see you next weekend." He walked Billy to the door and Pops' waiting old van.

Pops said, "I'll be back within the half hour. Try to rest now."

When Billy was gone, Josh closed the door then slumped down to the floor and stretched out to alleviate the pain.

On the ride to the bus station Pops said, "Do you feel better now, Billy? See Josh is getting better"

"Pops, I thought you knew him better than that. It was all a show for me, so I wouldn't feel bad on leaving. He probably closed the door and fell to the floor. Got on his back to straighten his ribs and stop the pain."

"You think so, Billy, he looked pretty good to me."

"Pops, I know so. He can use his mind to make pain go away, but when he stops it hurts twice as much as if he didn't do it. Trust me he is on the floor right now. When you go home, ask him. That's why he was able to still play in the game and make the shot. Then when no one was around, just you and me, you saw the agony he was in."

"Maybe you got something there. Billy. I'll ask him and let you know; thanks for telling me."

"See there's stuff like that that only I know, so I should be with him."

"Tell you what Billy, if he's not showing real signs of improvement when we see Doc Brown on Tuesday; I'll call you and ask you to come out. I'll make sure Doc knows he can block out pain sometimes. Deal?"

"OK, but I still wish I could stay right now."

"Try it this way. Your schooling is important; it's best to not have you miss time."

"I know Pops, but Josh is more important than school."

"I'll call you Tuesday night and give you a report. OK? Now that is only 2 days."

"OK Pops, you know best."

Pops got Billy on his bus and went right home. Josh had wiggled his way back to and up on the couch. He was on the phone with Jesse.

"I'm gonna be out of school for a couple days, Jesse. The doc says I have busted ribs so I was hoping you could get my assignments for me."

"Sure, no problem, I'm sorry to hear you are laid up. You should have come out of the game, Josh. Winning isn't everything, not when your health is at stake."

"Yeah, you are probably right. It isn't the winning that gets to me, it's the losing. I hate losing. I don't know why, but I do hate it."

"Yeah, I know. I feel a little like that to. So, what's the address I'll get my Mom to drop me off and if you are up to it, I'll visit a while."

"24 Grove St. It would be nice to have you visit. Thanks."

"OK, see you tomorrow then."

"Thanks, Jesse."

"Pops, I got Jesse to get me my assignments from school tomorrow."

"That's fine Josh. Say Billy wanted me to ask you a question."

"What, Pops"

"He says you can block out pain with your mind and after you got up, hugged him and walked him to the door; when you shut the door, he thinks you fell down from the pain and laid on your back. Was he right? He said it was all a show for him, not to worry about you?"

"Jeeze I can never fool him. Yeah, he is right. That's exactly what happened. Pops, he was so good to me all day; I didn't want him going home and still worrying. Cripes, Pops he even wiped my ass."

"I know you meant well, but when someone cares about you that much you should be as honest as you can with them. You are very lucky to have such a great friend."

Josh said "Brother. I don't care if there isn't blood between us ... he is my brother and a better one I could never have."

"OK, yes, I agree he is your brother and you always want to be honest with him. Pain is a very important thing. it tells us your body needs to be helped, it needs to be fixed. There are times when you don't want to show it and there are times to not hide it. I don't think you should hide it from your family. Josh, Billy and I are your family. Your broken ribs will heal and you didn't do any additional damage by playing with them. There is the possibility that you could have. By not telling your coach about your pain you could have punctured a lung and people can die from that, from not getting enough air. Understand. No game or championship is worth that. So let the experts like Doc Brown decide if you should keep playing. I know you are very, very, smart but you don't know everything. "

"I think I understand, Pops. Thanks"

They watched TV for a little bit when Pops asked Josh if he was ready for bed.

"Well, if you give me the pain meds, I'll be ready real fast."

"OK how about a sponge bath then?"

"Yeah, how do you do that"

"Well, you strip down. We protect your bandage with a towel and I use a sponge or a wash cloth to wash you. OK?"

"OK, Pops, I don't want to be stinking up the house."

First, Pops got Josh upstairs then went to get an old bar stool that he put in the tub. He carefully got Josh naked and then wrapped a towel around his bandage. Josh sat on the stool Pops first washed his back and them his neck, chest and pits, underarms. Then he had josh stand while he got his legs and legs thighs and butt. For sure Josh was enjoying the cleaning, his young eager penis was in all its glory. Pops went ahead and washed it too. "Pops, please don't stop. It hurts for me to rub it but feels so good when you do."

"Ohh, OK Josh once you are healed no more."

"Yes, Pops anything you say, Pops. Make it cum, please, Pops. Make my big hard dick shoot it's load.”

Pops went to work on the throbbing penis, washing Josh's balls around his pubs and between his legs up to his rosebud. Josh was trembling from Pops' attentions. He held his ribs. Finally, Pops washed the cock head and the boy gushed out a load and a half.

"There, feel better now, son?"

"Oh yes, thank you Pops. You know being helped to get dressed and undressed and Billy helping me use the bathroom had got me real horny."

"Ok, now, let us get you dried off and don't be sprouting any more wood."

"I'll try not to Pops. Pops, should I sleep in with you. "

" Yes, I think so Josh. If you need help with anything, I'll be right here. See, if you can take a leak now."

Josh peed like he was told. Pops helped him get his undies on and into bed, gave him his meds and in 10 minutes Josh was out like a light. Pops went down for his own meds and to close up the house.

To be continued...

Posted: 12/03/2021