After the death of their mother, Chris Bottoms adopted his little brother Ted, and Chris and his partner Mickey settle down to raise him. Through paperwork left by his mother, Chris learns his brother has a deeply troubled past.<br><br>During a Thanksgiving visit with Chris and Ted’s maternal grandparents, they find out Chris’s grandfather allowed his friends to abuse Ted, so Chris severs all ties with that side of his family.<br><br>Through his job at a hospital, Chris hears of a surgeon at the Mayo Clinic who has developed an ileostomy reversal technique that has proven successful in cases like his. When Chris enters the clinic for preliminary testing, he learns he is a good candidate for the procedure and schedules the first of two surgeries for the beginning of January. A visit from estranged relatives while he’s in the hospital leaves him wondering how many secrets one family can have.

Bottoms Out

“For one thing, my first patient of the day was having abdominal surgery. I walked into the room just as he was being prepped, and I could see that he was terrified. His boyfriend was there with him, and I sort of bonded with them a bit.”


“I didn’t know you did that with patients,” Mickey said.


“I don’t usually. Anyhow, when I saw the patient in the ICU after surgery, I gave his boyfriend my number and told him to call me if they had any questions.”


“Yeah. They may never call, but on the other hand, I see the potential for adding another couple to our list of friends.”


“You said ‘for one thing’, implying that there was something else,” Mickey said.


“You’re too sharp, Mick, and there certainly was


“I learned that there’s a new surgeon out at the Mayo Clinic, who might be able to perform ileoanal reservoir surgery on me.”


“I have no idea what you’re telling me, babe.”


Chapter 17