Finding Heaven

Chapter one

XXXXX

A/N: Hello people, this isn't really new, but I have been working hard on the rewrites to this story. I'm excited with how it's coming and wanted to share it with you all. For those of you who read the first Finding Heaven I would love to hear from you all if you like the changes or not, and if you like how this one is going. Thanks again I look forward to hearing from you all.

XXXXX

Armand Riesel of Riesel Hotel watched the blond in high heels walk down the steps of his mansion. He wasn't really angry, not anymore. It was just too tiring to argue and fight, just wasn't worth trying to make things work. Stopping at the bottom, the blond put one manicured red painted fingernail to the bottom of red painted lips before pale blue eyes came to him where he had stopped a few steps up.

"You're still upset?" One perfectly shaped eyebrow rose with the question.

"No, Val, I'm not," Armand said, coming down the rest of the way; he met the pale blue eyes. "Disappointed mostly."

"Well I'm sorry," Val said, still tapping a fingernail against the blood red bottom lip, "but you were too unreasonable Armand. You wanted something I couldn't give."

"I don't find it all that unreasonable to expect my lover to be faithful," Armand said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You haven't touched me in months; I got lonely." Val said, turning to walk towards the living room.

"That's because you've been in every man's bed in this town," Armand hissed, praying his temper would hold. He saw Val stop and turn back to him.

"I like to be touched, Armand; you knew that when we started," Val replied.

"Just not by me," Armand sighed, seeing blue eyes look at him surprised.

"You're a beast, Armand; you never know when to keep control," Val turned away again, not seeing the pain in Armand's eyes.

"I never lost my control with you, Val, never once," Armand replied. "All I wanted was someone who would be faithful and someone I could trust."

"You want someone to own, someone you can control," Val said, shrugging a shoulder, "You want someone to be completely dependent on you, and I can't be that anymore."

"You told me that you wanted someone to take care of you, give you nice gifts, pretty clothes, jewelry." Armand said, seeing a smile come to those perfect lips.

"I did, but I didn't know in return I'd have to give up my freedom," Val said, walking back over to him.

"You didn't have to give up your freedom, Val; all I asked is that you were faithful to me," Armand said.

"I'm sorry, but I have to pack," Val said, picking up a portfolio from the coffee table before turning to head back towards the steps.

"What the hell do you mean 'pack'?" Armand hissed only to see the blond stop.

"You know, love, pack my clothes and things," Val said, smiling.

"I don't think so; you're leaving this relationship the same way you came into it," Armand hissed, his temper stretched almost to the breaking point.

"What?! You can't be serious," Val cried, a pout coming to those perfectly painted lips.

"Oh, I am," Armand said, running a hand though his hair, trying not to meet the tears in the pale blue eyes. Seeing one tear slide down a pale cheek, he felt his resolve crack a little. "All right, you can take what you can carry; I will give you a five thousand dollar check to help you out. Everything else will be burned."

"I suppose that's fair," Val said, knowing that was about the best one could expect.

"Yes," Armand said, watching Val head back up the stairs. Turning, he walked into his office to write the check and to make sure all credit cards and bank accounts he had placed in Val's name were canceled. Sitting down, he leaned back in his chair.

"Armand?" Val's silky voice came from the doorway. Looking up, Armand scanned over the person in his doorway, the tall lean body, long blond hair. The dress was an original, tightly fitting. Makeup done perfectly, nails done twice a week. Hell, here was a walking fortune alone. "Want to do it one last time?"

"I'll pass," Armand said, sliding the check across the desk. When he looked up, he could see the pout that came to those lips again. Perfect lips, lips any man would die to have.

"Oh come on, love," Val said.

"God only knows what you've caught, Val," Armand said, shaking his head as he ran his hand through his short black hair.

"You know I've always practiced safe sex," Val said, reaching down to pick up the check.

"Sure, that's why your two last check ups came back with Gonorrhea?" Armand asked, shaking his head.

"You are too uptight about this whole medical thing," Val said, "Besides it was just a few indiscretions."

"Do you call me coming home to find you in my bed, not with one man but two, a few indiscretions?" Armand asked, seeing that Val had no forthcoming answer. "You're lucky I don't strip you down, put you in what you were wearing when I met you, and dump you back at that club."

He waited to see if Val had anything to say to that, but those pale eyes continued to watch him. He hated having those eyes look at him like that; it made him remember how much he liked having that body wrapped around him. Shaking his head, he leaned forward to place his elbows on the desk.

"Look at you, Val. You're a prima donna, and you weren't like that when we met." Armand said, his eyes scanning the dress-clad body again, "Just get your stuff and leave."

Armand turned his chair towards the window, unable to look at his lost lover any longer. His eyes scanned the manicured lawn outside of his house until he saw a car pull up into his driveway. A Mercedes. He watched as a man got out and took the bags that Val was holding to put into the trunk. He then watched as they got back into the car and drove away.

Turning back to his desk, he picked up his phone to call his housekeeper. As he hung up the phone he leaned back again and closed his eyes. Maybe he was asking too much, maybe he wanted someone who couldn't get away from him, someone completely dependent on him. No, he wanted someone who was faithful that was it.

"Yes, Armand?" the woman said, coming into his office.

"Margaret, would you please air out the guest room and have Val's room cleared out?" Armand said, seeing her nod. "Oh, and I want whatever Val's possession that are left to be burned."

"Yes, sir," Margaret said softly, "and your suite, sir?"

"Oh, sorry," Armand said, having forgotten to tell her, "I want the mattress in my suite burned and a new one put in."

"Yes, sir," she said, leaving the office. Staring at the door for a few minutes, he sighed. He had come home to make one last effort to stay his wayward lover. Only to find the scene of the three of them in his bed together. Gritting his teeth, he turned to his computer; he had cleared his schedule to be with Val but figured he had no reason to waste the rest of the day.

XXXXX

"Good morning, Mr. Riesel," the chauffeur said, holding the door open for him.

"Good morning, Gates," Armand said, getting into the car. He smiled at the man across from him, "Morning, Adam."

"Morning," Adam replied as the car started to move. He waited until Armand was settled before breaking the news that he had. "Several of the investors have pulled out of the Grand Hotel project, saying something about the area not being profitable."

"Yes well, they're a bunch of imbeciles," Armand said, shaking his head. Just want he needed; first his lover leaves him and now his hotel project was in jeopardy.

"Armand please," Adam sighed. "Just send them the data quotes, and they'll see."

"So, let them read the projections when they should believe me about the growth the area will have over the next two year?" Armand asked, looking at the man.

"Since you've bought the land so cheap, they're concerned," Adam said, seeing his boss turn to look out the window. He could see by the look that last night didn't go well for the man.

"Did you remember to cancel Val's credit cards and accounts?" Armand asked, looking back at Adam.

"Yes, I did last night after you called," Adam replied as they pulled to a stop in front of one of his hotels.

"So what's wrong with this one?" Armand asked, getting out of the car. Looking up, he couldn't say that he had ever been here before.

"Last one on your fathers list, I thought you might like to go over it," Adam replied, handing a file to him.

"Kind of small," Armand said, taking the file as he headed into the place. Upon entering, he stopped his eyes scanning the small lobby. It was dimly lit, and the décor was about twenty years out of date. He turned when he saw an older woman coming towards them.

"My, my, you are the image of your father," she said, stopping in front of them.

"Yeah," Armand said; he let his gaze scan the hotel again and decided to get right to business. "So how many rooms are useable?"

"All of them," she replied, sounding a bit surprised.

"Three hundred, right?" Armand asked, checking the figures. He saw that it was the right number as he scanned the income for the year. "Income's kind of low."

"Yes well, considering the location and the décor, it's not surprising," she said, seeing him look at her.

"I'd like to see a few of the rooms and the pool area," Armand said, seeing her nod.

"This way, please," she said, gritting her teeth slightly as she led the way up an open staircase towards the second floor. Armand smiled slightly as he followed after her. At the top of the stairs, she stopped in front of a door and pulled a key from her pocket. "This is our best suite."

"I see," Armand said, walking into the room. He stopped, seeing a small room with a sofa, one chair, and a TV; in the corner stood a small bar. Keeping a groan to himself, he walked over to the other door in the room, opening it to see a king size bed, two nightstands, a chair, and an armoire. "Hum."

"What does that mean?" the woman asked Adam quietly as Armand opened the bathroom door.

"It means he's not impressed," Adam said, giving the woman a weak smile.

"Oh," she said, looking back at the tall man.

"Alright, I'd like to see the pool now," Armand said, seeing the woman open her mouth then shut it.

"Of course," she led the way out of the room. Armand followed after her, his decision already made. He planned on having the thing bulldozed. Riding the elevator down, he glanced over at Adam then the woman again. They exited the elevator just outside the pool area. Walking into it, Armand eyes scanned the area.

"Well," He said walking the area. Nothing impressive, the pool only went to five feet, and the hot tub had an out of order sign on it. Shaking his head, he was about to give his answer when something caught his eye. Walking over, he looked at the plaque: 'Dedicated to my beautiful Rebecca.' "Adam..."

"Sir?" Adam said, knowing that Armand was going to shut the hotel down; he gave the woman a sad look.

"Have it remodeled," Armand said, turning to walk out of the pool area. Adam stared after him, stunned for a few minutes, before turning to the woman, who looked very surprised.

"I will have our decorator contact you," Adam said, seeing her nod as he followed after his employer. He didn't catch up with Armand until he got to the limo outside. Getting in, he looked over at the man sitting across from him, staring out the window again. "Armand?"

"It was my mother's wedding present," Armand said, glancing at Adam then back out the window. Adam didn't comment, but he knew now why Armand decided to remodel instead of tearing it down. Going though his papers, he looked for the best decorator for this hotel.

"How about Anni Price?" Adam asked, seeing Armand shake his head no. "Terrance Bleehouse?"

"How about Gayle Rodgers?" Armand asked.

"She's out of town," Adam replied.

"How long?" he asked, his eyes still outside, watching the people on the darken street.

"Don't know, but I'll find out," Adam replied, seeing Armand's head snap up.

"Gates, stop the car!" Armand yelled as the car came to a screeching halt. Getting out, Armand made his way back towards an alley where he saw several boys beating up a girl. "Hey!"

"What the hell?" One of the men said, looking at where Armand stood.

"Shit, let's get out of here!" another said as they dropped the girl and ran. Muttering, Armand walked over seeing her pull up to her knees.

"Hey, you okay?" Armand asked, kneeling down.

"Fine," the voice said, looking up. Armand's eyes widened when he realized that it wasn't a girl but a boy.

"Here," Armand said, handing the kid a tissue to see the kid take it and press it to the cut on his mouth.

"Sir?" Adam said, out of breath as he stopped in front of the alley way.

"I'm right here, Adam," Armand said, his eyes still on boy.

"Is everything all right?" Adam asked, taking a step into the alley.

"Fine," Armand said, reaching out to the take the boy's shoulder, only to see him pull away slightly. "Come on, I'll give you a ride home."

"Ha," the boy said, smiling. "Thanks, but I'm already home."

"What?" Armand asked as he stood and so did the kid.

"I live in this alley," the kid said, indicating the dirty alley behind him. Armand looked down at the dirty red head, his eyes scanning the body. His eyes went back to the alley before scanning the boy again. A thought came to him; suddenly seeing a clear plan of action.

"Alright then, I have a proposition for you," Armand said grinning; he saw the boy look startled before looking at Adam then back at him.

"What kind of proposition?" he asked taking a step back. The boy looked around, seemingly looking for the best escape route.

"Come with me and find out," Armand replied, turning to walk out of the alley, but he stopped and turned back to him.

"Like I would go with someone I don't know," the boy said, not moving from where he was standing. Armand grinned slightly before moving to pull a business card from his suite pocket. He crossed the space to hold it out to the boy, watching as dirty pale fingers took it.

"If you decide you want to find out," Armand said, leaving the alley to go back to the limo.

"To the hotel, sir?" Gates asked, seeing Armand nod.

"Armand," Adam started; he had seen Armand give the kid a card and knew what the man was thinking. It bothered him that Armand would want to go this route, but considering all the heartbreaks the man had had over the years, he could see.

"Not a word, Adam," Armand said softly. He knew that this wasn't the smartest route, but he was tired of going out and meeting people. Then the whole courtship and dating just gave him a headache.

"Fine," Adam said as they got to the hotel. Armand just shook his head as he moved towards his office; he had a ton of work to finish from yesterday.

XXXXX

"You know," Adam said softly as Armand stared out the window. "It might be for the best that the boy didn't show up."

"Maybe," Armand said, although he couldn't seem to pull his mind from the boy he'd met four days ago. There was something about those eyes. Something had just called to him, and he couldn't seem to pull his thoughts from that boy.

"Armand," Adam started, watching as Armand turned to him. "I know some nice people; maybe you could go out with one of them."

"I don't think so, Adam; maybe my father was right-- maybe this is my fate." Armand muttered softly as he turned back to the window.

"Your father was a fool, Armand; you deserve happiness," Adam said, a low groan escaping him when the phone on Armand's desk rang. Seeing that Armand wasn't going to answer it, Adam reached out to pick it up. After listening for a few minutes, he sighed and told the woman on the other end he'd be there in a minute. "We'll talk later."

"Whatever," Armand replied, turning back to his paperwork. He just needed to forget about the boy that had haunted his dreams for the past four days. He needed to put it from his mind and maybe Adam was right; maybe he needed to take time away from everything after all that had happened with Val.

Armand glanced up when he heard a noise at his opened door. He wasn't sure he was actually seeing what he thought he was seeing but found as the redhead fidgeted from one foot to the other that the boy was really standing there. After several minutes, he raised an eyebrow at the redhead standing nervously in his doorway. "Come on in."

"I um…" the boy trailed off; Armand could see several marks on the clean face, marks that hadn't been there, when he had met the boy in the alley. He watched as the boy crossed the room to sit down in a chair. "You said to come if I wanted to find out."

"I did," Armand grinned. "What's your name?"

"It's Destin, Destin Rarry," he said, looking up.

"Alright," Armand said, sitting back in his chair as he watched the boy. "Are you interested in my proposal?"

"Maybe, depends on what it is," the boy said, seeing the man watch him for a few more minutes.

"I want you to become my lover," Armand said, seeing shock come to the boy's face.

"You want to buy me for sex?" Destin replied, although he wasn't surprised; he figured that was what the man wanted but was hoping it would be something else. He stood, deciding that he wasn't going to be a whore. "I knew this was a stupid idea."

"Wait," Armand said; he saw the boy stop in surprise and realize that it wouldn't be that easy to convince Destin that it wasn't just sex he was after. "It would be more than that."

"It would?" Destin asked he turned his attention back to the man in front of him.

"Yes," Armand replied, as the boy timidly sat back down. "You're homeless, you have no job, and from what I can see, you have no money."

"So?" Destin replied. "That doesn't mean I'll have sex with you for money."

"There's more to it than that," Armand said, keeping his tone even and business-like. "I will give you a place to live, food to eat, clothes to wear."

"In exchange for sex?" Destin asked, not seeing the difference. He wasn't going to be a whore; it was the reason he was here; because he couldn't keep dodging the pimps.

"Hey," Adam paused at the doorway seeing that Armand had someone in the room with them. For several long minutes, an uncomfortable silence filled the room before the growl from Destin's stomach broke it.

"Adam," Armand said, softly as he watched the red faced boy. "Why don't you go get some food?"

"Sure," Adam said, leaving the office. When he turned back to the boy, he could see Destin was watching him warily.

"How old are you?" he asked.

"Eighteen," Destin croaked, looking like he wanted to escape. "And if I said yes, I would be no better than a whore."

"That's not true," Armand placed his elbows on his desk, resting his chin on his hands. "How long have you been on the streets?"

"Six months," the boy answered, dropping his eyes. Armand could see the shame that stained Destin's face, and shaking his head, he tried to make the boy feel better.

"Just think of my offer, Destin," Armand said, seeing silver-green eyes come back to him. "If you decide you don't want to do it, I will help you out with money for an apartment, and I'm sure I could find work in one of my hotels for you."

"Oh," Destin said; he didn't know how to reply. It wasn't everyday he was offered to become a gay man's kept boy. He was quiet until Adam came back with food, which had his mouth watering since he hadn't eaten anything but garbage for three days. He watched as Adam set the food down on the desk.

"I'd like to speak with you," Adam said, seeing Armand nod, and getting up, he started to follow.

"Go ahead and eat," Armand said, seeing the boy nod. With a last look, he stepped into the reception area, his eyes going to Adam.

"I think this is a very bad idea," Adam said, looking up at him.

"It's a wonderful idea," Armand said, smiling. "He's got nowhere else to go, and he's very beautiful."

"That's not the point, Armand; you don't know anything about him," he replied, shaking his head.

"Listen; if he accepts the proposal and he comes back clean, it will be fine. I don't have to worry about him running off with another man like Val did," Armand said, spitting out the name.

"You don't know that," Adam hissed, closing his eyes as he could feel a headache coming on. "How can you be so sure he'll stay and not clean you out?"

"It will be okay," Armand said, seeing Adam finally nod. Walking back in, they stopped as the boy looked up, his face turning red.

"Sorry," Destin muttered, dropping his eyes as he swallowed.

"You can go, Adam," Armand said, seeing Adam nod as he left the office; Crossing over to his chair, Armand sat down, his eyes going to the boy again. He could see that he was making Destin nervous by watching him. With a sigh he turned in his chair to look out the window of his office.

"Hey, mister," Destin said, seeing the man turn back towards him.

"It's Armand Riesel," Armand replied, seeing Destin nod his head.

"Riesel, like the hotels?" Destin asked, seeing him nod. "If I accept this proposal, do I have to have sex with you right now?"

"No," Armand replied, seeing the boy's face flame red. "You will see the doctor for a complete check up, and if those test come back negative, then you will get cleaned up and a new wardrobe will be started for you."

"You sound like you have it all figured out," Destin said, watching the man across from him. Cold brown eyes seemed to look straight into him.

"Well considering you most likely haven't seen a doctor in awhile, it would be a good idea," Armand said. "And I'm sure you don't have anything else to wear but what you have on."

"Yeah," Destin said, dropping his eyes again. He really wasn't sure about this; he had had some idea what this guy wanted before he had come to the hotel. Hell, he had spent four days thinking about it before he found himself outside of the hotel.

"Just think about it," Armand's softly spoken words pulled Destin out of his thoughts.

"It's not like I got any other offers," Destin muttered. Looking up he saw that Armand was watching him. "Is there a trial period? You may not like having me around. It's not like I've ever had sex with a man before."

"I guess a getting to know each other," Armand said, seeing him relax ever so slightly. "And it's not all about sex, Destin."

"It's not?" Destin asked, watching Armand's face and seeing the businessman's expression hadn't changed since he had met him.

"No, you would accompany me on trips and to formal dinner meetings; I usually take a vacation once a year," Armand explained. He watched as Destin rolled around the information, and the boy seemed to battle with himself before finally shrugging his shoulders.

"So I'd be a companion, then?" Destin asked, seeing the man nod. "I guess I don't have much of a choice; it's either this or the streets."

"Wonderful," Armand said, standing. "Well, come on."

"Okay," Destin replied lamely. But what else was he to do? Six months on the street had already shown him just how cruel life could be. He was scared, but then again he had just given his life over to a man he didn't know. He looked up at the man. He wondered how tall Armand was; he had to be taller then him by Almost a foot give or take. But considering he was only five foot one, he guessed it wasn't all that tall.

"Here we are," Armand said, seeing the boy look up at him with those amazing silver green eyes.

"Here? Where is here, Mr. Riesel?" Destin asked, seeing him open a door to a room. Taking a step in, he couldn't help but gasp; it was huge.

"My private suite, you can stay here while we figure it all out," Armand said; he figured that it would make Destin feel better by giving him the chance to think it over by himself.

"Thank you," Destin said, sounding awed and tired.

"I'll leave you alone; if you should have any problems, call down to the desk. They'll know how to get a hold of me." Armand said.

"Okay, thank you again," he said, watching the man nod then turn to leave the room. Destin stared at the door for what felt like hours. His mind going over what he had just done; he agreed to something he had promised himself he'd never do. He had sold himself for the knowledge of having a home. He had become some gay man's kept boy.

Swallowing slowly, he surveyed the room. He felt tears slip down his cheek. He wanted to run but knew that he wouldn't survive another month on the streets, and the man had offered to help him. He had offered to keep him off the streets, even if they didn't become lovers.

Pushing away from the door, he headed towards the bathroom. He could at least shower and sleep on it; at least he could sleep without the fear of being attacked.

XXXXX

Adam knocked on the door at 8 am sharp, waiting a few minutes before entering the room. His face was stern; that boy had better not have ran out. Walking towards the bedroom, he stopped at seeing shiny copper red hair sticking out from a lump on the sofa. Walking over, he pulled up the blanket slightly, seeing the boy back away, nearly falling off the sofa.

"Good morning to you, too," Adam said, seeing the boy nod. He had to admit he cleaned up well, but he was still a punk from the street. "Coffee?"

"Please," Destin said. "You startled me."

"Why are you sleeping on the sofa?" Adam asked, seeing as he moved to call room service. The man ordered coffee and then turned back to the boy.

"I didn't want to get his bed dirty," Destin replied softly.

"Ah, well we have an hour and half before you have to see the doctor," Adam said, seeing the boy look up again.

"Okay, I'll get dressed," Destin said, slipping from the sofa and heading towards the bathroom. Hearing the door close, Adam picked up the blanket the kid had been wrapped in and folded it. It was a few minutes later when Destin reappeared in the dirty jeans and sweatshirt he had been wearing the day before.

Adam watched as the boy sat stiffly by the table; when a knock came at the door, he watched as Destin stiffened even more. With a shake of his head, he got up to answer the door; after signing he carried the tray back to the table, pouring coffee before setting the cup in front of Destin.

"Why are you staring at me?" Destin asked quietly.

"You're very different from most of Armand's lovers," Adam said, seeing a blush cover the boy's cheeks. He was surprised when Destin didn't ask how. Shrugging, Adam sat back in his chair and looked out the window.

"You must think very little of me," Destin said softly as he stared at his coffee.

"Not really, we all do what we must in order to survive," Adam said, seeing the boy glance at him again. They sat quietly as Destin finished his coffee. Adam then escorted the boy to the doctor's.

"Hello, how may I help you?" A nurse asked, seeing the boy fidget.

"I'm Destin Rarry," Destin said, seeing her nod, and she handed him the clipboard and a pen.

"Fill these out; the doctor will be right with you," she said turning away. Taking a seat, Destin looked over what she had given him. Some of the lines were already filled in. First blank line was his social security number; filling that in, he went onto the next question. Blood type: A. Birth date: April 12. How many sexual partners has he had? He glanced over at Adam, who was watching him with a smirk.

Destin could feel his face flame as he answered the rest of the questions. He saw that Armand was a very thorough person when it came to this, but still it was a little embarrassing to be answering these questions. Once finished he set the clipboard on his lap.

"All finished?" the nurse asked, appearing in front of him.

"Yes ma'am," Destin replied, handing it back to her.

"Come this way, please," she said turning away. Standing, Destin saw that Adam remained sitting. Well at least he got to see the doctor alone. Following the nurse, he sat in the chair she had indicated and rolled up his sleeve. The first thing she did was take his blood pressure, which, to his surprise was fine. Next to be checked was his weight and height. She said he was underweight, but considering he lived on the streets, it wasn't surprising. "Now, to draw some blood."

"With a needle?" Destin asked, seeing her look at him sharply.

"Well of course, silly," she replied, smiling at him as she pulled a rubber tube from a table then proceeded to wrap it around his bicep. Destin watched as she cleaned the spot, but after that, he had to look away. Closing his eyes tightly, he prayed he wouldn't pass out. "All done."

"It is?" he asked, looking back as she taped a cotton ball to the spot and bent his arm up.

"You don't look so well; sit here until you feel better," she said, walking away. Taking a deep breath, Destin closed his eyes for a minute. He reopened them when he heard the nurse come back. "You okay to stand?"

"Yeah," he said, standing to follow after her.

"Alright, I need you to pee in this cup," she said, leading him towards a small bathroom. Handing him the cup, she stood outside the door while he went in. When he came out, she took the cup from him, writing on the side then setting it on a tray before leading him into an examining room, where she sat down at one of those tiny desks.

"You'll need to undress," she said, jotting down a few notes then stood.

"You mean all of it?" he asked seeing her smile again.

"Yes," she said, walking around him to pull a gown from one of the drawers. "When the doctor comes, be wearing only this."

"Th…thanks," Destin said, watching her leave. Getting undressed, he pulled the gown on and sat down on the little exam table. He tried not to fidget too much, but he was nervous because he really didn't like doctors. Hearing a knock on the door, he saw the doctor come in, an older gray haired man with a friendly smile.

"Hello, Destin; I'm Dr. Baker." he said, walking over to the table the nurse had left his chart on. Sitting down, he started to look over the chart, then glanced back at the pasty youth. "Relax; you don't have to be scared."

"Okay," Destin replied, smiling weakly as the doctor got up. Dr. Baker started the exam, checking his heart, lungs, glands, his ears and eyes. It was towards the end of the exam when the nurse knocked on the door and reappeared carrying another chart.

"Oh good, you found it," Dr. Baker said, taking his latex gloves off to take the chart from her. His eyes scanned it before he turned back to Destin. "Seems the orphanage kept pretty good records; it looks like only one shot you'll need."

"Okay," Destin replied as the doctor put the other chart with the one they had started and turned back to him.

"Get dressed, and then Nurse Kim can show you to my office," Dr. Baker said.

"All right," he replied, watching the doctor leave, his eyes then going back to Nurse Kim.

"I'm going to go get your shot ready, while you get dressed," she said, seeing him nod as she left the room. Destin waited until the door closed behind her. Getting down, he started to pull his clothing back on. How did they get his medical record from the orphanage? He had only been here an hour at the most. What was Armand going to do when he found out that he had been in an orphanage for the past six years?

The nurse came back, instructing him to sit on the exam table while she pushed up his tee-shirt sleeve. Cleaning a spot on his shoulder, she gave him the shot. Once finished she looked at him. "Well that was better than when we took blood."

"Hum?" Destin asked, looking at her as she placed a band-aid against the shot mark. He had been so lost in thought that he hadn't been paying attention.

"Nothing, come on," she said leading him towards an office. Stopping outside, she knocked softly then opened the door. Destin could see Adam sitting in front of the doctor's desk with the doctor on the phone at the desk. Walking in, he took the seat next to Adam.

"Of course, Mr. Riesel," the doctor said. "Yes, yes. I'm sure he'll be glad to know; thank you," The doctor hung up the phone and turned to them. "Well, Destin, you'll be glad to know you're a healthy eighteen-year-old."

"Everything came back clean?" Adam asked, seeing the doctor nod.

"Even the drug test came back clean, and he's updated on his shots now," the doctor told Adam. Destin sat back, slightly feeling almost like a dog while they discussed his medical history. "Alright, should I schedule him for six months?"

"Please," Adam replied as he stood. Destin also stood, thanking the doctor as he followed Adam out. Once in the car, he sat back with a sigh. He could see that Adam was once again watching him. But he didn't care to listen to the man, so he turned his attention to the world outside the window.