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

“Good talking to you,” Chris said before he turned to follow the hostess.


They placed their drink orders, and Mickey said, “That was a cute couple.”


“Yeah. Maybe we should have them over for dinner sometime.”


“You’re the resident chef, handle it.”


“Our calendar is pretty full through the end of the year, and it’s too early for me to plan anything for next year. Next year depends on how quickly I bounce back from surgery.”


“You’re not worried, are you?” Mickey said.


“No, but I have to consider all of the alternatives. There’s not a doubt in my mind that I’ll be ambulatory fairly quickly after both surgeries. The question is, how ambulatory and how soon? That, I can’t predict.”


“You bounced back pretty quickly last time, so there’s no reason to suppose this time will be any different. Right?”


“Yeah. Meanwhile, if you’re finished with your food, I’d like to go home and have dessert.”


Chapter 60