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

“The Body Shop,” Ted said, reading the sign. “What do they have?”


“All kinds of nice-smelling things for the bathroom. Ladies seem to like that sort of thing.”


ON THE FRIDAY before Christmas, Chris went straight from work to Publix, and when he arrived home, Mabel’s trunk was full of grocery bags. He’d planned their Christmas dinner very carefully and had everything he needed except for the perishable items, which he intended to purchase the minute they returned from Disney World. It took him a while to get everything stowed away; then he went upstairs to Ted’s room.


He and Mickey had already packed their rolling bags and stashed them in one end of their walk-through closet, but he had yet to pack Ted’s things. Ted had been spending the day with the Clark sisters, and he came home while Chris was busily packing for him.


“What are you doing, Papa?” Ted said.


Chapter 64