Chapter 58

Shortly after arriving in my own suite, I discovered I had been upgraded to a four bedroom, full suite, including living room, kitchen and four baths. It took a few minutes to pick a room, but by the time I had my suitcase open and things laid out, my phone was ringing.

"Hey, Brian," Rebecca said, cheerfully. "Check in is about complete, so look for a knock on your door in about five minutes.' She sounded very pleased to be in New York. I couldn't wait to spend some time hearing how Mr. and Mrs. Bell, and Colleen were doing, in addition to getting all the news on Rebecca's love affair.

It was more like ten minutes, but when the knock came, I opened the door to find my unofficial family all present. Colleen and Rebecca led Mr. and Mrs. Bell into the suite, and hugs and kisses took another few minutes. Colleen appointed herself their official spokeswomen and answered my questions before I could verbalize them.

"Rebecca told us you were getting a suite, and we were all anxious to see how you were doing, so we hitchhiked on the jet, and came to see you. Surprised?" Colleen had more to tell, but I suspected she wanted some privacy for that. Her facial expression said much more than words, and piqued my interest.

"I am SO HAPPY to see you all. It is unbelievable that we're all together. Thank you so much." I was ecstatic.

Mr. Bell patted my shoulders and said, "We've got a lot to cover, and the truth is, we could have these conversations by phone, but that wouldn't be nearly as fun, now would it?" He had a point.

"Ok," I said. "Let's do this right." I picked up the house phone and dialed the kitchen extension.

"Hello. This is suite 2824. I have four guests, plus me. We need a full dinner, nothing extravagant, just good, solid, food. We'd like you to put together a variety of entrees, so we can all sample different things, with side dishes, salads, and dessert. Ok?" before I hung up, I asked,

"While the kitchen manager is on the phone, anybody want any special dish,? No? Ok, sir. Do your best and surprise us. Thanks."

We congregated in the living room, each finding a comfortable spot. Mr. Bell kicked off his shoes and put his feet on the coffee table. Rebecca couldn't wait to relieve herself of her high heels and rub her sore feet. Mrs. Bell seemed very content. Her smile brightened the room.

"Ok. So what's the big news, you guys? We might as well get the business out of the way, first."

Mr. Bell took on an entirely different air. I was suddenly alert. Whatever it was must be serious. "Brian, I got another one of those unannounced visits from the Department of Justice, a few days ago. Judge Jones sends his regards, and a newsflash

"When the DOJ took down Grayson Foster, and his drug money laundering scheme, it seems they used information that came to them due to the ripples caused by Beth's death. Because you have been the center of so much of this, and due to the aggressive way Colleen has gone after the bank, we discovered and turned over, evidence of a group of banks controlled by Grayson, for the specific purpose of laundering huge amounts of cash.

"There are hundreds of people in jail, awaiting trial for a bushel basket of charges related to this, and the DOJ has seized over two billion dollars in actual cash from these banks. Added to that is another three point seven billion in invested funds, directly tied to the laundering operation and under seizure.

"One big problem the DOJ has is your – well our – lawsuit against Grayson's interests. Because we turned over the forensic auditor's info that started them down this road, and because it all rolls back to you and what was done to you, Judge Jones, with the full authority to settle by his boss, the Attorney General, has transferred seven-hundred and seventy four million dollars to our escrow accounts.

"We voted without you and have decided to divide the money as follows: each of the four of us has taken twenty-five million dollars as our portion of the lawsuit winnings. It is already done, so you're out of luck trying to make us take more. Your accounts have received six hundred and seventy-four million dollars, deposited directly by the Justice Department. It all bypasses tax exposure and is completely yours with the thanks of the government.

"Judge Jones closed the books on the case and used court's privilege, claiming your age as a factor in directly concluding the lawsuits. There's nothing we can do. The federal courts have full legal authority and this way the DOJ can move forward without appointing a referee to balance everyone's interest, against discretion of the court."

I sat stunned, barely able to comprehend the number. Mr. Bell continued talking until he realized I was stuck in neutral and not listening. Graciously he stopped and waited for me to recover.

No one expected my tears, but Rebecca responded fastest. Correctly guessing that this discussion and the resolution had torn the scabs off the hurt of losing Beth Ann. Until Rebecca cradled my head against her chest, and said, "Go ahead. Let it out," I didn't realize I was crying.

My family – The Bells and Rebecca – rallied around me as I grieved one last time for Beth Ann. When the chef knocked, opened the door, and announced dinner was served, Colleen went to deal with him, leaving me with her parents, and Rebecca.

"I didn't know it still hurt so bad – you know?" I felt no shame. It was so time to grieve, and this bout seemed to give me permission to start to heal, so I let myself embrace the grief for a little while. Rebecca crooned words of comfort into my ear as I sobbed for my One True Love.

It had to embarrass Mr. Bell, and I apologized for bring such a child. Before he could respond, Mrs. Bell reached across the distance between us, grabbed my hand, and said, "I am so glad you are finally going to grieve. You have been on my heart for months. No boy should have suffered like you have, done the things you've had to do, and survived the injuries and the hurts you have.

"Brian, you are an amazing young man. Your inner strength has kept you alive, when your body should have died. We love you, Brian. Go ahead and cry, and maybe I'll cry with you," and she wept along with me, causing Rebecca to break down and sob.

Mr. Bell moved over to the sofa on my other side and put his arms around Rebecca and me. "Brian, you have given me so much joy in the past seven months. You'll never know how your friendship has pleased me. If you ever get over your need to wander the earth, please come home. We miss you."