We're Still Standing...Book 5

Shane's Day

Zeke POV 

Today is all about showing Shane things he has missed out on. It's been quite the journey in such a short amount of time. Who knew one boy would change our lives. People may still think I'm upset or angry about our... encounter and the things he said to me but nothing can compare to what I've had to endure my entire life. You learn to grow a thick skin over time and I want to prove that he means just as much to me as the others feel. Maybe even more so because for so many years, I had to hide my true self and I want to prove to him he'll be ok and it's an amazing feeling when you live life how you want and how it's meant to be.

As for what we're doing today, Kaiden, Julian, and I along with Zander, Seth, and Ian are taking him all over California. It's like his father kept him locked up more than he was allowed to be a teenager and experience life. It was a shock when he said he's hardly watched tv, never gone to the beach in the summer, having a snowball fight in the winter. He was treated like an object, property, less than a human. It pissed us off and if the court doesn't see that we'll have no choice but to take things into our own hands.

This kid has been through hell and even Danny and Jake had agreed he was living in worse conditions than they were and that's saying a lot with everything I've heard about them.

Thankfully Zander doesn't know any of this or he'd be even more paranoid and overprotective of the kids than he already is. Speaking of the kids, they were so funny this morning when we were discussing going to the science museum they were like 'ew that's for old people' or 'that's boring' so safe to say my mates and I have a day to ourselves with our son and I hope there are no hiccups. 

"Did anyone check to see what time the museum opens?" Zander asked. 

"I did and it opens at ten." Julian said as we were getting ready. 

I nod and I go check on Shane.

"Shane?" 

I knock on the door and I feel a tap on my shoulder.

"I'm right here Papa." 

"Jesus, Shane you scared me." For such a tall kid he has quiet footsteps. 

"Sorry, I was just out on the balcony enjoying the fresh air. Sometimes it still feels like I'm a dream that I'm not locked up in a cage in a cold basement." I sighed. 

"Shane..." My mates said. 

"Sorry, sorry, I just..." I hugged him

"It's ok, we know, ten plus years living as a slave or treated as less than a human and now you're free is a big adjustment for anyone." What he said next shocked us.

"I love you guys." He smiled and we just stared at him. We've only heard him call us, daddy, dad, or papa a few times and heard him say I love you fewer times than I can count on one hand. 

After we were all ready we had breakfast and drove twenty minutes or so to the museum. By the time we got there, it was close to noon. California's traffic was horrible. 

Trying to find parking took even more time and when we went in we sighed in relief. We all agreed to never come to come to California again unless absolutely necessary.

"What do you want to see first, Shane?" We asked him. 

"History of technology." We should have seen that coming. 

"Ok, that's to the left." I grabbed a map of the museum and we followed the directions. 

Not gonna lie, some of this stuff was pretty neat, from the diagram of Benjamin Franklin's experiment in discovering how to use electricity to the progression of the cell phone. I wouldn't mind going to another museum like this.