A Second Chance, Part IV -- A New Beginning
By: Radio Rancher
(©  2007 by the author and creator, Tickie)
 
The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...
  

Chapter 5
 

Johnny awoke and gasped. He was frightened. He had no idea where he was, but he felt arms across his body. The first thought he had was that he should try to get away before his 'father' woke up from his drunken stupor and started hurting him again. Then he began to remember what had happened the day before. The Sheriff had arrested that evil man and the child welfare guy had placed him with the nice people at The Lazy L Ranch. As he looked from one side to the other he thought for a second that he was seeing double. 'Am I dreaming?' he thought. Then his mind began to focus again. He realized he was lying between Mark and Luke, the cute pair of twins that had rescued him. Both of them were cuddled up close to him, one on each side, and they each had an arm over him, gently holding him in a warm, loving hug. Slowly but simultaneously, both twins opened their eyes. They each leaned in close and kissed him on his cheek.

"It's okay, Johnny. You're safe now. No one will ever hurt you again."

"Who's that?"

I jumped and so did James, because he pointed directly at us as we stood there looking at them, as we sent them our love and healing energy. His eyes looked straight into mine. He could clearly see us.

"Oh Those are our grandpa Charlie and Grandpa James. They always look after us." Luke answered.

"I don't understand. I can sort of see through them." He said, as he continued to stare at us. I moved over and sat on the bed and I reached out my arms to the boy. He sat up and moved over into my lap. Both Mark and Luke snuggled up to me and James came over and joined us. Mark and Luke took turns and hugged James.

I leaned down and kissed Johnny on top of his head and said, 'Johnny, James and I are both Guardian Angels. We are here to watch over the lives of the Andersen family, and anyone they love.' I took a deep breath and continued. 'Most people can't see or hear us, but it seems that you, Mark and Luke are able to. I have thought about it for a while now, and I think the reason that you and the twins can see us is that you are still rather young and innocent. I heard you say that you can kind of see through us. Are we still like that?'

"No. As soon as you sat down on the bed, you got solid."

"That's funny." Mark said, "They are always solid when I see them. I don't always see them, but when ever they look at us, they like just pop in, and they are solid."

"Yeah." Luke agreed. I have been sitting somewhere, and all of a sudden, 'pop!' there they are. They look and feel just like anyone else. They almost always come in and kiss us goodnight. Another thing is when either one hugs us, we always feel better, less tired or if we have any aches or pain, just a hug from them makes it all go away."

"I noticed when I sat on your lap, sir, that I didn't hurt anymore. Did you do that?"

'Well, To tell you the truth, I really didn't notice doing it. I suppose I might have, but I think James and I are almost always sending love and energy to those we care about, and you certainly are one of the people that we care about.' I leaned down and kissed him again. 'By the way, from now on you call me Grandpa Charlie and that is Grandpa James.' I pointed to James who by this time was holding both twins in his lap and giving them lots of cuddles and kisses. 'James and I are still learning exactly what we can and can't do, so you might find that we make a few mistakes.' I said. 'Just remember that we are here, and we will do our best to protect everyone. The adults can't see or hear us any more. They still kind of feel it when we kiss them, but they really don't feel us like you guys do.' Again I took a deep breath. 'I suspect that when you get older, we will become harder to see, but remember we will always be here. I promise that we will never be far away, and we will always hear you if you call on us. It gets a little strange for your dads sometimes, cause we will often get the urge to pick up and hold one of you munchkins, and if we are holding you, and one of the adults comes in, all they'll see is you, Luke or Mark up in the air. That always starts a giggling fit. I'm sure you will do it too. One time I carried Mark across the room and handed him to Colt. It was so cute. Colt couldn't see me, but as he took Mark from me, he leaned over hugged me and kissed me on the cheek. I really don't know how he did it, but it really felt wonderful. I could feel his love. I think that at least sometimes, they do still see us. I just can't figure out what makes it happen, or when it will.'

"That's okay Grandpa Charlie; we know it will happen. We can tell that our dads can't see you most of the time, but they still know you are here." Luke replied.

'I know, boys. We just want all of you to know that we are always going to be here for you.' I said as I hugged each of them.

When I had finished talking, I saw the door open and Colt's head peaked around the door. He noticed the boys all were several inches above the bed and he smiled as he entered the room.

"Good morning boys, Grandpa Charlie and Grandpa James. Thank you for looking after the boys. I can tell they all love you just like we do, and obviously you love them too." His smile never faded one bit as he stood there. "I just came in to see if you guys were awake, since Breakfast is ready and waiting. I think it's time you were up. Why don't you two take Johnny into the bathroom and get him a tooth brush, a comb and his toiletries and help him get cleaned up for breakfast? I Want to talk to Grandpa Charlie and Grandpa James for a bit."

All three boys rushed into the bathroom, leaving Colt standing there, and James and me sitting on the bed.

"I don't know if you were responsible for bringing us Johnny, but I can see that you have already fallen in love with him. He can see you and you were holding him, so I can see that he is now fully under your loving care, along with the rest of us. Thank you so much for being here and loving us. We miss you and we still love you very much." James and I got up and moved over to either side of Colt. We each kissed him on his cheek and hugged him.

'I know that JC and Richard are going to be here a lot too. They are rather busy right now, getting themselves settled in, so to speak. There is a period of adjustment that is necessary before someone is stable enough to return to the earthly plane for extended periods of time. JC and Richard are both quite new at this and once they become more stable in their new situation, I am sure they will be here with us as well. Right now, they are exercising, and getting used to their new way of being.' I spoke the words out loud, but I didn't know if Colt would hear me. He smiled and said,

"I was wondering why we hadn't heard from JC or Richard. Thanks for explaining that." As he was finishing, there was the sound of a stampede and the three small tornadoes whisked past us rushing out the bedroom door and headed to the dining room in record time.

Colt headed toward the door, looked back at us and said, "Thanks, both of you for being here for us; we still love you both very much. Now I think I had better get to the dining room before the munchkins vacuum up all the food." He walked out the door and headed for the dining room.

There was a breakfast fit for royalty ready to be devoured and it soon was ravished into submission.

Julie and Jo had outdone themselves once again, and everyone took turns hugging the two women. Even the new arrival managed a one armed hug for each of them and they both leaned down and gave him a very warm loving hug in return." Thanks for a great breakfast, Grandma Julie, and Aunt Jo." he said, "Mark said that's what him an' Luke call you. I hope it's okay with you if I call you that. You've both been real nice to me."

"Honey, you can call us that if you feel comfortable with it, You are part of the family now, so you can do the same as everyone else. Thanks for being so polite." Julie hugged him again, and Jo leaned over and kissed him on the top of his head.

Everyone pitched in and helped Julie and Jo clear the table and get the leftovers put away, such as they were. Julie remarked, I think there must have been a flock of buzzards in here. I don't think there are enough scraps to even save except for the boxes of cereal." She laughed when she saw the faces of the twins and Johnny.

"Don't worry, boys, remember, we know you are growing boys and I didn't mean to scare you away from eating all you want. There will always be plenty of food here. Don't ever be afraid to eat all you want. If we run out of something, we will just get more." Julie said, smiling her grandmotherly smile.

Once all the breakfast things had been cleared and put away, Colt reminded the twins that they had chores to do." You have colts that will probably be hungry and thirsty, boys. I suggest you high tail it to the barn and take care of them."

"Oh, Johnny, would you like to go too?" Matt asked the young boy, as he saw Johnny's face fall, when he heard Colt mention the other boys' colts.

"Oh please! Can I go see them?"

"Of course you can, and If you want to, you can help feed them." Matt told him, with a grin and a giggle. Johnny was so excited on hearing that he could join his new brothers that he almost forgot to put on his heavy coat as he headed for the door. He had pulled the door open and felt the cold air on his front before he even thought of putting on the down filled coat that was hanging on the hook next to the twins' coats. Luke and Mark were reaching for their coats as well, and they helped Johnny put his on.

"Don't forget to put on your boots too, boys." Julie reminded them, as they all started out the door in their tennis shoes. They rushed back to retrieve the heavy fur lined boots and buckle them on, making sure that Johnny had his buckled properly as well, before once again heading out for the barn.

Colt and Matt watched the boys as they ran to the barn. It took them a little longer to get into their winter gear and follow the three little whirlwinds to the barn. When Matt and Colt got there, Ben was already showing the boys around. Luke and Mark were helping Ben with the tour for Johnny, but there were a few things that even they hadn't seen before. Ben chuckled every time he managed to show something to them that the twins hadn't seen before. Ben had not shown Johnny the train room yet. He had planned to save that till last. Johnny's eyes were as big as saucers, already, when he saw how much cleaner and well organized the Lazy L barn was kept. He had never seen a barn that neat and clean before. The house he had lived in wasn't as clean as the Lazy L barn. He was totally impressed by all the wonderful sights he had seen already, and the real fun hadn't even begun.

Eventually, they all arrived at the area where June and the colts were waiting. Ben winked at Colt and Matt.

"Boys," Ben chuckled, "I think it is about time to get to work and feed your horses, don't you?"

Luke and Mark gasped, "Oh my God! We almost forgot." They ran to the grain bin and grabbed the buckets and filled them. Johnny stood watching his new brothers running around grabbing the things they would need. He seemed to be wondering what he should do.

"Johnny, what do you want to do? Can you help feed the horses? I know your arm is sore, but if you can hold a bucket in one hand, I think there is a horse that would really like it if you were to feed her." Ben said, with a surprisingly straight face.

"I wish I still had June." Johnny choked out. Tears started to run down his face. "I miss her so much, and HE almost killed her. She was almost ready to have her baby." he managed to gasp out between sobs.

"Johnny," Ben called to him, as he opened his arms to the young boy, "Come with me, and grab that pail of oats. I have a surprise for you, and I am sure it will help you feel better." As Johnny backed up and walked over to the grain bin and filled a bucket with oats. He walked back over to Ben. Ben put his arm around Johnny's shoulder and began to lead him to the area where the horses were waiting.

Luke and Mark were feeding Dawn and Dotty, and as they fed them, they were petting them and talking softly to them. Johnny noticed the two nearly identical colts and thought they were very beautiful. Instead of Ben leading Johnny over to where the other boys were, he maneuvered the boy over toward another stall. Johnny had still been looking at the other boys and their colts, and hadn't really been paying much attention to where he was being led. Ben had quietly opened the door to a stall. He gently nudged Johnny and said, "Johnny, I think you need to look this way for a minute; I think you will feel a little better once you do."

Johnny turned his head to look at Ben. Ben was standing in front of a beautiful mare. Johnny realized that Ben was standing near a horse, and Johnny's curiosity got the better of him, and since he loved horses, he decided that he would feed her. The tears in his eyes made it difficult for him to see the horse. All he could think was how much he missed his mare. "I wish I could be feeding June." he mumbled and his voice broke as he tried to stop crying. Ben put his hand on the boy's shoulder again and gently rubbed and patted the boy. "Why don't you see if she wants some of those oats, Johnny?" he said, carefully not mentioning the horse's name. Johnny took a deep breath and choked out,

"Hello, beautiful; you look a lot like my horse, June. Would you like some oats?"

He placed the bucket in front of her, and she nickered, 'Thanks, Johnny,'

Without really thinking much about it, he answered, "You're welcome." then he looked up into the face of his beloved, June. "June!" he shouted, "You're here! Now I remember, Luke said that you were here. Wait; you just thanked me. I heard you thank me."

'Of course I thanked you; I always thank you when you bring me food, silly.' she whinnied.

"But, I never heard you talk before." he managed to croak.

'I know, it was always very strange, sometimes you seemed to know what I wanted, but mostly you just brought me things and then you groomed me. It always felt so nice when you brushed me. I'm glad you finally understand me now.' she turned her head back toward her rear. 'Did you see my son, Little Bit? He is nursing now. I am so glad to see you. I was afraid that I would never see you again.' she nickered.

"I'm going to be living here now." Johnny told her. "I'll take good care of you and Little Bit."

The others had heard the conversation and were standing open mouthed, trying to figure out how Johnny had been able to understand June, when he obviously hadn't been able to before.

Colt slapped his forehead with the heel of his hand, "Duh." he blurted. "It had to be the transfusion."

"Yes, of course," Matt concurred, "It happened before. We might have expected it to happen again. Johnny, you are our blood brother. You are also now a Horse Whisperer."

"It feels strange, in a way," Johnny giggled, "but yet somehow it feels so right, too. I always felt very close to the horses and other animals, but I never completely understood them. I always picked up their emotions, ever since I was a little kid, I could tell if a horse or a dog or cat was happy or healthy, or if they were hungry. I just never thought much about it. I figured anyone that paid attention could do it."

Just then Little Bit finished nursing his mother and walked up to Johnny. 'Hi.' He nickered.

"Hi, Little Bit. I'm Johnny. I'm glad you are alright. I have known your mommy for a long time. We are good friends, I'd like to be your friend too."

Little bit nuzzled his face into Johnny's stomach and nickered, 'Okay, let's be friends. I like you.'

********

Meanwhile, Andy Higgins from family services was speaking with Judge Franklin. "I need you to transfer custody of Johnny Elkman To Colt and Matt Andersen, and get the wheels in motion to make it permanent, as in drawing up adoption papers, as soon as possible. That boy needs a stable family and the love that they can give him. He has been living in Hell long enough."

"I'll do it as quick as I can, Andy. Thank you for being there for the kids."

********

As the lights were being turned off at the county lock up, a certain unhappy man lay flat on his stomach on a very uncomfortable cot.

"You know, scumbag, folks here don't take kindly to guys that beat up and rape eight year old kids. I don't think you are gonna enjoy being here very much. I know for a fact that there are at least ten guys waiting their turns to literally tare you a new one, and I don't think you will get much sympathy from any of em. I'd wish you good luck, but buddy, I don't believe you deserve any good luck. Enjoy your stay here at Club Butt Fuck!!" At that, he shoved his clenched fist up the butt of the man, all the way to the elbow and twisted it good and hard. Oddly enough, he seemed to have forgotten to take off the ring he was wearing. That was also kind of odd, since prisoners usually don't get to wear jewelry. The Guard standing near the cell reached out and pocketed the ring once the huge Lummox took it off and handed it to him, after he pulled his hand out of the bastard's butt and wiped his hand on the sheet.

His rear end was bleeding and it was raw and sore. He had never had the fist of another person shoved up there before and the man that did it to him was in no way gentle, and he didn't use lube when he did it.

"Who's next?" the guard called, as five or six inmates called out "I'll do it!" There seemed to be a lot of enthusiasm. It looked like the recreation schedule had been filled up for some time to come, if he didn't bleed to death first.

He lay on the cot with tears in his eyes holding back the screams he wanted to let out, and waited for his next master to have his turn.

James and I watched, just a little concerned for the man being tortured, but you know, it is best if you try not to let your emotions overtake you when you are in the position that James and I are in, after careful consideration I finally decided to be kind to him. I didn't want to judge the man; after all that is not something that I am tasked to do. I stopped his bleeding; no use letting him bleed to death before the next three hundred and fifty pound lover had his turn with our sweet loving stepfather, now is there? I didn't bother to stop his pain. 'Lord I ask you, did I do the right thing? Hmm, he didn't answer me. I guess he isn't too upset at me.'

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes:

This chapter resolved a few things and I think some justice has prevailed. The stepfather hasn't even gone to trial yet, and he is being punished pretty severely. Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining.

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher
 

Tickie's note:

Another great chapter Darryl, looks like the Andersen family is again growing. And I am sure Judge Franklin won't be to long in making it permanent. I don't think Charlie was hard enough on the bastard! 

Feedback always welcome:     

Posted: 08/10/07