Gil stammered, "Eeere ahh, is it alright, I mean, can I truly be a Great Warrior as yourselves?" Carl went to the frightened young man while Jeff cuddled the smaller boys. Carl said, 'You changed, therefore you are allowed. Saint Michael the Arch Angel makes no mistakes, those whom he claims as His Warriors are his forever!" They added the little boys to their collection, they soon became favorites among the older boys. Wherever the little ones went, there were two or more older boys with them and Gil was their target whenever they found him. At meals, he would have at least three of them on his lap, eating from his plate. It never seemed to bother him, he always had a happy smile on his face when he had his little boys with him. Their trip took them southward, headed towards Mesa Verde.
Chapter 1 - A TRIP TO DENVER
They had a convoy of Greyhound buses, even with 60 boys to a bus, there were a lot of buses. They were strung out over several miles on the highway. It was a hot, boring trip up through the Central Valley of California, they had left at 5:30 in the morning, hoping to be into the Sierra Nevada Mountains before the heat hit them full strength.
They had lunch in a park in Fresno and there seemed to be a slight commotion at one of the buses, but, by the time Paul could get there, it seemed to have solved itself.
In retrospect, he kicked himself for not counting noses on that bus and, by the time he discovered the reason for the commotion, it was 600 miles in the past.
They pulled through Sacramento and started the long climb up the Sierras. They were taking a slightly longer route to get to Denver that would skirt the worst of the Southwestern Deserts.
It had been a long haul and they pulled into Reno just as it was getting dark. They had reservations at the Golden Nugget in Sparks, immediately east of Reno, and everyone was looking forward to stopping.
Paul was standing by one of the busses as it was vomiting boys out the door, they all seemed nervous and a group came out the bus door like a blob of pudding. His interest was immediately roused and he spotted several faces that did not seem familiar to him.
As he started towards the group of boys, they ran into the hotel to get their room keys. He followed them in the door and cornered them in the lobby.
One of the older boys stepped out from the group and said, "Please sir, let us handle this, theys ain't bad boys, theys just hurt!"
By now, Paul's Great Warrior was trying to come forth; he waded into the group and found six young boys being held in the arms of the older boys. Paul could see bloody arms and backs and blood running down the ear of a small boy being cradled in a bigger boy's arms.
Other guests in the lobby screamed when a ten-foot Great Warrior emerged from the group of boys, his sword in his hand, ready to swing. Paul's voice carried throughout the hotel, "WHO HAS HARMED MINE CHILDREN, WHO HAS HURT THOSE WHO ART MINE TO CARE FOR?"
Paul sat down on the floor and scooped up the hurt children into his lap. In his caress, their wounds healed and the bleeding stopped.
The floor manager rushed over, Paul's Human had returned, the manager asked, "Is there anything we may do to help you, sir?"
The poor man was frightened almost beyond his ability to cope. He knew something had happened and that it was supernatural. His mother was a Shaman of the Piute People up on Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation and he was sure he had just experienced a visitation from the spirits of the Before People.
Paul said, "Will you help me get these children to a room and then call a physician to check on them?"
The man said he would and he sent all the Bell Boys in the house to assist in getting everyone settled in a room. The older boy who had been protecting the injured one, Phil Greely, stayed with Paul as he carried the small boys up to his room. Between them, they got the boys cleaned up and some food in them.
It was obvious they had not eaten in many days. They finally got them filled up and their tummies signaled them that it was time to sleep. The six little boys were asleep, all in one bed, side by side.
After the boys were asleep, Phil knelt before Paul and said, "Mr. Paul, I know what you are and who guides you. I ask you both, you and Saint Michael, to accept me as one of your Warriors. I have not much to offer, I am small and have little education, but I would give all I have, all I am, all that I can ever be, to stand at your side and protect boys such as these,"
The room suddenly lit up and the Arch Angel Himself, The Heavenly Warrior of the Hosts of God stood in the room, His Glorious wings spread from his shoulders, "Phillip Patrick Greely, thou hast given of thyself in the protection of those whom I cherish. Know that thou hast earned thy place in my host. Go forth and conquer evil in my name, thou art MINE WARRIOR!"
The young man dissolved in tears, "I am nothing. I am just a throwaway boy."
The Arch Angel replied. "NOT SO, THOU ART MINE AND MINE ALONE. THOU SHALT LEAD MINE HOSTS OF WARRIORS IN THE PROTECTION OF MINE CHILDREN. GO YOU AND LEAD MINE CHILDREN TO ME!"
It took Paul several hours to calm Phil down and to convince him that it really had been Saint Michael the Arch Angel who had appeared to him. Paul moved the new Warrior into his room with him.
The remainder of the night was not so exciting and, after they had stuffed the starving boys with enough food to fuel a small army, they loaded the busses and resumed their trip.
They had to make Winnemucca that night as that was the only hotel big enough to take them all. This time, Paul knew about the two boys who had been discovered hiding in the Men's Room at the rest stop. They were two brothers and he had them sitting beside him on the bus.
The two spoke very little English, Spanish seemed to be their native language. Phil had taken Spanish in his high school courses and could speak the language better than could Paul, who was dragging his high school Spanish from 20 years earlier.
They had stopped earlier than usual because the next town that had a large enough hotel was many miles distant. It was midafternoon and the boys asked if they could explore the small farming town. There were only a few blocks in any direction, so Paul had no problem letting them have a little free time to themselves. The boys spread out, the town primarily served cattle and sheep ranchers and there were Basque Sheepherders around the town.
Paul and Phil stayed in the lobby of the Woolgrower's Rest and both were enjoying a cup of fresh coffee when Derren Little came running in, "Mr. Paul, Mr. Phil, come quick, some boys are hurt down at the city park!" He grabbed both their hands to pull them along, the boy was so excited, he could hardly speak, all they got out of him was there were some boys hurt.
Both Paul and Phil had awful visions of their own boys being injured somehow.
They arrived at the city park, it had huge desert sycamores shading the area and cool grass that invited folks to rest their weary bones. There was a group of boys crowded around a tree. Paul could see some of their own boys with their shirts off and wringing water out of them. There were four teens lying on the grass, their clothes were shredded and what little was left, was covered in blood.
Bic Reese came up to Paul and said, "Mr. Paul, some big boys were kicking the ss, er snot out these kids, we's run'em off and nows we's tryin' ta' get the bleedin' stopped."
The teen boys were skinny as fence rails and their ribs stood out like pickets. If their shoes were anything like the condition of their clothes, they weren't worth hauling back to the hotel.
Paul knelt down beside one of the boys to check him out, as soon as he touched him, the boy started screaming, "Don't hurt me no more, I'll let ya do it, just let me rest a bit!"
Paul was struggling to restrain his Warrior, his Great Sword was already extended above his shoulder. Paul picked up the boy while Phil soothed the others. Paul cuddled him in his arms and spoke soothingly to him, "I am not who you think I am, I would never hurt you. What did they do to you son"
The boy began sobbing "tTttttThey rrr r raped me, sir. They hurted me bad, both of them did it, sir"
There was no holding his Great Warrior back and his roar was heard all over the small town. Saint Mike Boys came running from all directions and two young deputy sheriffs came strolling over to see what was going on. Paul was standing, holding the boy when he saw the two deputies. The boy screamed and shouted, "Those are the ones who hurted me!"
The two deputies didn't have a chance, there were twenty boys pouncing on them and pinning them to the ground.
A police patrol car drove up and, when the policeman saw the two boys pinned to the ground, he shouted, "What are you two idiots up to now?"
He looked at the huge apparition cradling a bleeding boy and he said, "I don't know what you are, but you sure look like you care for that boy. If these two are involved, their goin' to the state reformatory, this ain't the first time they have played at being cops."
They got the four boys back to the Woolgrower's Rest and Phil asked the Desk Manager if there was a doctor in town who would come to the Hotel, that they had some boys that got hurt.
The manager told him that he would call young Dr. Beemer, so they took the boys up to their room and proceeded to clean them up. About 20 minutes later, there was a knock on the door and Paul admitted a young man who said he was Doctor Beemer. He told them the Police had already notified him of what happened and the young doctor went right to work. When he had completed his examination he came out and asked to talk with Paul.
Dr. Beemer said, "First, I want to know, are you, sir, a Great Warrior of Saint Michael?" Paul put his arm around the doctor and replied, "Yes, we both are Great Warriors."
The Dr. sat on a chair and tried to collect himself, "Sir, I was a lost boy and was taken in by the Great Warriors of Wenatchee Boy's Hotel up in Washington. They cared for me and took care of me and then saw to it that I had a chance in life. If not for them, I would have died and nobody would have known or even cared."
He had to stop to wipe his eyes before he could continue, "Sir, I know what you can do and I am going to ask you to do for two of those boys in there, the boy named Robert and the one named Joseph. Both have torn rectums and infection has already set in. I might be able to save them, but Great Warrior, I KNOW you can save them. There is only so much a mere mortal Doctor can do. Please Great Warrior, save those boys."
The room was filled with a blinding light and, standing there, his great white wings spread fully and his Gleaming Sword held high, "WILLIAM BEEMER, I HAVE WATCHED SINCE THEE WERE A SMALL BOY. I KNEW THEN THOU WOULD BE GREAT, KNEEL BEFORE ME WILLIAM BEEMER, GREAT WARRIOR."
Saint Michael touched Dr. William Beemer on the forehead with his sword and said, "GO YOU NOW AND HEAL MINE CHILDREN, GREAT WARRIOR, STAY WITH THEM AND BE THE GREAT WARRIOR HEALER." William Beemer's Warrior surfaced, his Great Sword carried the Caduceus upon its pommel and his helmet was silver with red bars of recognition on it.
So it was, all the Great Warriors sensed the GREAT WARRIOR HEALER had emerged among them.
At each Boy's Home, the Chapel Bells began to ring and a silver Caduceus appeared on the door of each Chapel.
In Denver, Terry and James, THE CHIEF WARRIOR AND THE FIRST WARRIOR, were sitting down to their supper, both their eyes went blank for a moment and then James stood, "THE GREAT WARRIOR HEALER IS AMONG US, HE COMES, LET US MAKE PREPARATIONS TO RECEIVE HIM!"
The boys were healed by the GREAT WARRIOR HEALER and he packed up his few belongings and joined Paul and Phil as they continued their journey towards Denver the next morning.
The two injured boys awoke in perfect health and they both knew how and who had done it. They vowed to each other that they would attend THE GREAT WARRIOR HEALER from that day forward.
When they went to dress themselves, they found new clothes had been laid out for them and pinned to their shirt was a gleaming silver Caduceus with a bright red bar beneath it.
All the boys were curious about the silver caduceus and red bar and they asked Robert and Joseph about it. The two boys were as much in the dark as the other boys, until Dr. Beemer walked among them. He said, Robert and Joseph are mine to care for and they shall be my sons for all eternity. At the appointed time, they shall join me as Great Warrior Healers in the service of Saint Michael, the Arch Angel.
The two boys did not know whether to swell in pride or cry in fear of their eternal task.
They ended up doing both.
When the two, Robert and Joseph calmed down, they both stood and said, "Papa, before we leave this place, we have a task we must perform. The boys who hurt us, Jerry and Toby must be saved. What was done to them, they did to us. The cycle must be broken, please come with us as we forgive them and rescue them before it is too late."
Dr. Beemer took the two boys over to the County Jail, where they spoke to the Judge. Judge McGinty was skeptical, but he allowed them to see the two in their cell.
Out of curiosity, he followed them as the Doctor and the two boys entered the cell block. The boys were held in the last cell, away from the adult prisoners.
They asked the jailer to open the cell door for them, he looked at the Judge and he nodded his head in a yes.
As Robert and Joseph entered the cell, they began to glow and their silver Caduceus' shone like searchlights, lighting the dreary cell block as a summer day.
The two attackers, Jerry and Toby were frightened and they stared at the two glowing boys, recognizing them as the two boys they had brutalized. They dropped to their knees, intending to ask their victims to forgive them.
Robert and Joseph unpinned their Caduceus' and held them on the foreheads of Jerry and Toby, "JERRY AND TOBY, THOU ART FORGIVEN THY TRESPASS AND ARE ASKED TO JOIN THE BOYS OF SAINT MICHAEL, THE ARCH ANGEL, BE ONE WITH US AS WE TRAVEL TO MEET THE CHIEF WARRIOR AND THE FIRST WARRIOR IN DENVER. THOU ART ORPHANS NO LONGER FOR THY PLACE IS WITH US."
Jerry and Toby dissolved in tears as they grasped the legs of Robert and Joseph, begging their forgiveness. The two were raised up and held in embrace as they all walked from the cell block.
A shaken Judge Mc Ginty signed their release papers giving Dr. Beemer custody of them. The other inmates of the jail resolved, also, to mend their ways and, when they had served their sentences, they never again crossed the line.
The caravan of Greyhound Buses finally reached the outskirts of Denver, the local Police had been notified and they were escorted across town to the Campus of Saint Michael. There, Terry and James were waiting for them, everyone hung back wanting to see what was going to happen when the two new boys, Robert and Joseph met the Legendary Chief Warrior and First Warrior.
The boys knelt before Terry and James, each holding out their Caduceus Pin in their hand. Behind each of them stood their former abusers, their fear showing plainly in their faces.
Terry put one hand on Robert's forehead and his other hand covered the Caduceus. James did the same for Joseph, a great bolt of lightning burst from the sky and all four boys began to glow. Caduceus' appeared pinned on the shirts of Jerry and Toby. A great voice announced from the Heavens, "JERRY AND TOBY THOU SHALT TROD THE PATH WITH ROBERT AND JOSEPH AND THEY SHALL DECIDE WHEN YOU HAVE EARNED THE RED BAR. AT THAT TIME, THE FOUR OF YOU SHALL BECOME THE HOSPITALERS OF SAINT MICHAEL."
All the boys crowded forward, wanting to see and touch the Great Warriors of their legends. Terry and James invited all the boys in for lunch and then they would set them up with dorm rooms for their stay.
As the boys were leaving to find their rooms, the four boys with the Caduceus' knelt before their Great Warrior Healer. Robert said, "Lord Great Warrior Healer, we have a task we must perform before we may rest. Do not worry about us, we will be gone a night and a day. When we return, we shall be ready for our change."
The four boys walked off the campus, each holding the hand of the other as they departed.
None will ever know where they went, nor will we know of the deeds they performed, but all four boys returned the next night, somber and undeniably changed.
Chapter 2 - THE HOSPITALERS
Robert led Jerry and Joseph led Toby as they stood in reverence before Dr. Beemer. They all four bowed and then Robert said, "Great Warrior Healer, give us leave to make our change."
By now, every Great Warrior in the area was standing there, watching the four boys, the students of the University and Senior High School were either on the lawn or hanging from their dorm windows staring at what was taking place.
Dr. Beemer entered his change, his Great Warrior standing there, tall and stern, rays of red tinted sunlight reflecting off the red bars on his helmet. He nodded his head to the boys and said, "THOU ART READY, THY CHANGE HAS BEGUN."
All four boys entered change, their Great Warrior standing tall. Each held a sword with a Caduceus upon the pommel and a single red bar on their helmets.
The HOSPITALERS had arrived.
They knew instinctively they could heal others, more than a Great Warrior, but not as much as The Great Warrior Healer. They began working in the hospital that was located on campus. All four of them were in the Hospital on duty when the alarm came in, a fire had broken out at a large elementary school in downtown Denver, the caller said there were hundreds of children burned terribly and dying!
The woman who called it in was sobbing, they could hardly understand what she was saying. Robert was nearby and went into change immediately and his shriek brought the others on the run.
When they understood where the school was located, they took off running down the street. Their Warriors could travel faster than any ambulance on the crowded streets.
Time after time they dove into the blazing inferno to rescue children and teachers. They were expending enormous amounts of energy healing the terrible burns. Row after row of children lying on blankets spread on the grass.
Robert and Joseph found they could heal two children at once as they raced up and down the rows to locate those who were nearly dead. They worked all through the night and into the next day before they had completed their task.
Their Father watched in amazement at what his sons were doing, while he was healing one, his sons had healed three each and had started on the fourth victim.
A white faced and shaken news reporter tried to keep up with the boys, it was a lost cause, he had neither the stamina nor the batteries and film to record their efforts.
By the time the last child had his or her burns healed, the four Healers had been working non-stop for more than 40 hours. Volunteers were picking up the recovered children and trying to get them back to their families.
They were standing in the shade of a tree, drinking cool juices and trying to restore their energy, when Toby shouted, "JERRY, your pin, your Caduceus has a red bar beneath it!"
Jerry replied, "So does yours' Toby."
Robert and Joseph smiled and said together, "WELCOME HOME WARRIORS HOSPITALER TOBY AND JERRY."
The group remained in Denver for three weeks. Many of the boys participated in the Great Warrior Kayak Race and the Warriors Hospitaler checked each racer as they returned to make sure they had not overtaxed themselves.
Every time they appeared in public, Parents and Grandparents, Uncles and Aunts, Brothers and Sisters of the children they had saved from the fire would come up and thank them, even hug and kiss them.
The Family of twin boys, who had been saved during the fire, started a donation drive that ended up financing the construction of the Saint Michael's Hospitaler Burn Clinic for Children. It was soon to gain a worldwide reputation in the treatment of burns suffered by children. Patients came from even remote countries, their travel paid for by the Warriors Hospitaler Foundation.
The four Hospitalers would frequently disappear, either singly or in pairs and return with children who had been hurt. Saint Michael's Hospital opened a special admitting ward for the Hospitalers and there was usually one of them there to greet any child, however he or she might have gotten there.
When it came time for the group to return home, the four Hospitalers remained in Denver with Dr. Beemer, The Great Warrior Healer.
Over time, their Order would grow, more will be told of the Order of Hospitalers at a later time.
Chapter 3 - THE RETURN
It was time for the residents of Saint Michael's Boy's Home to return, school was about to begin and they had all grown so much, new school clothes, and shoes were needed.
It was a much less exciting trip back home and the boys mostly slept in the busses.
They noticed, as they arrived home, that there was a new banner flying from the Chapel Roof, it was pure white with a simple Red Bar horizontal across the middle of it. Each boy knew that it signified the HOME of the Warriors Hospitaler.
They knew that Dr. Beemer and the Warriors Hospitaler would be coming back to them soon.
Within a few weeks, a new building was started on the grounds, without anyone telling them, they knew that, when it was completed, who was going to occupy it and they could hardly wait, Robert and Joseph were greatly loved and they had come to love Jerry and Toby as well.
Six months later, the building was completed and furnished with treatment rooms, burn clinic, physical therapy rooms and a surgery. The workmen cleaned up after themselves and closed the doors; however, they did not lock them.
When the boys discovered the doors were not locked, the rumors began to fly. It reached a crescendo after a week of "simmering". The boys could stand it no longer; the entire population of boys at Saint Michael's Boys Home camped out in front of the new building, all 7,200 boys!
A large, white Ford SUV pulled up and all the boys stood in respectful silence as their Heroes, The Great Warriors Hospitaler, Robert, Joseph, Jerry and Toby stepped from the vehicle.
From behind the steering wheel, Dr. Beemer appeared, THE Great Warrior Healer!
There was not a sound, as the five men walked up to the front doors of the new building, all the boys bowed to them as they passed.
Robert reached for the door handle, and, as he began to pull it open, there came a great shout and cheering as the Boys of Saint Mike's welcomed them home.
The End (kind of)
This ends our story of Saint Michaels Boys Home, it is time to visit the other places where THE CHIEF WARRIOR and THE FIRST WARRIOR established places of safety for hurt and abandoned boys. Saint Michael's Boys' Home in Salinas, California is our next stop.