A Golfer's Dream - Book Three The Real Education Begins    Written by TheCaddy

Disclaimer: This story is entirely fiction. It does not relate to any real 
person, living or dead. Any similarity to a real person, whether living or dead,
is purely coincidental and completely unintended. While actual places are
occasionally mentioned in this story, such mention is not to be a basis for
conclusion that any part of this story is real, or ever happened.
The following story is a work of fiction containing graphic descriptions of
sexual acts between adults and minors. All of the sex depicted is consensual;
the author does not intend to promote incest or sexual relations with underage
children. The age of consent in Canada is currently fourteen. The story is
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Chapter Sixteen – Heat of the Desert

As Dave stood in the shower of his dorm, he replayed the weekend in his mind.  
The women’s team had won their first tournament of the year and they were very 
pleased.  He had an unexpected, fun, and sexual weekend encounter with his 
former nemesis Sheri, but now that he was back at WFU, he was nervous about what 
the twins’ reaction to that might be.  He and Darcy had returned very late the 
previous night and he had gone straight to bed.  Dave shook himself out of his 
reverie and got out of the shower.

As he was dressing in his room, he heard a tapping on the door and he opened it.  
The twins were smiling at him as they walked into his room.  Kyra asked, “So did 
you have a good weekend?  I hear the team won.”

Dave smiled nervously before he replied, “Yes, the women did win and I had a 
good weekend as well.”

Jana asked, “So, did you spend the weekend in bed with Danielle or Sheri – or 
both?”

Dave was very surprised that they asked about Sheri and he wondered if someone 
had said something to them.  Kyra noticed his questioning look, chuckled then 
added, “You didn’t think we knew about Sheri?  We heard Leanne talking about her 
last fall – so of course we checked around and found out that she played with 
the host Georgia team.  We’re not jealous or upset about her; we were just 
curious.”

Dave felt as if he were on the hot seat but he quickly decided to just tell them 
what happened, “Sheri and I did spend some intimate time together, but Danielle 
and I didn’t.  Danielle wanted to but I told her it would be too complicated 
with her attending WFU.  She was mad about Sheri but I think we got it smoothed 
over.  She and Darcy switched rooms Saturday night so Leanne and Darcy could 
spend the night together, so we were together in the room.  Danielle stripped 
naked and crawled in bed with me but that was as far as it went.”

Kyra’s eyes widened as Dave said Danielle had stripped naked.  She asked, “I bet 
she looks beautiful naked?”

Dave nodded in agreement; then he suddenly remembered that Danielle had said he 
was whispering Jennifer’s name in his sleep.  He wondered if, when he slept with 
the twins, he had done the same thing.  He asked directly, “Danielle said I was 
whispering Jennifer’s name in my sleep.  Do I do that when I sleep with you?”

Kyra giggled, “Yes, all the time.  I never actually met Jennifer but Jana says 
she is wonderful.  We think it’s sweet how you are so in love with her and it 
assures us that you truly understand our arrangement.  We’re not mad at you for 
saying her name and we’re not mad at you for having a fun weekend.”

Dave shook his head in bewilderment, “Well, I’m happy you aren’t upset, but, as 
I said before, I don’t think I could be very calm in your position.  So please 
don’t tell me about any guys you are with – I know I would be very jealous.”

They both smiled and Jana said, “We understand.  Let’s go eat breakfast.”

Dave followed the sisters to the dining hall and, after a good meal, he was off 
to class.  He got his mid-term back and was very pleased with another A+.  In 
his second class he received an additional A+; he was happy that his intense, 
almost excessive studying had paid off.

He strolled into the dining hall for lunch, happy and confident.  The twins were 
pleased he did well in his exams and they had both received A+s as well.  They 
said they seemed to study even more when they saw how hard he routinely studied.  
Alec and Shauna joined them and they reported they had done well in their mid-
terms also.  Alec asked how the weekend had gone; Dave simply smiled and said 
great.  Dave winked at Alec and Alec knew that meant he would get all the 
exciting details later.

Before long, Darcy, Leanne, Rachael, and Danielle sat with them.  The three 
women golfers had just started describing the whole weekend when Dave heard the 
familiar yell of “Now!”; at that, everyone at the table grabbed their glasses.  
They hoisted them and cheered in unison with the entire dining hall, “DEMON 
DEACON GOLF!”

The three women blushed but Dave could see the pride they felt for their school.  
It really did feel special to win a tournament for your school.  The women 
returned to the stories of the weekend.

After lunch Dave was walking out of the hall with the twins heading to American 
Lit when Alec pulled him aside and explained, “I have been working hard at 
physiotherapy and my doctor says I can start to swing golf clubs again, so I’m 
going to go to the group practice today.”

Dave shook his best friend’s hand, “I’m happy you’re ready to come back.”

Alec looked at Dave with a nervous smile, “I’m really happy to be back.”

Dave put his arm around him, “We’ll do the best we can, that’s all we can do, 
Alec.”  Alec nodded and was very pleased that Dave was there to support him.

American literature class went well and Dave and the twins received their term 
papers back.  Dave and Jana both got As while Kyra received an A+.  Dave and 
Jana were pleased for her and themselves.

After class Dave met the group at the golf center and they hit balls.  March had 
brought warmer weather and Dave decided that, because the mornings were finally 
warming up, the group would start the morning routine again.  The women were 
still excited about their weekend victory and loved the idea of practicing with 
Dave from Monday to Friday.  Darcy and Alec were both very pleased as well, so 
they agreed to start the next morning.

Alec took his time hitting balls and he only practiced for about thirty minutes.  
Dave and he talked and Alec said he was frustrated that his hand didn’t seem to 
do what he wanted it to do.  Dave took a break and led Alec into the golf 
center.  They sat in the locker room and Dave explained, “Alec, your hand was 
severely damaged.  You will have to completely retrain it to get back to where 
you were last fall and as you know that may not happen.  But I know you, you’re 
a hard working, dedicated golfer and I am confident you will eventually get back 
to a competitive level of play.  You know it won’t happen the first day and it 
may not happen the first month – but don’t give up.  We’ll get through this 
together.  Just work on getting your basic strength back and in a few weeks 
we’ll start working on your control and consistency.”

Alec nodded dejectedly.  Dave added, “I’m really happy to have you back, Alec.  
I’ve really missed you practicing with me.”

Dave’s words seemed to brighten Alec’s outlook and he replied, “I’m happy to be 
back but I was just hoping it would be how it was last fall.”  Dave nodded 
understandingly but he didn’t elaborate – he had already said enough.

Alec returned to the driving range and practiced for another twenty minutes 
before he called it a day.  The entire group encouraged him to keep working hard 
before he left.  Dave was very pleased that everyone seemed to look out for each 
other.  The group worked hard for another hour before calling it a day and 
promising to meet at six forty-five in the morning.

Dave went back to his room and studied for an hour before he went looking for 
the twins.  They were studying as well; they took a break and all went to 
dinner.  Eventually Alec and Shauna joined them as did Darcy and the three women 
golfers.  They talked about the classes and mid-term grades.  After supper Dave 
left with Alec – the twins and Shauna teased them about their male bonding 
session.  Dave and Alec ignored the teasing but they knew they were right.

They went back to Alec’s room and sat down to sip a few beers.  Dave told Alec 
all about the weekend and Alec almost choked on his beer when he told him he had 
a bout of button-popping sex with Sheri in the woman’s bathroom across the hall 
from the reception.  Dave was still grinning from ear to ear as he thought about 
what could have happened had they been caught.  Dave was happy he could talk to 
someone about his life and not have to worry about the whole campus finding out.  
Good friends were hard to find and he had been blessed with three great friends: 
Jennifer, John, and now Alec.  He suspected Alec would probably tell Shauna many 
of the details but he also trusted her and their strong relationship.  Alec had 
done well in his mid-terms and Shauna was a big reason for his success.  Since 
meeting Shauna, Alec had put more emphasis on his studies and his grades were 
steadily improving.

Dave eventually went back to his room and studied for a few hours before going 
to sleep.  Now that he knew the technique for high-retention learning, he had 
spent the session rotating through the subjects in fifteen-minute chunks.  He 
and Colby talked casually about their mid-terms and classes.  Dave liked Colby 
who was a real loner but they were pretty good friends as roommates.

Morning practice went well and, although it was a little chilly, Dave was very 
happy to finally be hitting balls in the morning.  They worked on their irons 
for an hour before heading to class.  Alec got frustrated again but with Dave’s 
encouragement he calmed down and worked on getting his strength back.  He only 
practiced for forty minutes.

Dave did well in both his morning class mid-terms and was again pleased to see 
two A+s.  At lunch the twins teased him about being a geek getting all A+s.  He 
laughed and replied, “Call me what you want, I don’t care as long as I make good 
grades and get to play my favorite sport.”

At team practice on Tuesday, Dave found out that Keith, Will, and Carl would be 
the other players going to Las Vegas.  The flight was leaving Thursday morning 
with a practice round booked for the afternoon after arrival.  Dave was looking 
forward to seeing the City of Lights as he had heard so much about it.  He was 
anxious to see the desert as well.  He understood they were staying at a hotel 
away from the main neon-lit strip but he and Darcy had agreed to spend some time 
touring the strip.

Dave went to music class with the twins and they all got As on their mid-term.  
Wednesday passed quickly and Dave tossed and turned trying to get to sleep 
before the trip west.

The team was up early on Thursday and their flight passed quickly.  The dry 
desert heat hit them when they walked off the plane; Dave looked forward to the 
tournament.  The team checked into the hotel and then went straight to the golf 
course.  The practice round went well and Dave was impressed by the beautiful 
Southern Highlands golf course.  It was a private course with beautiful scenery 
and well-manicured greens and fairways.  The whole team played well and Dave’s 
putting woes from the previous tournament seemed to have disappeared.

They arrived back at the hotel fairly late in the evening after stopping to eat 
supper.  Dave wanted to go for a swim and was surprised to see only one woman 
with her two young sons at the pool.  Dave dove in and began swimming laps.  He 
had been avoiding the two young boys who were throwing a ball around when he 
suddenly felt the ball hit his head.  The impact pushed his head under water 
just as he was taking a breath and he immediately surfaced coughing and spitting 
water.  The boys started laughing at him as their mother apologized and started 
to scold the two boys.  Dave could tell that they were just having fun so he 
took the ball in his hand and threw it gently at one of the boys, making sure he 
missed him but not by much.  Dave swam to the shallow end of the pool and was 
soon in a water fight with both boys.

Dave thought how they reminded him of Riley and Robbie and he briefly thought 
about Rebecca.  The water fight escalated into a wrestling match and Dave 
noticed that the mother kept a very close eye on him.  He knew he was a stranger 
to them so he was very careful not do anything that would upset her.

Thirty minutes later he pulled himself from the pool and after grabbing his 
towel, he introduced himself to the mother.  She was an attractive woman in her 
mid thirties.  Her name was Joanne Lewis.  Dave explained that he was with the 
Wake Forest Golf team but he was actually from QAI, Canada.  She said she was 
from San Diego, California and was on vacation with her two children.  Dave 
explained that his former girlfriend had two little brothers about the same age 
and that he used to wrestle and play with them every time he was at her house.  
She told Dave the boys’ names were Steven and Jimmie.

Dave said he might see them again and left for his room.  He and Darcy talked 
about the golf course before they went to sleep.  Dave slept well but woke early 
and had a shower.

The team met in the restaurant for breakfast before going to the course around 
seven-thirty.  They all hit balls for forty minutes before putting for another 
thirty.  They wished each other luck as they went to the first tee.  Dave had a 
fantastic round and he shot sixty-five.  He putted well and was really pleased 
with his ball striking.  Darcy had a solid round of seventy-two while Keith and 
Carl shot seventy-three.  Will had an off day with seventy-nine.  Dave was in 
first place by three strokes and the team was five strokes ahead of the second 
place UNLV team.

The team returned to the hotel early in the afternoon and Dave again went 
straight to the pool.  There were a few more people around but Dave didn’t see 
Joanne, Steven, or Jimmie.  He started swimming laps and was almost ready to 
call it a day when felt a body land on his back and he immediately knew Jimmie 
and Steven were back.  He rolled the body into the water and Steven came up 
sputtering and laughing.  Jimmie quickly jumped into the fray and Dave had his 
hands full with the two boys.  They played for twenty minutes before Dave called 
uncle and conceded defeat.

He climbed out of the pool and sat with Joanne.  She explained that they had 
spent the day at an amusement park but the boys wanted to get back to the hotel 
to play with their new friend Dave.  Dave laughed and said they were cute kids.  
He and Joanne talked for thirty minutes and she mentioned that her husband had 
been killed in a car accident three years earlier and that the boys didn’t 
really have a father figure.  Dave gave his condolences and said he would love 
to hang out with them while he was in Vegas.  She protested, saying a handsome 
young man like him could find much better things to do with his free time.  Dave 
laughed and said he really enjoyed just relaxing; playing with the boys reminded 
him of home – he actually liked the distraction.

She invited Dave to join them for supper but he said he had to eat with the team 
but he would be happy meet them after dinner.  She explained that she was taking 
her sons to the strip after supper to see the shopping malls and bright lights.  
Dave said that he and his teammate were planning to go to the strip sometime 
during the weekend and maybe they could go together.  She said it was fine with 
her as long as his teammate agreed.

Dave asked her room number and was surprised to find they were on the same 
floor, just at the opposite end of the same hall.  Dave said goodbye to Joanne 
and the boys then went back to his room.  Darcy explained that the coach had 
called; the team was meeting in thirty minutes for supper and that he was just 
going to go get him at the pool.  Dave explained about going to the strip with 
Joanne and the two boys and, although Darcy was a little skeptical, he agreed.

After supper the team went their separate ways and Dave and Darcy returned to 
their room to call Joanne.  Joanne said they would be ready to go in thirty 
minutes so Dave told her just to knock on his door.  Dave pulled out his cell 
phone and called Rebecca.  Spending time with Jimmie and Steven had reminded him 
of Riley and Robbie, pushing thoughts of Rebecca into his mind.  It was Friday 
evening on QAI and Paul answered the phone.  He said Rebecca was out with 
friends.  He and Dave talked for a while and even Riley and Robbie got on the 
phone.  Both talked about their autographed sticks and wanted to know when Dave 
would come visit them again.  He promised he would come see them during the 
summer.  Paul came back on the phone and promised to have Rebecca call him.

The tour of the strip was fantastic.  Dave and Darcy were in awe of all the 
casinos and fancy hotels.  The malls that were joined together underground which 
was really different from anything either had ever seen before.  The boys had a 
lot of fun and really seemed to hang off of Dave.  Darcy was surprised that he 
had fun with the two boys as well.  They found an arcade and Dave teamed up with 
Steven while Darcy paired up with Jimmie and they competed at different games.  
Joanne watched them playing and at times she wondered who the biggest kids were: 
Jimmie and Steven or Dave and Darcy.

After three hours of touring, the five sightseers returned to the hotel.  Joanne 
thanked Dave and Darcy for spending so much time with the boys before she led 
two very tired young boys to her room.  Dave and Darcy fell on their beds tired 
but happy.  Darcy couldn’t believe how much fun he had and he confessed to Dave 
that he never really liked being around kids.  He had always felt awkward but 
that evening made him realize he could just have fun and be himself.  Dave 
explained that he learned the same thing two years earlier.

Dave and Darcy were just dozing off when Dave’s phone rang.  He answered it and 
was happy to hear Rebecca’s voice.  She was really pleased he had called her and 
they talked about school and sports.  Rebecca’s hockey team was doing well and 
she was having a very good year.  She asked how his golf was going and he said 
he was playing well.  He promised to call again, then he hung up and went to 
sleep.

The tournament the next day went even better.  Dave putted really well again and 
also hit his drives extraordinarily well.  He was ecstatic with his sixty-three; 
he had a nine stroke lead over the second-place player.  Darcy had another good 
round of seventy and was in eighth place.  Will recovered and shot seventy-one 
while Keith shot seventy-two and Carl shot seventy-five.  The WFU team was now 
in first place by twelve stokes.

The team got back to the hotel a little earlier than the previous day and Dave 
and Darcy both went straight to the pool.  The boys were waiting for them and 
they played in the pool for two hours.  When Dave and Darcy went back to their 
room Darcy said, “Do you know what I like most about playing with Steven and 
Jimmie?  I don’t think about the tournament or my golf game and I just relax.”

Dave put his arm around Darcy and said, “You are learning well, my young 
padiwan.”  Darcy recognized Dave’s bad imitation of Qui-Gon Jinn from Star Wars 
and laughed at his friend.

Dave and Darcy had promised to play catch with the boys after supper so they 
borrowed ball gloves from Keith and Will at suppertime and went looking for the 
boys.  They knocked on their door and Joanne laughed as her two sons darted out 
the door with the two young men.  They were still throwing the ball around when 
Joanne eventually came down and told the boys it was bedtime.  They growled and 
grumbled but followed their mother back to the room.  Before leaving, they asked 
Dave and Darcy if they would see them the next day and Dave said they would.  
They waved goodbye to the boys as Joanne thanked them for making the boy’s 
vacation very special.  She wished them luck in their final round.

Dave and Darcy went back to the room and watched television for a while before 
going to sleep.  Dave was dreaming about the twins when he suddenly heard a 
strange buzzing sound.  In his dream, he asked Jana what was buzzing but she 
simply shrugged.  He suddenly shot up in bed; his nose and lungs filled with the 
aroma of acrid smoke.  The noise was the smoke detector on the ceiling ringing 
loudly.  Darcy woke about the same time and he too sat up quickly and snapped on 
the lights.  They looked at each other in surprise then quickly pulled on 
shorts, shirts, and sandals.  Darcy raced towards the door and Dave warned him 
to feel it for heat before he opened it.  Darcy could hear noises in the hallway 
as he neared the door; after a quick check he pulled the door open and entered 
the hallway with Dave directly behind him.

Dave looked in the direction of Joanne and the boy’s room and he could see a 
mass of people being directed to the stairs at the far end of the hall.  Dave 
started to walk in that direction but Coach Dawes was directing his players to 
the stairs at their end of the hallway.  Dave tried to explain but Coach Dawes 
wouldn’t listen as he turned Dave around and pushed him towards the exit.  Dave 
was sure Joanne and the boys would get out on their own, so he followed his 
teammates to the stairs and then down and out the emergency door.

Once he was outside he told Coach Dawes that he was going to check on some 
friends and he ran across the parking lot to the other exit.  Darcy was right 
behind him.  When they reached the crowd of scared and disoriented people Dave 
started calling Joanne’s name and searched through the crowd.  He and Darcy 
looked carefully, but neither she nor the two boys were anywhere in sight.  Dave 
panicked and turned to Darcy, “They must still be inside.”  There were no fire 
or rescue crews on site yet so Dave told Darcy, “I’m going back in for them.”

He rushed to the front door where there was a hotel employee blocking the 
entrance.  Dave quickly explained that a mother and her two boys were almost 
certainly trapped in their room.  The employee explained the fire was on the 
first floor and asked what floor the woman was on.  Dave told her the third 
floor and she explained that she had been ordered by her boss to remain at the 
door so she could not assist, but she handed Dave a master-key room card and 
told him to be careful and hurry.

Dave and Darcy ran though the lobby to the stairs which were both filled with 
smoke.  They both pulled off their shirts and put them over their mouths to 
hopefully filter the toxic air.  They climbed the stairs quickly and checked the 
door to the third floor for heat before they burst through the door and sprinted 
down the hallway.  They remained doubled over to stay as low as possible.  The 
hallway had gotten significantly smokier since they had left earlier but Dave’s 
adrenaline was really pumping and he pushed on until he reached Joanne’s door.  
The hallway was still buzzing with noise from the smoke alarms as Dave pushed 
the swipe card into the slot.  For a moment it seemed the card would not work.  
Then the light turned green and Dave felt the door for heat before he pushed it 
open.  He raced into the room with Darcy right behind him.  The door slammed 
shut behind them and Dave was shocked how quiet it was in the room – the smoke 
detectors were not working.

He rushed to the first double bed and found Joanne unconscious.  The room was 
filled with smoke and he felt her chest to see if she was still breathing.  He 
was relieved that she was, so he quickly ran over to Darcy who had gone to check 
the boys.  Darcy quickly said they were both breathing as well.  They tried to 
wake them up but after no response Dave said, “Can you carry both boys if I 
carry Joanne?”

Darcy replied, “I think so.”

They pulled their shirts back on before Darcy scooped the two boys under each of 
his arms and carried them as if they were two sacks of wheat.  At the same time 
Dave picked the deadweight of Joanne up in a fireman’s carry and led the way to 
the door, which he opened with his free hand.  The smoke was heavy and both Dave 
and Darcy were coughing as they made their way out of the room and down the 
hallway.  Dave again checked the exit door for heat and when it felt normal he 
opened the door.  A huge puff of smoke billowed out of the opening and Dave 
covered his and Joanne’s face before he pushed through the smoke and into the 
stairwell.  He worked his way down the stairs checking for Darcy every few 
moments as he went.  They moved slowly but steadily until they reached the main 
floor, Dave could see the smoke leaking around the interior door leading to the 
first floor hallway.

He saw the emergency door to the outside and made a surge for the exit.  The 
impact of his body on the door bar immediately opened the door so he could see 
the clear air beyond.  He pushed the door fully open and stumbled out the door 
and onto the grass beside the walkway.  Darcy followed him and he too fell onto 
the grass.  Dave and Darcy were both trying to catch their breaths as several 
people rushed to them and pulled Joanne and the boys well away from the 
building.  Dave and Darcy crawled behind them; just as they reached the parking 
lot an ambulance pulled in with flashing lights.  Several guests waved to the 
ambulance and directed it to where Joanne and the boys were lying on the grass.

A paramedic jumped out and immediately pulled out several oxygen tanks and 
masks.  His partner ran around the vehicle and they quickly checked all three 
unconscious bodies.  They put the oxygen masks on each of them and started 
checking their vital signs.  Coach Dawes and the team ran over to Dave and Darcy 
and asked if they were all right and both said they were fine but were worried 
about Joanne, Steven, and Jimmie.

The paramedics got two stretchers out of the ambulance and placed Joanne on one 
then Jimmie on the other.  As they went to move Steven he woke up and started to 
scream in terror.  Dave moved quickly to his side and said, “Its okay, Steven, 
I’m here with you.”

Steven looked up at Dave and crawled into his lap.  The paramedics explained, 
“All his vital signs are strong.  He doesn’t need to be on a stretcher but he 
has to come to the hospital to be checked out.”

Steven begged, “Don’t leave me, Dave; I’m scared.”

Dave looked at Coach Dawes who simply said, “Go!”

Dave picked Steven up and carried him into the ambulance.  A second ambulance 
had arrived and another paramedic was checking Darcy as Dave said, “I’ll talk to 
you later.  Thanks, Darcy.”

Darcy nodded.  “I’ll see you later.”

Dave carried Steven to the back of the ambulance and climbed in beside the 
paramedic.  The driver closed the door behind him and quickly ran to the front 
door.  The ambulance pulled away and was soon screaming down the road to the 
hospital.  Steven was clutching Dave so tight he could barely breathe but he 
comforted the boy as the other paramedic monitored his brother and mother’s 
vital signs.

They arrived at the hospital quickly and two teams of doctors and nurses rushed 
Jimmie and Joanne inside.  Dave carried Steven into another room and was soon 
joined by two nurses and another doctor.  Steven was hesitant to leave Dave’s 
arms but Dave promised him he wouldn’t leave.  Steven allowed the doctor and 
nurse to check him over.  The other nurse checked Dave over and he explained 
what had happened.  She told him he was fine but he should rest for a while.  He 
promised he would.

The doctor said Steven was doing well but they wanted to keep him for 
observations.  Dave nodded and said he would stay with him.  Dave looked at his 
watch and it was just six-thirty.  His tee time was ten-thirty and he hoped he 
could make it but right now that was not as important as Joanne and the boys.  A 
doctor who Dave had seen rush Jimmie into the hospital walked up to Dave and 
explained, “The other little boy is awake and very upset.  Can you talk to him?”  
Dave nodded.

When he started to follow the doctor, Steven cried out his name.  Dave thought 
for a moment and asked, “Can you put both boys in one room?  Then I can be with 
both of them.”  The doctors spoke briefly then directed a nurse to push Steven’s 
bed into Jimmie’s room.

Dave walked with Steven and when Jimmie saw them he immediately reached for him.  
Dave moved to his side and Jimmie cried on his shoulder.  Dave consoled him and 
so did Steven.  Dave had both boys calmed down quickly and the doctor thanked 
him.  Dave sat with the boys for an hour and eventually they relaxed and 
actually fell asleep.  When Dave was sure both boys were asleep he walked out of 
the room and went to the nurse’s station.

The nurse who had checked Steven out earlier was there and Dave asked how Joanne 
was doing.  She explained, “She is improving steadily and the doctors expect her 
to make a full recovery.  She had a little damage to her lungs but luckily you 
got to her in time.  Is she your sister – or what is your relationship with her 
and the boys?”

Dave replied, “I’m not related to them.  I met them two days ago at the hotel 
and we became friends.  Have you called her family?”

The nurse was surprised by Dave’s comments, “I was sure you must be an uncle or 
a close friend.  Those boys certainly look up to you.”  Dave simply shrugged.  
She added, “No, we haven’t contacted her family.  We really don’t have much 
information about her except what you gave the paramedics at the scene.”

Dave nodded, “Well, I know she is from San Diego and she has a sister who lives 
there.  Her husband passed away several years ago so I would suggest you contact 
her sister.”

The nurse thanked Dave for the information and Dave went back in the room to sit 
with the boys.  He was quietly watching them sleep peacefully when a doctor 
poked his head in the door and motioned for Dave to follow him.  Dave walked out 
of the room and the doctor explained, “We have contacted Joanne’s sister and she 
is on her way now.  She should arrive this afternoon.  Joanne is awake and would 
like to speak to you.”

Dave thanked the doctor and followed him into Joanne’s room.  Joanne still had 
an oxygen mask on with several machines hooked up to her.  Dave smiled at the 
pretty woman and whispered, “Even with all those gadgets hooked up, you still 
look beautiful.”

Joanne never expected that comment and she actually blushed as she held out her 
free hand.  Dave took her hand and she stared into his eyes, “Thank you, Dave.  
The doctors told me that you and Darcy saved us.  I can’t thank you enough.”  
Tears were running down her cheeks.

Dave squeezed her hand and replied, “We’re happy we could help.”

She asked, “Can I ask one more huge favour of you?”  Dave nodded so she 
continued, “My sister won’t be here until later this afternoon and I don’t want 
the boys to see me with all these wires and tubes hooked up to me.  They are 
more sensitive to things like this than most kids because they already lost 
their father.  I know you have golf but would you stay with Steven and Jimmie 
until my sister gets here.”

Dave squeezed her hand again and nodded, “Yes, I definitely will stay.”

She looked relieved and thanked him before the doctor said she needed some rest.  
Dave nodded and walked back to the boy’s room.  They were still sleeping 
peacefully so he walked outside and pulled out his cell phone.  Luckily he had 
grabbed his shorts from the previous night with his wallet and cell phone 
already in the pocket.  He was pleased that he had Coach Dawes’ cell phone 
number because he had no idea how he would have contacted him otherwise.  He 
dialed the number and after two rings he heard his coach say hello.

After Dave identified himself, Coach asked, “How are the woman and two boys?”

Dave replied, “The boys are fine and so is the mother – but she is going to have 
to remain in the hospital for a day or two.  Her sister is on her way from San 
Diego and should be here after lunch.  Joanne, who is still hooked up to tubes 
and machines, has asked me to stay with the boys and keep them calm until then; 
so it looks like I won’t be available for the final round.”

Dave didn’t know how the coach would take this news but he was pleased and 
surprised when Coach Dawes replied, “You just stay with the family.  We’ll be 
fine.  The fire department has the fire out and it didn’t spread to our rooms.  
We will be allowed to get our clubs out of the rooms in time for the tournament 
but the rest of our belongings have to stay.  They promised to mail them to us 
after they finish their investigation.  I will grab your clubs for you.”

Dave was relieved, “Thanks, Coach.”

Coach Dawes added, “Darcy is here and wants to speak to you.”

Dave heard Coach Dawes pass the phone and Darcy gasped, “Are you okay, Dave?  
How are the boys and Joanne?”

Dave explained that they were all fine and that he was staying with Steven and 
Jimmie until Joanne’s sister arrived.  Darcy was happy they were okay.  Dave 
told him to get focused on his final round and he would see him later.  Darcy 
explained that the coach said the team was going to go to the hospital after the 
reception.  Dave said he would see him then.

Dave then called his father and explained everything that happened.  He told him 
he didn’t want them to worry if they saw information about the fire on the news.  
His father asked if he was playing the final round and Dave told him about 
Joanne, Steven, and Jimmie.  Dave thought he could hear the pride in his 
father’s voice.  Dave said he would call them when he got back to Wake Forest 
the next night.

Dave went back to be with the boys and they woke about thirty minutes later.  He 
told them that their mother was fine and he had talked to her but she was very 
tired and needed to rest.  He told them that Aunt Jillian was coming to be with 
them.  The boys were relieved that their mother was okay.  The doctor told Dave 
that both boys were fine and allowed to get out of bed so Dave asked if he could 
take them to the cafeteria.  One of the nurses explained that she had sent the 
boys pajamas down to laundry and they had cleaned them and got most of the smoke 
smell out of them.  Dave couldn’t notice any smoke smell but he had been wearing 
the same clothes all day so he asked the nurse if he smelled like smoke – she 
chuckled and said he very much did.  He couldn’t really do anything about it so 
he just smiled and said, “So I stink?  Who really cares?”  She laughed as he 
left for the cafeteria with a young boy holding each of his hands tightly.

The boys were hungry as was he and they laughed and joked about how much Dave 
ate.  When Dave returned to the ER, the nurse told him there was a playground 
next to the pediatric unit and gave Dave directions.  He took the boys to the 
playground and they had fun playing.  Dave looked at his watch and he thought 
about his team playing without him – he pushed those thoughts out of his head.  
He played with the boys for several hours and they made friends with a few of 
the other patients.

Dave was sitting on the bench watching the boys when the nurse who had given him 
directions sat down beside him.  She was dressed in green scrubs and for the 
first time he noticed how pretty she was.  She looked to be in her mid-twenties 
with short brown hair.  She was average height with what looked like a well-
proportioned body but the scrubs did a lot to hide her curves.  She looked at 
Dave and said, “I just heard you missed the final round of your college golf 
tournament that you were leading by nine strokes and almost assured to win.  
When I met you this morning I thought you were twenty-three or twenty-four.  I 
was just told you are only eighteen.  I was shocked by the maturity you showed 
for a twenty-three year old; the fact that you are only eighteen is 
unbelievable.  You sacrificed your tournament for a family you hardly know?”

Dave looked very serious, “I got to know them very well over the last two days.  
They have become good friends.  There will be more golf tournaments, but today 
Jimmie and Steven needed me and that was much more important than another golf 
title.”

She shook her head, “Do you have an older brother?  I sure would like to meet 
him.”

Dave laughed, “Sorry, no brothers – but I do have two sisters.”

She sat and talked with him for about thirty minutes.  He was happy to have some 
adult company.  He enjoyed Jimmie and Steven but he was getting bored with very 
little to do on the small playground.  The boys were content to play with their 
new friends.  Eventually, the nurse left saying she would see him when he 
returned to the ER.

Dave went to the sandbox with the kids and played for another hour before he 
suggested that they go back into the ER and see if their aunt had arrived.  
Jillian had not arrived so Dave suggested they go eat lunch.  The nurse again 
went with them and Dave asked if she was supposed to be working.  She said that 
she was working; she was keeping an eye on Jimmie and Steven.  Dave laughed and 
thanked her for spending some time with him.

As they returned to the ER from the cafeteria, Jimmie and Steven called out 
“Aunt Jillian!” and ran to a very graceful and attractive woman of about thirty.  
She hugged them both and then quickly moved to Dave and hugged him tightly.  
Tears were running freely down her face.  “Thank you for saving my sister and 
her boys.  I spoke to Joanne and she is doing wonderful – thanks to you.  How 
can I ever repay you?”

Dave hugged her back and replied, “I’m just as happy as you are that they are 
not only alive but very much okay.  Watching Jimmie and Steven run and play is 
all I will ever need for payment.”

Jillian explained, “There are dozens of reporters who want to talk to you so the 
hospital administration has set a press conference for one hour from now.  Is 
that all right?”

Dave looked at his watch.  It was only two o’clock and he knew the golf team 
would not be finished until four o’clock with the reception immediately after.  
Dave asked, “Who is in charge for the hospital?”

Jillian led Dave to a woman who introduced herself as the assistant 
administrator.  He explained, “I was told you want to have a press conference in 
an hour.  I don’t know if you know but I was not the only one to save Joanne and 
the two boys.  My teammate and friend, Darcy, was the one who carried the two 
boys out of the building; I can’t and won’t do any press conference unless he is 
included.”

Jillian immediately turned to the administrator, “Even better.  Will you 
reschedule until Darcy is available?”

The administrator nodded and asked, “When will he be available?”

Dave explained, “I think six will be a good time.”  She nodded and walked away.

The rest of the afternoon passed slowly and at four thirty Dave called Coach 
Dawes and asked how the team did.  Coach Dawes said that Darcy shot a career 
best sixty-seven and finished in second overall.  The team won again as well.  
He told Coach Dawes about the press conference and Coach Dawes promised to be 
there, but he also warned Dave that the media was at the golf course and they 
were looking for him.  He said Darcy was getting all the attention instead.  
Dave laughed and said he was pleased for Darcy.

When the team reached the hospital, Darcy pulled Dave aside to speak to him 
privately.  He was bouncing with excitement, “I was so pumped up today, I 
couldn’t do anything wrong.  I kept telling myself to stay focused and I just 
let my swing go – it felt unbelievable.”

Dave congratulated, “You played awesome, sixty-seven and second overall – that’s 
fantastic.”

Darcy nodded, “I owe it all to you.”

Dave shook his head, “No, you owe it to yourself.  You’ve put in a lot of work 
to shoot that score and, this morning, I didn’t drag you back into the hotel but 
I was sure glad to have you at my side.”

Darcy shook his hand, “Anytime, my Jedi Master, I’ll be there.”

Dave laughed before they left for the news conference.  The news conference 
started with the doctor who explained the current condition of Joanne and her 
sons.  The boys were happily sitting on Dave and Darcy’s laps.  When the doctor 
finished, Jillian thanked the hospital and staff for their diligent care then 
she thanked Dave and Darcy for saving her sister and nephews.  The administrator 
then opened the floor to questions.  The reporters immediately asked Dave and 
Darcy how it felt to be heroes.

Dave replied, “Darcy and I are very happy that Joanne, Steven, and Jimmie are 
okay.  We’re not heroes – we simply helped out a few friends.  It really isn’t 
that big of a deal.”  The reporters peppered both of them with questions 
including why Dave missed the final round and how Darcy felt about finishing 
second.

Dave was very proud of Darcy when his friend replied, “I was really pleased to 
finish second but it wasn’t nearly as important as making sure Jimmie here and 
his family were safe.”

One of the reporters asked Dave, “This isn’t the first time you saved someone is 
it?  We found reports about you saving a girl from being raped in Vancouver, BC.  
She was some sort of princess, wasn’t she?”

Dave laughed before he explained, “Yes, I did save a girl named Sarah from some 
bad people but she isn’t officially a princess, although I think of her as a 
princess; she is the daughter of a British Lord who is also a diplomat.  We have 
become very good friends but that is old news.  As I said, Darcy and I don’t 
consider ourselves heroes; we’re simply freshmen from Wake Forest University who 
happened to be where we could do some good.”

The reporters asked several more questions before the press conference was 
called to an end.  Jillian thanked Dave and Darcy again before they both went in 
to see Joanne.  She thanked Darcy and wished both of them luck.  They each 
kissed her cheek before they left the room.

They said goodbye to the boys and promised to keep in touch.  The team drove to 
a different hotel where new clothes were provided for the entire team.  As he 
removed his soiled clothing, Dave began to appreciate just how much nasty smoke 
they had picked up; he then realized just how close to death everyone had come.  
But it had ended well.  Dave showered, climbed into bed, and fell fast asleep.