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

“After all he’s been through, I find it hard to understand how normal Ted seems to be.”


“That’s true. Typically, kids who’ve been abused tend to exhibit various behavioral problems, but in rare cases, the opposite is true, and the turn into little model citizens. I’ve seen it before, and I wish I could explain why it is so, but I can’t. Your brother seems to fall into the latter category.”


“The only thing unusual that I’ve noticed about Ted is that he’s not very outgoing,” Chris said. “Now that I think about it, he isn’t gregarious at all. Is that a problem?”


“Not necessarily,” she said. “It could be that he’s naturally shy, or it could be a reaction to the aggression he’s been subjected to. In any case, it’s too early to make judgment calls.”


“Behavioral problems could pop up at a later date, couldn’t they?” Chris said.


“Just so, and that’s one of the reasons Ted needs my help.” She proceeded to give Chris a thorough assessment of Ted from her professional viewpoint.


Chapter 40