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

Chris’s doctor, Aldo Antonini, the son of Italian immigrants, was eating his lunch at his desk when Chris was ushered into his office.


“What can I do for you, Chris?” Aldo said. “Your note said it was urgent.”


“Yes it is, and thanks for seeing me. You have an appointment to give my little brother a physical later today. You may recall that I asked for it to be an extremely thorough physical.”


Aldo thought a moment, then said, “Yeah. You’re worried about abuse, correct?”


“Absolutely, and last night I discovered that I have his medical records. Take a look at this page. I’ve highlighted the pertinent information.”


Aldo took the proffered document and scanned it. “Jesus H. Christ!”


“Yeah, and then some,” Chris said. “I wanted you to have this now because I won’t be able to talk to you about it in front of Ted, when we see you later today. There’s more.” Chris went on to tell the doctor about his mother’s letter.


Chapter 32