From: Snwdemon
Subject: Who will catch my fall? (Part Two)
Chapter 2: (M/b, b/b, abusive situations, no sex)
WARNING: This story
contains descriptions of abusive acts, both physical and sexual in nature,
involving MINOR boys. I wish to explain that this story is not true! Further,
it is not intended to promote illegal acts against minors, but to educate
people as to what a minor child has to do in order to survive in a severely
abusive environment that they are trapped in. One of
the most famous examples of this was Steven
Stayner, who was kidnapped at age 7 and
severely abused for 7 years. He was subjected to physical, sexual, and mental
abuse. I have had the privilege of working with a number of boys like him, and
I consider all of them to be extremely brave. Many people still believe that
children who stay with an abuser/captor do so because they want to. This is
utterly untrue, and is proven through numerous interviews, behavioral, and
psychological studies conducted with these victims. A young child does not have
the same ability to cope with stressful situations as an adult would because
they have not had the privilege of time and experience that an adult has.
Therefore, they rely more on their basic instincts, and learn quickly what they
need to do in order to survive. Thus, when they are removed from that abusive
situation, they have an extremely hard time adjusting to their new environment
because they are not familiar with trust, caring, and compassion. These are the
emotions the child has to learn once they are put into a new non-abusive
environment. People assume that these emotions are natural. Many do not realize
that all of our human emotions are learned.
The following story is a work of
fiction; however, it does incorporate actual events that I learned from various
victims I counseled over the years. It also contains certain facts from my
personal notes from one of the cases that I worked during my career as a
forensic psychologist, which is better known as a criminal profiler. While certain
facts have been changed to protect the rights of individuals and victims, most
of the basic facts are true. However, this story is still a work of fiction
because I have created, embellished, and alters many facts and individual
characters for this story. Also, this story is not
intended to be erotic or sexual in nature, but because I have given this
story's e-publishing rights to Nifty Archives, I am required to include this
legal disclaimer. Therefore, I do not encourage others to perform any kind of
abusive or sexual act with minors as described in this story. If the subject of
Man/boy sex, child abuse, and/or rape of minors offends you, or this material
is illegal to possess such material of this nature in your place of residence,
or if you are under the legal age to possess such material, do not read
further! Finally, I would like to thank Nifty for e-publishing
this story because without their archive, I would not have the large fan base
now.
By downloading this story:
"You implicitly declare and affirm under penalties of perjury that you are not
a minor or in the company of a minor, and are entitled to have access to
material intended for mature, responsible members of society capable of making
decisions about the content of documents they wish to read." The story is
copyrighted under my pseudonym, Snwdemon, and pen name Damion
Perez. A copy
has been placed in these archives for your enjoyment. The story cannot be used
to derive monetary gain. However, if you want to place a copy of this story in
your free access archives or free access website, then I give my permission for
you to do so. If your website requires payment for access and you wish to place
a copy of my story on your site, then please email me for my permission. The
story cannot be placed in any archives or website that require payment for
access, or be printed and distributed in any form that requires payment either
directly or indirectly without my written consent first. Any similarity to
individuals, living, or dead, is completely accidental. Reference is also made
in context to some locations, businesses, characters, and people to define the
story line. No other implication about the true sexuality or actions of the
people, businesses, or places mentioned is intended.
Recap from Chapter 1:
"Now with us, you won't be alone
anymore, and have a real family full of people who care and love you. Lucky has
already asked me about you living with us, and he has even changed everything
in his room. Now you have your own bed, dresser, and even your own desk with
your new computer on it. Then you asked Sara if
she could be your Mom too, and she said yes. So I went
to the courthouse yesterday, and I asked the judge if you could come live with
us at St. Michael's,
and he said yes. Now, that makes it official, and now you are a part of our
special family." Tom told him, then he gestured
for Lucky to come over to him, and he came and climbed up into his lap. Then,
both of them looked at him with very serious expressions that were also
hopeful.
"However, I talked with Lucky, and
we both agree that we don't want you to just come and live with us. Instead, I
have asked the court for permission, and now I am asking...no, we are asking you;
do you want me to be your Dad, and Lucky be your brother from now on. We both
love you, and all of us here want you to be part of our family. I would be
honored to be your father, and Lucky could not find a better brother, so will
you allow us to love you. and become be part of our
family?" Tom asked him while both his and
Lucky's eyes filled. Seth sat there stunned for
a long moment as the meaning of what Tom and
Lucky was asking came to him. Then he looked around at the others, and he saw
that they wanted him, and that answered his question, `Why me?' They loved him
because he mattered to them, and they needed him. Most of all, he discovered
that deep down, that he loved them too, and that he needed them to fill the
emptiness inside him that he had known for so long until this moment. His tears
streaked down his face as he let all of their love fill up that emptiness
inside him, and with his entire being he answered.
"Yes."
Everyone just stayed silent while Seth
cried along with Lucky and Tom as all three of
then held each other. Then Tom worked his magic
as only a father could as he comforted, and reassured his sons that everything
was all right. Once he had calmed them, and dried their tears, he said.
"Now you are all together again,
but none of you guys will ever be alone again anymore, and neither will we. You
boys all share a special bond with each other that all of us can see, and that
is why each of you is so special to everyone here because of that bond. Oh, and
we cannot forget Uncle Jerry,
Aunt Jeanne, and Junior
either. So you see son, no matter what has happened in the past, or whatever
happens in the future, you will never go back to being alone because all of us
will always be here for you whenever you need us." He explained carefully to Seth
while all of their love for them showed on their faces as he looked at each one
of them.
"Thanks guys, I love all of you
too. Maybe Dr. Todd
will let me come home soon to my new room and brother, Dad." He said in his
warbling and almost scratchy voice as he smiled. The effect was almost instant
as he said those words for the first time. He watched Tom's
face fill with care and love when he heard `Dad' while Lucky had a huge grin on
his face as he looked at his brother.
"We do too, but you gotta get well
some more first Seth." Lucky told him.
"It's going to be so kewl having
you as my big brother now, but if you ever call me `Baby brother' I'll hafta
hurt ya!" Lucky told him threateningly although he could not help grinning.
Even Seth had to laugh at that before hugging
him as best he could with his bandaged arms.
End of Chapter 1
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Who will catch my fall
-- Part Two
Chapter 2
I want to thank Miguel Sanchez and Ben Bear for proofing this chapter. I also want to thank
Jess for his editorial assistance.
January 1996 – (Later in the afternoon)
"The medicine is working," John
said softly to Todd as he pointed at Simon
who was beginning to nod off. When Ari heard this, he got up and hurried over
to Simon's side. He took a moment to straighten
the covers carefully before holding Simon's left
hand. Then he gently stopped him as Simon
struggled to remain awake.
"It's ok Si, I'm here with Mom and
Dad, and we won't let anything hurt you. Go to sleep now, and I'll be right
here with you when you wake up." Ari told him softly as Simon
relaxed letting the medicine begin to carry him off to sleep. Ari then kissed
him softly.
"I love you Si."
"I love you too R," Simon
murmured before the medicine pushed him down into the depths of sleep.
"I'll let him sleep for a little
while longer just to be sure that he won't wake up during the scans. When we
take him down, Ari can come with us and get his vision tested. Dr.
Sihdu will probably dilate his pupils, so he
won't be able to see very well either." Todd
said before excusing himself to answer a call.
"So, you are going to go to the
house and get their things Sara?" John
asked her.
"Sure, I can do that," she said
with a questioning look.
"Would you, because I want to run
over to headquarters and talk to Juan and Chief
Smith while you do that. I should be back in
a couple of hours if that's ok with you." He told her.
"All right Hon, I'll take care of
things here. Just call me if something comes up." She said as she stood up, and
kissed him before giving him a quick hug. He shook Tom's
hand then hugged and kissed Ari, Lucky, and Seth
and told them goodbye before stopping beside Simon.
He gently brushed the hair out of Simon's closed
eyes before kissing him on the forehead.
"Sleep well son," he said softly
before leaving the room.
"If you like, I can run you by the
house because I've got to pick up a change of clothes for Lucky." Tom
offered.
"Sure Tom,
why not, and this way I can bring John's car. We
can exchange later when he comes back. Ok boys; Simon
is going to be taken for his scans soon, and Ari has to go get his eyes tested.
You two behave and don't make trouble for the nurses until we get back, and you
listen to Dr. Sihdu."
Sara told them, and Ari, Seth,
and Lucky all promised to be good before kissing her and Tom.
Todd came back in the room followed by a nurse
to take Simon down to Radiology as Tom
and Sara were leaving.
"They are all yours until we get
back, Todd."
"Geez thanks, one more, and I have
my own basketball team," he said with a grin.
"They will be fine Sara,
and I want you to rest, young man." He said to Seth
while another nurse came in with a bag of IV antibiotics for him. Lucky kicked
off his shoes and got into the bed beside him while the nurse attached the bag
to the machine after Sara and Tom
had left. Then, after another 15 minutes had passed, Ari obediently followed Dr.
Sloane as they took Simon
out of the room. Most of them did not notice the dark haired man in doctor's
scrubs watching them, but more importantly, watching the guard by Seth's
door.
"Um...Dr.
Todd...I have to pee...real bad." Ari suddenly
piped up nervously as they came up to the elevator doors.
"All right young man, we will wait
for you here." He said with an understanding smile as he saw Ari fidgeting
nervously while pinching his penis through his jeans as he kept looking back at
Seth's room. Then Ari almost bolted back to the room as Dr.
Sloane called after him.
"Don't forget to wash your hands."
Once Ari came into the room, he stepped partly inside the bathroom and looked
cautiously behind him for Cass. He spotted him again at the
other end of the ward, causally watching Dr.
Sloane and Simon
as they waited for him to return.
"Ari...you ok?" Lucky asked as he
padded quietly over to him in his socks, and Ari stifled a frightened cry as he
jumped and cringed from the sound of his voice. Before Lucky could say anything
more; Ari grabbed him, yanked him into the bathroom
with him, and closed the door.
"It's him! It's
him! Oh God...he`s here! What am I going to do?" Ari spluttered as his fear began
to overwhelm him. Lucky knew that something was very wrong, and he saw the
unfettered fear in Ari's face as he watched the hysteria starting to creep into
his eyes.
"Ari, stop it! Look at me...Now!"
Lucky said sharply to him as he pushed him back against the concrete wall of
the bathroom forcefully. Ari nodded and obeyed immediately, as Lucky pushed his
face close until their noses were almost touching.
"Ok...it's me. Now, what is wrong?"
"It's him. He's here to get us...to
get me." Ari said fearfully as his tears welled up in his eyes. Lucky
understood instantly to whom Ari was referring.
"You are sure it's him?" He asked
as his own fear and worry crept into his face.
"Yeah...its Cass...I
saw his scar...he's here. What are we going to do?" Ari asked him tearfully, but
then Lucky frowned even though Ari could see in his eyes that his mind was
racing.
"What's he doing? Is he following
you?" Lucky asked him finally.
"I don't know...I think he is
watching the guard." Ari told him as he calmed down a little. He then pushed
Lucky aside and moved to the toilet.
"I have to go before I pee my pants
again." He said as he quickly undid his jeans, pulled the front of his
underwear down, and let loose a hot stream of urine. Then Lucky nudged him to
the side a bit and did the same. Once they had relieved themselves, and turned
to the sink to wash their hands, Lucky broke out into a wide smile before
looking at Ari.
"What?" He asked him with a
confused look.
"Fire Drill!"
He said as he grabbed the towel hanging behind the door.
"I remember once in school, this
big 6th grader said he was going to beat me up because I made him
look as stupid as he really was. We had PE together at the end of the day, so I
waited until just before the late bell rang, and I pulled the fire alarm. Well,
we all went outside and waited till the fire department said everything was ok,
but by that time they did, it was too late to do anything in class, so he was
never able to get close enough to me then because they kept the different
classes separated till it was time to go home. So that's what we do here, we
pull the fire alarm and when they move us to a safer place, we can tell them
about Cass." He said with a devious smile on his angelic face.
"Okay, so what do I do?" Ari asked
him with an expression of relief and hope.
"Wait until you go on the elevator,
and when you get off, you pull the first fire alarm that you see cause that
will mean that he's still here watching us. If the fire alarm goes off while
you are on the elevator, then it means that he followed you, so don't let them
open the doors until help comes ok." Lucky told him.
"But...what about Dr.
Todd? Won't he get mad at me for pulling the
fire alarm?" Ari asked with a questioning but still hopeful expression.
"It won't matter if he sees you
pull it Ari, cause you want him to know something is
wrong up here so he can get your Dad. The guard will take us to someplace safe
until everything is clear." Lucky explained and Ari smiled, as he understood.
"I got to get back. He's at the end of the hall just past the elevators. He's dressed like a doctor who does the operations on
people. Thanks Lucky. I love you." He said as he gave him a quick hug and kiss
before peeking out of the doorway again with Lucky and seeing that Cass
was still watching Simon before whispering.
"You see him at the end there close
to the nurses' place?"
"Yeah...I see him now. It's Cass all right. Remember, right after
you pull the alarm, or when you hear it, don't leave Simon
no matter what, and I will stay with Seth until
your Dad gets here." He said in a whisper before adding.
"And don't look at Cass
or he will know that we saw him."
"Ok," Ari said as he straightened
up, took a few deep breaths, and then walked calmly out the door to the room
even though he was shaking inside. He forced himself not to look at Cass,
and to smile when he saw Dr. Todd
wave at him, and hurried back over to them by the elevators.
"Did you remember to wash your
hands?" Todd asked him and Ari nodded silently
while turning his palms up to show him because he was afraid he would scream if
he had to speak. He stood beside Dr. Sloane
obediently without looking around, and time seemed to drag by as he fought his
panic inside him. Then the elevator dinged, the doors opened, and Dr
Sloane and the nurse maneuvered the gurney
with Simon into the elevator with Ari following
them, then the doors closed and Ari relaxed visibly for a moment. The ride down
to the 1st floor seemed to take forever,
but no alarm was sounded so Ari figured that Cass was still
watching the room. However, just as the elevator dinged again announcing that
they had almost reached their destination, the fire alarm started to buzz
loudly before the doors opened.
"Oh great, now what;" Dr. Sloane
mumbled when he heard the fire alarm going off, and reached for the door open
button.
"No! You can't
open the door. He's out there." Ari almost screamed at him as he grabbed his
arm and jumped in front of the control panel.
"He's here to get me!"
"Who's here to get you Ari? It's
just the fire alarm." Todd said to him as he
knelt down in front of him, but Ari was vigorously shaking his head at him as
his tenuous control over his fear began slipping away.
"We pulled the alarm cause Cass is out there...the man who took
us. He's here...now. Lucky said he would pull the fire
alarm if he followed me, and if I didn't hear it, then
I was supposed to pull it once we got off the elevator. The alarm means he is
here to get me, you have to get my Dad...please!" Ari said with fear as his tears
suddenly spilled down his face.
"What man?" Todd
asked him quickly as he reached behind Ari and pulled the emergency stop
button.
"Cass is here Dr.
Todd. I don't know his name
except Cass...he's the man my Dad couldn't find. He's here, I saw him
near the elevators. That's why I asked to go pee, and
Lucky saw him too. Lucky said if the fire alarm went off while we are in the
elevator, then the guards would take him and Seth
to a safe place away from Cass, but for me to tell you to call
my Dad. He said he would pull the alarm if Cass followed us when we got on the
elevator cause that means he`s here for me. He's after
me because I took the disks and hid them. He's going
to kill me; please don't open the doors, or he will get me. Please." Ari
pleaded tearfully with him as he shook with fear.
"Cass? You mean Earl
Casey, the fugitive your Dad is looking for is here? You saw him
here in the hospital, upstairs near the elevator where Seth's
room is?" He asked as he realized what Ari was telling him as well as the
immediate danger Seth and Lucky were in, and all Ari could do was nod as his
breathing became faster.
"I saw him when you took Simon
to the elevator. Then Lucky saw him too, once I went back to the room and told
him. Please, you gotta get my Dad or he will kill me." Ari almost wailed at him
as his tears came faster.
"It's ok Ari, we are safe in here.
Nobody will get you, I promise." Todd told him
as he gently guided Ari over to Nurse Graves
before opening the emergency box and picking up the red phone.
"Operations center," the voice on
the other end of the line said.
"This is Dr.
Sloane. I'm in Elevator 22 with two of my
patients."
"We believe this is a false alarm
sir, and the elevator system should be back online in a few minutes."
"No, this really is an emergency.
The alarm was activated on purpose. We have an armed fugitive in the hospital
who is attempting to harm or kidnap one of my patients. I need you to contact the
Metro police, ask for Chief Smith
or Detective John Roberts, then tell them that the fugitive Earl
Casey has been seen here in the hospital a
few minutes ago, and that the children are in danger. Do you understand?"
"But sir, it's just a false fire
alarm."
"Don't argue with me damn it! Just
do as you are told, and notify Chief Smith
or Detective Roberts right now. Have security seal the exits, and do not allow
anyone to leave the building unless Chief Smith
gives the all clear. Also, send an armed security detail to this elevator and
another detail to room 601 in the PCCU to escort my patients to a secure
location right now. Call me when the security detail is at the 1st
floor door for this elevator."
"Yes sir." The voice on the other
end said before he hung up the phone.
"Help me move him Ann,"
he said to the nurse.
"Careful, we don't want to bump his
leg." He said as they gently moved Simon to the
floor with Ari next to him before covering them up with the blanket. Then he
placed the gurney crossways across the door so that when the doors opened, the
gurney would serve as a makeshift barricade.
"I don't know much about this, but
who is this guy, and what does he want with these kids?" Nurse Graves
asked.
"All I know so far Ann,
is that this guy is somehow involved with Bill
Jefferies. He managed to elude capture when
the others involved were arrested during the police sweep on Christmas Eve. He
is known as Earl "Cassidy"
Casey, and the police say that he is armed
and extremely dangerous. From what I have been told by their Dad, it seems that
Ari took some computer disks that contained incriminating information about all
who were involved in the entire pedophile ring. I was also told that there has
been one attempt on Ari's life already. That is why these boys are all under
police protection until after they capture this "Cass" guy and
the trials of Deacon Parrish,
the Lakewood sheriff, Mayor, and
three quarters of the local police force too are over." He explained to her
quietly as they waited.
"Well, I wasn't really thinking
about it, but an orderly handed me this letter right before we went to get
Simon, and asked me if I could give it to Detective Roberts, but he had already
left. Now with all of this happening, I am wondering about that orderly. I have
never seen him on the floor before, and he was acting kind of suspicious." Nurse
Graves told him.
"Did he say anything else to you, Ann?
Anything at all," he asked her.
"No, he just said that it was some
important information for Detective Roberts, and asked if I could give the
letter to him." She said as she took the note out of
the front pocket of her nurse's smock.
"Careful, just put it on the gurney
until the police can get it." He said before shaking his head and laughing
before saying. "I think I have been watching `America's
Most Wanted' and `Cops' for too long."
"I love those shows. Here, I'll put
it on the gurney by the pillow, now what are we going to do to get them out of
here?" She asked him after she carefully set the suspect letter on the upper
left corner of the gurney.
"Once they call and say that the
security detail is waiting for us; then we can let the doors open and take them
out of here to someplace safe." He told her, and then the emergency phone rang
and he answered it. "Hello, is everything ready? And the security detail is in
place...ok, I'm opening the doors now." He said before replacing the handset back
where it belonged, and then he pressed the Emergency Stop button again and the
elevator began to move once more. Fifteen seconds later, the doors slid open,
and they were greeted by a burly security guard and several others.
"Dr.
Sloane; if you will follow me to the
Security office, your patients should be safe there until the sweep of the
building is completed." The big security guard said to him. Todd
gently picked up Simon and carried him out to a
different gurney in the hallway. Then he straightened the covers before asking
Ari to come out and stand in front of him beside the gurney. Ari looked
terrified, but the big burly security guard bent down in front of him to
reassure him.
"You are safe young man, and I will
make sure nobody hurts you or your brother." The big security guard told him,
and Ari finally nodded his head even though he was still shaking with fear.
Then the guard took his position at the front of the gurney while Nurse
Graves walked along side of Ari, but
opposite from him on the other side of the gurney. The rest of the Security
team assembled around them while one guard brought the empty gurney with the
letter. The burly security guard led them directly to the Hospital's Security
Center and into a large conference
room where Lucky and Seth were already waiting. Todd
could see the relief on their young faces when Ari came into the room followed
by the gurney with Simon on it. He also saw the
relief in Ari's face as some of his fear and tension flowed out of his small
body when he saw Seth and Lucky.
"Ari! See,
I told you that it would work." Lucky said as he rushed over and hugged Ari
tightly. While they looked relieved to an extent, Todd
could still see the worry and fear in their faces even though they were trying
hard to hide it. He went over and checked Simon
as he slept, and to see if Seth was comfortable
enough on his gurney too. Even though Seth was
regaining his strength, he was still too weak to walk on his own, or do most
things without assistance. Todd could see the
strain and effort in his gaunt face from the stress of the situation. He asked Nurse
Graves to bring some extra pillows for them
while she got Seth's medication from the
pharmacy.
"Everything is going to be ok Seth.
You and your friends are safe here, so why don't you relax some and try to rest
for a little while." He told him as he straightened the covers on him, but then
John came in with Jerry
and closed the door. The brave front that the boys had been putting on quickly
dissolved into tears as Lucky and Ari rushed over into their arms. However, it
was Lucky who rushed into John's arms, while Ari
ran straight to Jerry, who picked him up as the
first strangled sobs escaped from him as he buried his face into Jerry's
broad chest. Even Seth began to cry as soon as
he saw John and Jerry
while all three of them looked relieved.
"Shh...its
ok guys; we're here now and you are safe." John
cooed softly to them as he carried Lucky over to where Seth
and Simon were. As soon as he sat Lucky down
beside Seth, both boys embraced him and cried
softly into his chest.
"It's all right now, so just relax
because Uncle Jerry and I
won't let anyone hurt you." John told them as Jerry
carried Ari over and put him next to Simon who
was still sleeping from the sedative Dr.
Sloane had given him.
"There now Laddie, let's have no
more of this. Yer old Uncle Jerry
be here ready to do battle with any scullion, cur, or
scallywag who threatens ye." He said with a gentle smile as he brushed away
Ari's tears.
"B...b...but it was h...hi...im uncle Jerry.
He's he...he...ere to g...ge...et me," he spluttered and hiccupped as more tears streaked
down his face.
"Nay Laddie, fer that mangy cur to
get to ye, he must get past me and yer Dad. We be two
tough, old bandits, so ye need not be a-feared of that ol' scullion harming a
hair on ye's pretty lil head. Now, me needs ye laddies
to buck up, and tell us what ye saw, what the ol' scallywag looked like, and
where the ol mangy dawg went." Jerry told them
in his lilting Irish brogue as they both calmed down and nodded to him.
"Ar...Ari
saw him first, Uncle John.
Then he ca...ca...came and told me, and then I saw him too." Lucky said with a
slight stutter in his high-pitched musical voice as he wiped his eyes with the
heels of his hands.
"Yeah Poppi, I was so scared when I
saw him by the elevators that I almost wet myself again. I didn't think it was
him at first until I saw the scar on his face, and then I knew it was him." Ari
said as he wiped his nose with the back of his hand.
"He was so close that I could have
touched him, and I was so afraid. I don't remember how
I got back to the room though because the only thing I could think of was `it's
him'. Then I was in the room again, and Lucky helped me to calm down, and he is
the one that thought of the fire alarm."
"You did good guys, and I'm real
proud of you. Now, can you tell me what he was wearing, and what he was doing?"
John asked them as they took out their
handkerchiefs and handed it to them. Both Ari and Lucky wiped their eyes with
them before blowing their noses.
"I don't know because I couldn't
see him too good. He was all the way at the end of the hallway when Ari pointed
to him. But I knew it was Cass when I saw him Uncle
John." Lucky told them, and then Seth
spoke up with a guilty blush.
"I saw him Uncle John,
I saw him real good, and he saw me too. He was wearing the same kind of clothes
that Dr. Todd
wears, he even had a hospital ID, and everything too. I thought I saw him right
after you left but I was not sure until Dad left. That is when I saw him watching the guard
outside my room when they left, but I couldn't say anything though `cause I thought he would do something bad. Then he smiled at me, and I knew he was not
here to hurt anyone so I just watched him till Dr.
Todd left. I was still afraid to say anything `cause he
was almost standing right next to Devon...um...I mean Simon.
I was afraid that he would hurt him if I said anything, so I just kept staring
back at him through the door the whole time. Then after they had gotten onto
the elevator, he just smiled at me again before he went through the door to the
stairs there. That's when Lucky went out and pulled the fire alarm then." Seth
told them in his meek and quiet voice right before his tears began to slide
down his thin face.
"I'm sorry. I should have told the
guard, and I was scared he's do something bad when I first saw him, but when he
smiled at me, I knew he wasn`t here to hurt us." Seth
told John.
"What do you mean son? How do you
know this man?" John asked him.
"I don't know Uncle
John, I just know that he is not going to hurt us is all. I cannot
remember so much...I don't know how I know him, I just
know him somehow, and I know that he is not here to hurt us. He does not want
to hurt any of us, and he is here to stop others from hurting us...from hurting
me. He was here to check on me...to see if I am going to be ok...but I do not know
why. I cannot remember...I am sorry...why can't I remember." Seth
told him with complete honesty, frustration, and confusion as his tears came
faster. John
could clearly see how lost and confused Seth was
because of his amnesia, so he quickly reassured him that everything was ok.
"It will be all right son, and you
will remember as you get better so don't beat yourself up over this. You did
the right thing here, and I am so proud of you Seth,
so don't punish yourself because you cannot remember. You
can talk to Dr. Cruz
about this when you see him again because he will be able to help. Remember son,
you were hit very hard on the head, it hurt your brain, that caused your
amnesia, and you are still very sick so you cannot rush things. The memories
will come back to you as you get better and stronger, and with Dr. Cruz's help
you will remember so don't get upset over this. All of you boys did great, and
all of you were very brave and smart for the way you handled everything, and
alerting us about the danger We are all very proud of
you boys, so stay here and relax while I check on how the search is going. I
doubt that Cass is still here, but we are going to check every
place in the building just to be safe. Your Dad and Sara
are on their way back, and should be here soon, so do not cause trouble for the
nurse here. She will stay here with you until we get back or until your Dad and
Sara get here. You are safe now, and we are here
so relax and don't worry boys. You look tired Seth,
and I can tell you are hurting so I will have Dr.
Todd get your medicine for you son. Ari, Dr.
Todd and I will
take your brother to get his scans done as soon as he gets back, and Dr.
Sihdu will be here in a few minutes to test
your eyes. Then I want you and Lucky to rest along with Seth,
ok Mejo." John told them as he hugged and kissed
all three of them. Todd left them, but returned
shortly with three Sprites and Seth's
medication. Then John got up with Jerry,
and carefully guided the gurney Simon was on out
of the room. Once they closed the door, John
stopped by the Security Desk and asked.
"Excuse me, but do you have that
evidence bag that I asked for?"
"Yes sir, here you go." A short,
red headed, female security guard said as she handed him the plastic sealable
evidence bag along with a pair of latex gloves. After putting on the gloves, he
carefully picked up the note that was just tucked under the corner of the
pillow of the gurney Simon was on in the
elevator, and put it into the evidence bag before sealing it. Then he gave it
to Jerry as Todd
joined them, and they left for the Radiology department. John
stayed there for the next hour and a half as the various scans were done of Simon's
head and brain. They were just bringing Simon
out of the back when an officer came in and gave him the `all clear' for the
building. Todd came out and told him that he
would talk to him and Sara in about an hour or
so. He told him that they would meet in Seth's
room upstairs, and he would have the results for them then. John
thanked him before following the nurse as she took Simon
back up to Seth's room.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two hours later:
"It's been an eventful day," Todd
told everyone as he came into the room with a large X-ray packet in his hand
along with Dr. Sihdu.
He looked at everyone there, and was a bit surprised when he saw Simon
dressed again and leaning against John groggily,
but he appeared to be awake. He was no longer on a gurney, but in a regular bed
that the nursing staff had brought into the room for him. He also had an IV in
his arm that went to the same type of machine that attached to two separate IV
bags containing antibiotics. Tom, Sara,
Jerry, Jean, and
Junior were also in the room along with Ari, Seth,
and Lucky.
"I am glad all of you could make it
because this will concern all of you. I wish I had all good news for you, but I'm afraid not, although it is not as bad as we initially
thought. I think it will be easier for me to show you than just trying to
explain it. I just ask that you wait until I'm finished before you start asking
questions." He said to all of them, and after everyone nodded to him, then he
continued.
"All right then, let's get down to business. I did the first scans of Simon's
skull looking for signs of blunt force trauma. As you can see, there are a
number of different locations that show where the facial bones and skull has
been fractured, and have already healed." He said as he put up the first two
MRI films up on the light screen.
"I would not expect to see these
kinds of extensive injuries in a single person in two lifetimes, let alone in a
child who recently turned 11 years old. All I can say is that you are four very
remarkable young men." He said to them as he looked at Ari, Simon,
Lucky, and Seth before continuing.
"There are three locations that I
want to point out for you specifically because I believe that these particular
injuries are the ones responsible for causing his headaches and other symptoms.
As you can see, he has had numerous fractures of his facial bones over the
years, but this one to the area around the Septum, or bridge of his nose, also
here to his left eye and temple area are the two that I will explain their
significance. These were very severe fractures of the bone, and you can see
that he still has a slight depressed skull fracture or deformity to his skull
just behind his left ear. The fracture has fully healed even though the
occipital bone is now slightly deformed. However, I do not believe that this
depression or deformity will need any type of surgical repair unless he
fractures the bone again in the near future."
"Moving along now, the fracture
just above his septum has also fully healed, again with a deformity to the
bone. As you can see, that fracture began near his left ear and the cheekbone
where it traveled all the way over to his right temple. This suggests that he was
struck in the face with a solid object, and if you follow the pattern of the
fracture, it matches the general shape of a tire iron. The force of the blow
caused the fracture to transect both of his eye sockets with a significant
deformity to the left orbital bone. That appears to be the
area of first contact with the object, and where the bone absorbed the most
force. Last of all, I found that he had another significant fracture to
the cranial area of the left temple that has also fully healed, again from
another blow he received from a solid object. I will point out its significance
later, but let me say that in my experience as a surgeon, I have seen similar
injuries such as these two that were fatal. Yet, by some miracle Simon
survived with no apparent deformity or disability." He said before pulling down
the films and replacing them with two different films, which showed a front and
side view of Simon's eyes and brain as well as
the bone.
"Ok, these will all probably sound
more disturbing to you and your brother than they really are, but please don't
jump to conclusions just yet, and hear me out. I promised to tell you the
truth, and I will, but please do not presume anything until Dr.
Sihdu and I finish, ok Ari?" He asked him
and waited until he nodded apprehensively to him.
"Thank you. This film shows the
soft tissue in Simon's face, but more
specifically, it shows his eyes, sinus cavities, and the optic nerves. If you
look right here, you can see the skull deformity because of the healed facial
fractures. You can see that the optic nerve is compressed here in this area
just behind the eye sockets. It is apparent that this particular fracture is
one of the major causes of the severe headaches he has been experiencing.
However, the reason he is experiencing severe pain from his eyes is not being
caused from the compression of the optic nerve though, but it is affecting his
overall vision and I will let Dr. Sihdu
explain that in a moment." He explained before pausing to take a drink from a
bottle of water he brought in with him.
"When you told me about all of his
symptoms, my first conclusion was that he might have bacterial meningitis
because of his head cold, and because one of his facial fractures had not fully
healed yet. I did a lumbar puncture, and I am glad to report that he does not
have any form of infection in his spinal fluid. Therefore, I examined him
further, and took a chest x-ray and found the problem. Now, I can say for sure
that Simon's high fevers are not in any way
related to the problems with his eyes other than the sinus congestion, and ear
infection that are contributing factors for his headaches. I also believe that
he has developed some allergies that may also be contributing to his headaches,
but the reason he has been spiking fevers is that he has walking pneumonia. His
chest x-ray shows that his lungs are very congested, and he has a bad sinus and
ear infection as well. This is why I have started him on some IV antibiotics
since we all agreed that the boys would spend the night here tonight. I will
give you prescriptions for his antibiotics before he goes home Sara.
I also believe that he has had this "cold" for a long time, possibly from the
time he was shot months ago, but we all understand as to why he has not
complained about it though." Dr. Sloane
told them before going over to Simon and saying
in a gentle voice.
"From now on young man, I want you
to tell your parents as soon as you feel that you might be getting sick because
it is that important for us to know. You still have not fully recovered from
all of your injuries yet, so you have to be extra careful about catching a
cold. Your body has been hurt so much that it can barely keep up with healing
itself. When you add an infection to everything else, then it is too much for your
body to handle, and all it will do is make you worse instead of better. You are
recovering so much better than any of the staff here could even imagine knowing
how seriously injured you were. You are our miracle because you simply refused
to die Simon, you are the 1 in a million chance
we tell others about to give them some hope, and we all want you to get well so
you can be happy without problems that could have been prevented. Now, please
promise me that in the future you will tell one of us if you think you are
getting sick, if you are in pain, or that you just don't
feel good. Even if it turns out to be nothing, for now it is best for you to be
safe because another severe infection like this one could really hurt you. We
are so proud of you, and of the progress you have made, but we don`t want you
to have a setback." He said, and Simon promised
that he would tell them if he felt like he was getting sick or didn`t feel
well. Then Todd smiled before leaning over and
kissing Simon on the forehead before returning
to the screen
"Now, to continue; I believe that
the injuries to his face and skull has already affected his vision because it
has damaged the eyes themselves, and I'm afraid that the damage may be
permanent. He is very lucky that he is not completely blind today." He said
solemnly, and he could see their questions in their expressions, so he
continued before anyone could ask them.
"However, I will let Dr.
Sihdu explain the findings since he is the
most qualified." He said before turning the meeting over to his colleague.
"Good evening everyone, my name is Natel
Sihdu, and I am the most senior resident
here under Dr. Sloane
with my specialty in Ophthalmology. These final two films are of the blood flow
to and from the face and brain, in particular, to Simon`s eyes and optic
nerves. This is the also where I want to point out the significance of the
healed skull fracture to his left temple also. This darker area here behind his
eyes shows a small blockage which is interfering with the blood flow to the
optic nerve. Ever since the fracture to his face and orbital bone happened, Simon
was taking a lot of aspirin daily, and much more than the maximum recommended
dosage for daily use. The aspirin regiment lowered the ability of his blood to
clot normally, which is why these problems are only showing up now since he has
stopped taking the aspirin since it takes some time for the body to adjust. Now
that his blood is clotting normally, you can see that the blood clot has
increased in size, which is compromising the blood flow to the optic nerve and
to the eye itself." He explained to them as he pointed to an area just behind
the eyes.
"The larger dark area over here in
his left temple area is also from a large clot that had formed from a very
minor bleed or hematoma in the past, most likely at the time of the injury, but
we cannot see it causing any potential permanent damage from it now. His body
has been slowly reabsorbing the clot now that the cause of it has healed. We
will monitor it just to be sure that it is doing this and will not be a problem
for him. Again, he was on an aspirin regiment before which thinned his blood
while also causing his blood vessels to enlarge a bit. I think that is why he
has not developed this problem with his eyes before because the vessel was only
partially blocked due to the increased blood vessel size. However, once the
aspirin regiment stopped, the vessels have returned to their normal size thus
making the blockage complete, and is now compromising the blood flow to the
optic nerves. The clot probably has been there since the injury occurred, but
his condition has only worsened once he stopped taking the aspirin and his
blood began clotting normally." He explained to them all, but he looked
directly at John and Cathy.
"For the time being, I do not
believe that surgically removing the clot that is limiting blood flow to the
optic nerve bundle is needed at this time. I believe that we can reduce the
clot, and break it up with medication, and I will resort to surgery as the last
option only if all other treatments fail. He already has a severe infection, so
we could not proceed with any type of surgery until that has been cleared up
first, and because of his extensive injuries is why surgery will be the last
option. The most serious problem that I found is that Simon
has two partially detached retinas, one in each eye. Again, I do not want to
push any more surgeries on him unless there is no other option available
because of his body's already over taxed ability to heal. There is a
non-surgical treatment that can repair the damage, but the therapy could be
damaging to him in other ways." He told John and
Sarah before continuing.
"The non-surgical treatment will
require that Simon's eyes to be completely
bandaged for up to a month or more, in essence, he will be blinded on purpose,
and he will be on 24 hour bed rest for the next two week at least. I have been
briefed about the confinement that he has been subjected to in the past.
However, for his retinas to heal and reattach on their own without surgery,
then he has to remain flat for the retinas to reattach and begin to heal. Once
he is allowed to move around again, he may have to have his eyes bandaged for
up to a month while everything heals. During this time, he will need someone to
administer the medications into his eyes four times a day. However, this will
have to be done in almost near darkness, or in a room with a black or red
light, and then his eyes have to be re-bandaged daily. I know how cruel it
sounds to have him endure this forced sightlessness, but I believe this is the
best way to correct his vision without invasive surgery. Most of all, everyone
of you will need to help him, but more importantly, protect him from bumping
his head or face once he is allowed out of bed in order to give his eyes the
time that is needed for his retinas to reattach and heal. Now do you have any
questions for me or Dr. Sloane?"
Dr. Sihdu
asked them after he concluded his diagnosis.
"What about his vision, you didn't
say anything about that. Will his vision improve, stay the same, or worsen once
he completes this therapy?" Jeanne asked him
with concern.
"I tested Simon's
vision being mindful that he has problems reading. Therefore, I had him read a
special chart of shapes instead, and he did quite well along with his brother
Ari. Once the retinas reattach and heal, I am confidant that this will no
longer cause him the distressing headaches he has been experiencing. The same
is true for removing the blood clot behind his eyes with the medications. After
he completes the therapy, then I believe that his vision will improve
significantly, but I cannot be sure to the extent his vision will improve until
after he completes the therapy. The only negative that I can find comes from
the fact that both Ari and Simon can see much better in near darkness that any
of us could ever hope to do, and they both will always be overly sensitive to
bright light, but that can be controlled with tinted lenses. We can correct the
problems affecting Simon's optic nerve and
retinas. However, I am afraid that their prolonged periods in complete
darkness, and the severe abuse both of them have experienced has permanently
affected the development of their eyesight." He told them.
"To use an example, they will be
similar to a mole, which is quite comfortable in the dark, but has only limited
vision out in the bright daylight. This means that
they will both be able to see much more clearly than we can in near darkness,
especially Simon. While during the day, their
vision will be more diminished due to their oversensitivity to light than
everyone else will. Again, this will be more apparent with Simon
than Ari, but I have found this problem in all of the boys with Lucky being the
least affected by it. However, I still firmly believe that as long as the boys
wear prescription sunglasses that I will prescribe during daylight hours that
they should be able to see as well as a normal child with mild to moderate
vision impairment, and it will not affect their futures much. Ari and Lucky
will still need glasses for them being nearsighted, and for Seth,
he will just need sunglasses to protect him from bright lights."
"Simon's
case is more complicated though, because he will need glasses for a severe case
of astigmatism since his physical abuse has altered the iris in his eyes. He
may need corrective surgery for his partially detached retinas if one or both
fail to reattach during the therapy, but at the moment I still believe that
this non-surgical therapy is the best course of treatment for him. I will
monitor him and see if the retina will reattach itself on its own, and I will
know within a week if it is working. If this therapy is successful, then once
his bandages come off he will be extremely sensitive to any light, and he will
have to be gradually introduced to normal light intensities afterwards.
Therefore, I will prescribe him a set of several prescription-smoked sunglasses
that you can use slowly to reacclimatize him back to normal light levels. It is
similar to the way that Ari explained to me earlier of how they had to wear
blindfolds and veils for weeks until their eyes adjusted to light again. Once
his therapy is done then I will re-evaluate him at that time. I also recommend
that once you get the boys their permanent glasses that you should get them two
pairs, one pair of sunglasses for outdoors, and one pair with half tinted
lenses for indoors because it will provide better protection from overhead
lights while also having the bottom half of the lens being clear for reading
and schoolwork." Dr. Sihdu
explained to them all, but Ari had a hopeful expression on his face as he
listened to Dr. Sihdu.
"So he isn't going to be blind
forever now?" He asked him.
"No, I don't believe so Ari. If he
would not have gotten treatment for this problem, then I think he would have
been blind within six months or so, but I believe that we have discovered the
problem in time to correct it. Once we finish with his therapy, he will see
much better, and he will no longer have those headaches. However, you are going
to have a very important job after today. You will need to be your brother's
eyes until everything has healed, and the bandages come off." He explained to
Ari, who looked much relieved when he heard this.
"I will do it, I promise, I will
not let anything happen to him." Ari said seriously to him.
"Any more questions then?" Todd
asked all of them. John then got up and moved
next to the door with Todd before speaking in a
hushed voice.
"I think you have explained
everything well enough for us. However, I would like your opinion about having Seth
and Simon moved to Bayside after Seth
is released from your care. I can work out the security problems if you think Seth
should stay here, but Bayside would be more secure for both of them. Right now,
my biggest concern is Simon though. I'm not sure
if he can endure this therapy right now, but since he has to do this, I think
that him being at Bayside will help more because he
knows, and trusts most of the staff there already, and we can limit who has
access to them." John said softly to him.
"I would also like to speak with Nurse
Graves for a bit about the letter that was
given to her after we are done here." He asked Todd.
"I understand completely John,
and I'm in agreement with you about Simon staying
at Bayside for this therapy, but I am still worried that Seth
has not completely recovered from the blood infection yet. Therefore, how about
a compromise John, today is Thursday, if Seth
continues to improve, then I will release him to be transferred Monday. How
does that sound Lt. Roberts?"
Todd asked him, and John
agreed.
"As for Simon,
I think a mild tranquilizer will help ease his fear for now. I also think that
once he realizes that one of you will always be with him at all times will help
ease his fears even more once he gets used to the bandages on his eyes.
However, I will order that the night staff check on him at least every ten
minutes tonight, and if he is having a problem because of the forced blindness,
we can stop the therapy tomorrow." He said, and then John
thanked both doctors as they left the room. They all waited until almost ten
minutes had passed talking amongst themselves before Nurse Graves
and another nurse came in.
"You wanted to see me Lt.
Roberts?" She asked him.
"Yes, I do, but let's wait until
they take care of my son first, then we can go into the lounge." John
said to her as the other nurse came over to Simon's
bed.
"Ok Simon, this is Nurse
Peters, and you remember Nurse
Graves. She's here
to give you some medication for your eyes and to help you relax so you will not
be so afraid, and then they will bandage your eyes. Remember son that someone
will always be with you every moment of the day and night until your therapy is
finished and the bandages come off. I know that you will be frightened, but I
promise that you will not ever be alone until your eyes are better, ok son?" John
said to him, and it took a few moments before Simon
responded to him a bit nervously with tears beginning to well up in his eyes.
Then he took the pill the nurse gave him, but Ari had to hold the cup for him
because Simon's hand was trembling too much.
"I think it will be ok Dad...as long
as one of you guys is with me. Then the dark isn't so scary because I'm not
alone like all of the other times." He said in his soft voice, but everyone
could hear his nervousness and fear too. All of them then gathered around his
bed in order to help comfort him while the medication took effect. Then John
and Sara repeated their promise that he would
never be alone while his eyes were bandaged as they both held him.
"I promise too Si. Dr.
Todd and Dr.
Sihdu said it is my job to be your eyes now,
so where ever you go, I will always be with you from now on. I know that I'm not strong like you, and I may not be very brave, but
you are always brave and strong for me. I will be brave and strong for you now
until you can see again. So don't be scared because I
will be right here with you always. I love you Si." Ari told him as he held Simon's
left hand to his cheek, and he could see that Simon's
eyes were now glassy from the medication.
"I love you too R, I always have.
Dad, will you and Mom stay with me for a while so I won't be so scared?" He
mumbled as he struggled to keep his eyes open.
"Yes, we will son, we will be here
with you until you go to sleep, and when you wake up, we
will all be here with you just like we promised. Now close your eyes, and go to
sleep son, all of us will keep you safe." John
told him as he leaned close and kissed him on the forehead followed by Sara,
then Ari, and then the others in the room too including Seth.
"We need to undress him, and put
him into some pajamas, and then we can bandage his eyes once he's been asleep for a little while." The petite Nurse Peters told him, John
had her pull the privacy curtain closed for a few minutes as he and Sara
undressed him from the sweats and t-shirt he was wearing, and into the pj's
Sara had brought for him. After they were finished, Nurse Peters
and Nurse Graves applied the
eye medications to Simon's eyes while instructing
John and Sara how
it should be done before bandaging his eyes completely. Once they had finished,
John and Jerry
excused themselves and asked Nurse Graves
to come with them into the lounge, and Ari took John's
place beside Simon.
"I just wanted to ask you what this
orderly looked like who gave you the letter is all. Ari told us that he
recognized Earl Casey
when you took my sons to the elevator for his tests. This is a composite of
him, but it is from the scar on his face that most people recognize first. Do
you remember if this is the man who gave you the letter, or if he had a scar
like this?" John asked her.
"No, he didn't have any scars on
his face. This is not the man who gave me the letter today," she said
confidently after looking at the picture.
"The man who gave me the letter had
dark hair, and a tan complexion like he was Hispanic or maybe Italian, but he
didn't have any scars. Oh, and he was a bit shorter than me too, which is a
little different since I'm only 5'6"." She told him. Then John
asked her to describe him as best she could and if she would help one of the
police composite artists make a sketch of him, and she agreed. Then she went on
to describe the man as John and Jerry
both took notes. Then Jerry gave her about ten
copies of the composite sketch of Earl
Casey, and asked her to pass them around to
the staff. He explained that if any of the staff saw anyone matching the
composite in the hospital to alert the hospital security and call the police.
"Thank you Nurse Graves.
You've been very helpful." John told her before
showing her to the door.
"I will notify you and the other
staff on this floor about the new security people. Some will be posing as
orderlies and nurses, but we will brief the staff later about the new security
measure. Thank you again for you help and cooperation." He said before shaking
her hand and closing the door.
"Well, that kicks our idea in the
keester, doesn't it?" Jerry asked him.
"Yeah, it does. It was obviously
not Earl Casey
who gave her that letter." John told him as he
stood up and started for the door as Jerry
followed.
"Maybe we will know more once Juan
and Chief Smith read and
analyze the letter." Jerry said to him.
"It could be more smoke and mirrors
too, but we won't know until we know everyone involved. Until we know who is
pulling who's strings in this case, then we are not
going to let the boys out of our sights until they get to Bayside." John
told his friend who agreed with him before they went back to the boys' room.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(February 1996, first Monday of the month)
Lucky heard the 4 pm bell ring and started to gather his things together
into his school backpack. He had only been at St. Michael's Catholic school
since the new semester had begun after the Christmas break, but he was already
becoming known as one of the smartest kids in school even though he was also
one of the smallest too. However, unlike his time spent at Henson
Junior High school, he was not an
outcast here nor was he a target for the older kids either. He actually had
friends who liked him for himself, and he had quickly adjusted and embraced
everything eagerly, and most of all, he was happy for the first time in his life.
However, no matter what he did, he still worried constantly about his brothers Seth,
Ari, and Simon all of the time, and he was
always pestering his Dad to take him to visit them at Bayside.
Almost a full month had past since Simon's
therapy began to correct his sight, and Dr. Sihdu had told them and Simon that
he wanted to keep the bandages on for another two weeks after his check up last
Friday. He said that Simon's retina's had reattached on their own, but he
wanted to give Simon's eyes a little more time to heal before he took off the
bandages. At the same time, Seth's recovery was
doing better than Dr. Todd
Sloane had expected. While he still tired
easily, Seth was up and walking around and had
gained another 12 pounds. The only thing that Dr. Todd was still worried about
was that Seth still needed to use a cane when he walked in order to keep his
balance most of the time, but Seth was using it less each day. He only needed
to use it now if he was standing or moving for periods of 15 minutes or longer,
but he did not need it for shorter periods. Dr.
Sloane explained that it was due to Seth's
extreme weight loss that was the cause, and because Seth
still tired easily. The weight loss had changed his center of gravity, which
had affected his balance until he adjusted to the change, and his legs became
stronger. As Seth continued to gain weight, and
grow stronger each day though, Dr. Todd
told them that he would become more fluid and coordinated in his movements.
Lucky already knew that he could
not visit this week until Thursday, since he was still catching up on the
assignments from the previous semester in school, and his Dad had his own work
to catch up on. Lucky had already finished his last
essay for English, and only had three more chapters to read in his Algebra book
as well as doing the problems at the end of each chapter. However, those were
his best subjects, but the report he had to write for his history class was not
something he was looking forward to doing. To him, history was tedious because
everyone had his or her own point of view of what really happened. That meant
hours of researching from a number of different sources in order to get the
basic facts of what happened without all of the bias the authors had.
Therefore, today he was going to the school library to work on it before going
home across the campus to the rectory. He had talked to his Dad about it, and Tom
took care of things since he would be busy with evening mass tonight. After
Lucky finished gathering his stuff, he went over to the Athletic office by the
gym to let Officer Michaels
know that he would be in the library since he was the one in charge of bringing
him home. While the school staff had been briefed, and actively participated
with the undercover officers who were in charge of Lucky's protection, he still
followed the rules to let one of the officers know where he was going to be and
did as they told him.
"Come in," Officer Michaels
said when Lucky knocked on the door.
"Oh, Hi Lucky; how was your day?"
"Hi Deacon Michaels,
it was good, I really like it here a lot." Lucky said with a shy grin.
"Glad to hear that things are
working out good for you. Now what can I do for you?" Officer Michaels
asked him.
"Um, I just stopped by to ask you
if it's still ok for me to stay after today in the library?
I probably won't be done until after my Dad begins the evening Mass, and he
said that you will come get me and take me home if it was ok with you." Lucky
said to him timidly.
"I'm still trying to catch up on
the assignments and I've got to write a report on the Kennedy
assassination for my history class."
"Sure, you can stay son, but just
in the library all right. No venturing outside on your own if you get bored.
Instead, you come find me and I will take you home early, okay?" He said with a
warm smile that put Lucky at ease.
"Ok Mr. Michaels, um sorry, I mean Deacon
Michaels." Lucky said with a blush as he
corrected his mistake.
"It's alright son, now run along
because time's a wasting," Michaels told him with a smile and
wave of his hand. Lucky returned his smile and waved before scampering out of
the room. He went up stairs into the library and dumped his book bag in a cubby
before going out to the bathroom. Once he had finished and washed his hands, he
went into the library and asked Sister Agnes
for help on how to find the news stories and information for his report. She
gladly assisted him and showed him how to use the computer to search for books
and articles he needed for his report. Then she showed him how to use the
microfiche reader and left him alone to do his work.
Lucky soon realized that the
computerized system was easy to use, and was soon pulling different books and
rolls of microfiche film before scanning through them until he located the
information that he needed. He had been working for over an hour and had
located several good articles that he would use in his report when he stumbled
across the story of the assassination of the Estonian Ambassador and his family
in 1991. The microfiche film roll was in the wrong canister, and when he
realized that, he had started to rewind it when he saw the picture. He would
not have paid any attention to the story except for the grainy picture of the
Ambassador's family in the newspaper. Lucky stopped and read the story entirely
three times while also studying the picture closely. Then he quickly printed
the news story and went in search of Sister Agnes.
"Sister Agnes,
do we have any news magazines here, the ones that have color pictures in them?"
He asked when he found her in her office.
"No child, we don't keep anything
like that here except for what's on the microfiche film, but the public library
isn't far from here and they have hundreds there." She told him before glancing
at the wall clock showing the time of 5:30 pm.
"It's getting late and we close at 6 pm. Why don't you
get your things together and I will call for Mr.
Michaels so he can take you home. You can
come back tomorrow if you need to."
"Yes ma'am, um, thanks, you know.
Um, for letting me stay here so late, so I can get caught up with my school
work." He said bashfully while his gratitude showed on his angelic face, then
his face saddened as his eyes became distant and blank because a sudden rush of
memories unwillingly took him back to the time at his previous school.
"I really love it here at school
because everybody is so nice to me. It is not at all like Henson Junior High
was because I actually have friends here." He said softly with his musical,
high-pitched voice that was also filled with his pain and a deep sadness as he
remembered his torment and utter loneliness there as his tears came suddenly.
"Nobody liked me at that school...not
even the teachers." He said quietly as his tears spilled down his face while he
continued to stare blankly while the memories brought back his pain. Then a
pain filled sob escaped him as he dropped the papers he was holding, and
covered his face with his small, delicate hands. Sister Agnes
just came over, hugged him close to her while kissing him lightly on the
forehead, and soothed him as he wept. After a few minutes, his pain began to
subside some as his tears lessened, but she continued to comfort him lovingly.
Lucky was not the first troubled child to need her comfort, nor would he be the
last. She was known by all of the students, past and present, as Grandma
Agnes, and all of the students were her
children.
"Well, we are so happy to have you
here with us Lucky, and we also look forward to having your brothers here as
well. There is too much cruelty in this world already you darling child, and
here at St. Michael's,
we try to give all of our students some happy moments that they can take with
them when they leave. Above all, the one thing we try to teach here is that
nobody is perfect, and to tease or make fun of others for those imperfections
is one of the worst sins that a person can commit." She told him as he sniffled
and hiccupped as she pulled him into her lap after she sat in a nearby chair,
and kissed him tenderly.
"Anyway, to be perfectly honest
with you Lucky, when your Dad informed us that he was going to enroll you and
your brothers here, the entire school was very excited about it. Almost all of
our students here already know and like you from church, and they know that
besides being a truly gifted singer, that you are such a wonderful person who
is also so adorably cute too. Well, all of the young ladies here think so from
what I hear." She told him after he had melted into her warm embrace.
Lucky wiped his eyes with the back
of his sleeve, angry with himself because he had not wanted to cry, but he was
unable to stop his tears. He finally quit trying to stop them or trying to hide
all of the pain inside him, and cried away some more of that pain. What he did
not realize was that each time he faced his pain and cried, he allowed another
one of the open and festering wounds on his soul to begin healing. At the same time, Sister Agnes
just soothed and comforted him while she said a silent prayer for him and his
brothers. She hoped that the demons of their pasts would stop tormenting them
because they were such extremely brave, bright boys, and they all deserved some
peace before their childhoods were lost to them forever. After a few minutes,
Lucky was finally able to choke back his tears and relax again and said.
"Thanks Sister Agnes.
I didn't mean to cry, but it hurts so much inside that I just can't help it
sometimes."
"Call me Grandma Agnes
like all of the other students do, and it is all right for you to cry too,
Lucky. All of us here know how much you and your brothers were hurt, and that
hurt cannot heal unless you cry. That is why the Lord gave us the ability to
cry, because when we cry, it cleanses our souls by washing away the hurt and
pain; so there is no shame to cry when you need to cry." She told him before
kissing him on the forehead once more. Lucky wiped his eyes, and then searched
her face before accepting the truth of her words, and then he nodded. Then he
smiled at her before kissing her on the cheek and hugging her tightly.
"Thanks Grandma Agnes,
I've never had a real grandma before, and I would love it if you would be
mine." He told her while his hope showed in his eyes.
"Well, I would be happy to be your
Grandma Lucky. See, everything is all better now, and you do not have to worry
anymore because you are finally home. Now, you are here with us where you and
your brothers belong, and your brothers will always be welcomed here too." She said
to him as she gently dried his eyes.
"Another reason all of us at St.
Michael's wanted you and your brothers to
come here is because everyone here has followed all of you in the news. We all
were so upset about how the systems that are supposed to protect kids, like you
and your brothers, could be so messed up, and allow those awful things happen.
However, it was when they said on the news that people just did not care
anymore that made up our minds. What they said on the news is just plain wrong
because we do care, and we want to prove it by showing the whole world how much
we care. We want the whole world to see that we care not only about you and
your brothers, but also for all of the children here, and in the world who need
somewhere where they can be a happy child. Therefore, you always remember that
young man, the reason everything is so different now is because all of us here,
the staff and the students, we really do care about you, and that is what you
see all around you now. We do not know everything that happened to you or your
brothers, but we all knew that once you came here, then we could show you how
much we do care, and what real compassion, happiness, and true friendship
means." She told him tenderly as she brushed a stray lock of his hair out of
his eyes before gently kissing him on the forehead again. Lucky smiled as he
started to stand up, but then changed his mind, and hugged her tightly again.
"Thank you so much," he whispered
to her before kissing her on the cheek.
"You are very welcomed, Lucky. Oh
dearie me, look at the time. Why don't you go and get your things while I
finish closing the office here, and I will call Mr.
Michaels to come get you." She told him, he
then picked up his papers and left her to put his materials back, and he collected
his notes before returning to her office just as Officer Michaels
came in ten minutes later. Lucky had to cover his mouth as he tried to hide his
smile when he saw Officer Michaels
dressed in a monk's brown robe.
"You wouldn't be laughing if you
were in this thing." He said to Lucky as he came up to the door.
"You have it on backwards, and you
look like Friar Tuck too." Lucky said with a mischievous giggle, and Officer
Michaels quickly checked the neck and found
the tag under his chin. Then he scowled and took a playful swipe at Lucky who
nimbly ducked behind Sister Agnes
who was also smiling.
"Hey, what do you expect? I'm a
Methodist, and we outlawed these things over a century ago." He grumbled as he
quickly pulled his arms in and turned the robe around until it was on properly.
"You know; if you painted a small
`Front' and `Back' on these things then they would be easier to wear. I've had
this silly thing on backwards all day."
"Why don't you just wear the black
shirts and trousers instead? You really don't look like one of the brothers of
the church in that robe." Sister Agnes
told him gently.
"And why don't I?" He asked her in
mock offense.
"Well, for starters, you are
lacking the tonsure that all of our brothers have, and that is the biggest give
away that even the novices can see." She told him before smiling and saying.
"And you do resemble the portly
Friar of Sherwood Forest in that robe too."
"Well!" He said with a feigned look
of indignation before smiling.
"So I guess I'll be the man in
black as of tomorrow because if I develop a bald spot all of the sudden then
everyone at the precinct will be buffing the back of my head for good luck." He
said with a snort, and Lucky doubled over with laughter.
"Hmph! Come on Chuckles! Let's get you home before I get in any deeper. You have a
nice evening my dear Sister." He said with a respectful bow of his head before
ushering Lucky out of the door at a couple of minutes before 6 pm. They made a quick stop at the main office
while Officer Michaels called
over to let his partner Officer Jacobs
know that they were leaving, and spoke for a few moments to Tom.
Then, he ushered Lucky to his car outside, but as he leaned over to put the key
into the door, he caught the briefest glimpse in his peripheral vision of a
small red flashing light under the car near the driver's front wheel well.
"Stop; get back inside right now!
Run boy, run!" He commanded as he grabbed the back of Lucky's coat collar, and
lifted him off his feet as he swung him around. Lucky hit the ground running,
and they got about a dozen feet from the car when the bomb went off. Officer
Michaels still ended up tackling Lucky as
the force of the blast threw both of them another ten feet through the air. He
tried to brace himself as he landed on top of Lucky, but still drove the wind
out of his small body. However, he still hoped that he had managed to shield
Lucky from most of the blast with his own body.
After a full minute had passed, Officer Michaels
sat upright with his service weapon drawn scanning the area. He knew that it
was useless for him to try to stand because his leg was a bloody mess while his
ears were still ringing, but his Kevlar vest had absorbed most of the shrapnel.
When he saw Lucky sit up, dazed but apparently unhurt a few moments later, he
pushed him towards the entrance to the school again.
"Go boy! Get inside now!" He
barked.
However, Lucky could not hear a
word he said, just a ringing in his ears along with a sharp, dizzying pain. He realized that he was hurt, and that he had
to get back inside the building. He staggered back to his feet as searing pains
shot through his legs, back, and shoulder as he began stumbling up the stairs
leading up to the entrance, while the pain and dizziness inside his head almost
made him feel as if he was going to pass out at any moment. He somehow managed
to climb up the steps before falling into Sister Agnes's
arms just as she opened the door to see what had happened.
"Dear Lord! Marvin,
you go help Officer Michaels.
Joy, you call 911 for the police and ambulance,
and tell them to that it was a bomb. Darrell,
you go get Father McGrath,
and tell him that Lucky needs him." She instructed as she half dragged and half-pulled
Lucky into the main office so that she could see where he was hurt.
"It's all right Lucky. Lucky?" She
asked, but he remained in a daze, and not seeing her. Then she repeated his
name loudly several times, but he clearly could not hear her. She noticed that
his eyes were glassy, and that he seemed lost and confused a few moments before
his eyes rolled up and he went limp in her arms. That is when she saw the blood
coming from his ear and the back of his head.
"Christ, give me
strength! Joy! Lucky is hurt! Bring me the first
aid kit, quickly. Marvin, get Officer
Michaels inside and lock the doors until
help arrives."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(6:05 pm,
same day)
Tom
was already walking towards the altar in the processional when he heard the
explosion as it shook the building. He knew immediately from the direction of
the blast that it had come from the school, and he was running out the front
doors of the church before anybody could stop him. He had just spoken with Officer
Michaels a few minutes earlier, and knew
that he and Lucky were on their way over. Officer Gary
Sloane immediately headed towards the podium
to calm the congregation while Officer Johnson
followed Tom and Officer Jacobs
out of the doors. Bishop Mark Carlisle
came out of the office, and immediately had Junior and another altar boy go
secure the main doors while he joined Officer Sloane
up on the dais.
"What's happening?" He asked him
quietly.
"I don't know,
there was an explosion outside. It
sounded like it came from the school, but we need to keep the people in here
until we find out." Gary told him as he moved out of the way while Father Mark
nodded with a smug little smile before he stepped up to the podium. Gary
stared at him for a long moment before shaking his head as he turned and left
the dais to insure the building was secure.
"Pardon me my friends, but I fear
that something dreadful has happened outside. While the authorities have
already been notified and are on their way, I have to ask you all to remain
calm, and to remain seated until the police have the situation under control.
The doors have been secured, and I ask that the members of our congregation in
law enforcement to help us in securing the entire building. Let us pray that
whatever has happened, that nobody has been injured or killed." Father
Mark said into the microphone with a slight
smile. The excited crowd settled down immediately as several off duty
corrections officers, and security guards took up positions by the different
entrances into the church. Father Mark
then had the choir begin a hymn before leading the congregation in prayer.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(6:10 pm,
same day)
Tom's
heart almost stopped when he came into the main office and saw Lucky lying on
the floor with Sister Agnes
holding a large compress bandage to the back of his head. His corn silk blond
hair was stained red at the back of his head from his blood, and that only
added to Tom's anguish as he paused for a moment
to catch his breath.
"Dear God, no," he said
breathlessly as he knelt beside her.
"He's going to be all right Tom.
Lucky has a large cut on his head, but I did not feel any broken bone or soft
spots around it. Officer Michaels
told me that he landed on top of him after the blast, and that Lucky was
knocked silly. He is bleeding from several places, but only a few of them look
as if they are serious. I think his eardrums may be ruptured because he cannot
understand me when I talk to him unless he is looking right at me. He is going
in and out of consciousness right now, so he probably has a concussion too." Sister
Agnes informed him as he began to check
Lucky's pulse. Just then, Lucky's eyes fluttered open, and he tried to sit up
as soon as he saw Tom.
"No, just stay still son," He told
him while shaking his head no, and gently stopping him with a wave of his
finger. Tom then took his finger, and held it in
front of Lucky's face before he pointed at his own mouth indicating to Lucky to
watch his mouth. Then carefully speaking so that Lucky could understand the
words by watching his mouth, he said.
"You have been hurt, but you are going
to be fine. Just relax son, I am here now, and you are safe." Understanding
even though he could not hear him, Lucky relaxed as he gripped Tom's
hand tightly before losing consciousness again.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(8:15 PM,
later that evening)
John,
Sara, Jerry, Jeanne,
and Junior met Tom at the hospital in the hall
outside of Lucky's room. There were several uniformed police officers on the
floor to insure their safety. They checked everyone who entered the floor
including the staff members. Even though they knew John
and Jerry quite well, one of the older officers
still had two rookies ask and check each of their IDs before allowing them to
proceed. They also offered their sympathies to them and told them that if they
needed anything to just ask.
"How is he doing Tom?"
Jeanne asked as she gave him a hug.
"He's going to be okay. The blast
ruptured an eardrum, and several pieces of shrapnel hit him with one leaving a
two inch cut on the back of his head as it grazed him. He got eight stitches
for that, plus more on his shoulder and both legs. The treating physician in
the emergency room had to remove a metal fragment that embedded itself in his
left buttock also. He will not be sitting down to much for the next week or so,
and he has a concussion too, but Officer Michaels
still managed to shield him from most of the shrapnel from the blast. Lucky has
a number of scrapes and bruises too, but no broken bones. Todd
said that he seems to have escaped any serious life threatening injuries thanks
to Officer Michaels. He will
be kept over night for observation and then they will discharge him tomorrow if
no other complications arise." Tom told her.
"Thank goodness, I went all to
pieces when I heard the call go out over the scanner. Have you heard anything
about Officer Michaels yet?"
She asked him.
"He is still in surgery because the
blast really tore up his leg. He might lose it, I'm sorry." He said to all of
them.
"Don't worry about him Tom.
I have known Michaels for twenty years now, and he is a tough
old scallywag like me. He will be fine, and now he cannot refuse the promotion
that I have offered him because he should be in command instead of out on a
beat. He doesn't need two good legs to be in charge, just his brain." Jerry
told him after shaking hands with him.
"I want to update you Tom;
the sweep turned up another device wired to your car. The bomb had a timing
detonator set to go off at 8:30 pm
while the one that went off was set for 6 pm.
We will know more once the bomb tech gives me their report, and hopefully it
bomb will lead us to a suspect too. Sister Agnes said that she decided to close
up a few minutes early but that all of them had lingered for a while talking
before Michaels and Lucky left, but she was sure that it was at or after 6 pm.
She told us that something she said made Lucky remember how it was for him at
his old school, and that it took her almost twenty minutes to sooth him."
"That is the reason why they were
not in the car when the bomb went off because she did not call Michaels
until almost 6 pm. Michaels said that he saw the
arming light flashing as they approached the car in the darkness of the
evening, and that is why they were able to back away from the car just seconds
before the bomb went off. It probably saved both of their lives that Lucky had
delayed them by remembering his time at Henson
Junior High school. So far, we know
that this was not a typical car bomb because the device we disarmed and
recovered. It is one of the more sophisticated bomb designs that I have seen
since I have been on the force. However, it's very clear that Lucky, you, and
Junior were the intended targets of these bombings." John
told him and Tom had to agree with him.
"So, what does this mean John?"
He asked.
"It means that both you and Lucky
are now going into full police protection. For now, I am having Lucky
transferred to Bayside in the morning and you are going with him. Once he has
fully recovered, then we can decide where to move you and the boys to next. Bishop
Mark Carlisle
has already agreed to assume you duties at St.
Michael's, so you do not have to worry about
them and just concentrate on getting your son well. It also means that others
involved in this investigation are also targets, so Junior, Sara,
and Jeanne will also be going with you to
Bayside in the morning, and all of you will remain in protective custody until
we close this investigation. Jerry has already
made all of the arrangements for Liz's
protection Jeanne; but Junior will have to go
with you since he is still a minor under the law. Bayside has six cottages;
well, they are more like mansions, but call them cottages I should say. They
are all located on the property and they let the wealthy families use them when
one of their patients is terminally ill, so that is where you will stay until
the boys are ready to be moved." John told them
all. Both Sara and Jeanne
started to protest, but Jerry cut them both off.
"Nay, he is right. Tom
was supposed to drive Junior home after mass, and that would have put him near,
or at our house when the bomb under his car was set to go off Jeanne.
It was twice the size of the one that went off so it would have
blown the front wall of the house down as well as blowing up the car.
That means that both of you were also targets along with him and Lucky. It only
goes to reason that you are also on the list Sara,
and neither John nor I are willing to gamble
with any of your lives. The boys are already in danger, and now all of you are
too. However, I was thinking that once the boys are ready to be moved that we
could send the lot of you down to that retreat we went to a couple of years ago
Tom." Jerry said to them.
"You mean Sacred Heart Garden
Retreat in California," Tom
asked him in response.
"That's the place. I spoke with John
about it, and it's definitely secure and easy to defend so all of us will be
safe there." Jerry said.
"You're right; the entire compound
is surrounded by a twelve foot high stone wall, including the gardens. It used
to be a convent, but the church decided to make it into a public retreat. The
boys will be just as safe there as they are at Bayside." Tom
told them.
"Well, how about we go one better.
Other than Junior, the rest of us will just be in the way at Bayside, so why wait? Tom,
Sara, and I can go to the retreat and get
everything set up for the boys. We can have Officer Sloane
and Johnson bring a few men and their families too so that the
boys will have some other kids to play with and we will have some company while
the men supervise the security arrangements there." Jeanne
suggested to Jerry and John.
"That would work out great John,
and it will probably save both of us a month of sleeping in the living room too
once we go home." Jerry
said to him with a raised eyebrow look on his face.
"You are probably right, but that
means that we have to pack for an extended trip, so once we finish here we need
to go home and pack, but not before I arrange for a security detail to
accompany you first." John told them. He was
about to say more when they heard Lucky moan from his room, and Tom
immediately rushed inside.
"Uuuhhhhnnnnn...son of a bitch! Ow...geez, my head
hurts. What the hell happened?" Lucky said to himself as he gingerly felt the
bandages on his head while wincing in pain. When he opened his eyes, he saw his
Dad come into the room followed by the others. His eyes began to fill
immediately, and his tears began to slide down the sides of his face as they
gathered close around his bed.
"Where am I? What happened to me,
Dad?" He said in a choked voice as he gently touched the bandages again.
"Ow geez, everything hurts so bad
Dad."
"You are in the hospital. There was
an explosion and you were hurt, but Dr. Todd
said that you are going to be fine." Tom said to
him as he gently squeezed his small hand while Lucky had to turn his head to
the side in order to hear them clearly. Hearing this brought back everything to
Lucky, and he remembered about the news story he found also.
"The car! Officer
Michaels told me to run, but it blew up
before I could get back inside, is that how I hurt my head?" Lucky asked as he
continued to feel the bandage gingerly on his head.
"Yes son; there was a bomb under
the car, and when it blew up, it sent metal pieces flying in all directions. Officer
Michael's was able to shield you from most
of the pieces, but some still hit both of you. You were hit and cut on your
head, shoulder; both of your legs, and the doctor had to remove a big piece of
metal from your butt too." Tom told him while he
gently wiped the tears away from Lucky's angelic face, and Lucky reached up and
did the same to Tom as a single tear slipped
down his face.
"Don't cry Daddy, please? I won't
cry if you won't," Lucky said to him softly, and Tom
just leaned over and gave him a small peck on his lips before nodding his head.
"Is Mr.
Michaels going to be ok? He saved me cause he
saw it as we opened the door, and made me run. I hope he isn't hurt real bad."
"He was hurt more than you laddie
because he used himself to shield you from the explosion. He was seriously hurt, but he be a tough one,
and will be fine after a few months rest. Now don't you be blaming yourself, or
feeling sorry for yourself either, because it is our job to protect people,
even if it means giving up our lives to do so." Jerry
told him while John and the rest of them all
agreed with him.
"That's true Lucky, and it's one of
the reasons I want to be a cop too. It is one of the risks that come with being
a cop," Junior told him as he squeezed Lucky's left hand and smiled at him.
However, seeing Junior reminded Lucky of the article that he had found.
"Junior! Where's my book bag?
It has all of my notes in it. Where is it Dad?" Lucky asked him urgently as he
struggled up into a sitting position. However, as soon as he sat up, he became
light headed and dizzy again, while the throbbing pain in his head became
severe.
"Don't worry about school right now
son. We will have tutors help you until we can all go home." Tom
said to him, but he could see that Lucky was not listening to him as he
struggled to keep from passing out again.
"No Dad...it's really...important. It
is...about Seth. I put it in my book bag. Please?"
He said as he put his hand on his head before collapsing back onto the bed, but
Tom caught hold of him as he slumped backwards,
and gently lowered him back down onto the pillow. Lucky had his eyes screwed
shut tightly as he winced from the hammering pain inside his head, but as soon
as he was lying down flat again his dizziness and the pain began to go away
again.
"It's in our car Dad, I'll go get
it." Junior said to Jerry before leaving the
room with Gary
right behind him. While he was gone, Jerry and John
were able to get Lucky's statement as to what happened once his dizzy spell had
passed, and it pretty much matched the same statement given to them by Officer
Michaels. Then Junior was back with the
school backpack and handed it to him. Lucky quickly dug through it and
retrieved the article about the U.N. Ambassador assassination.
"I found this today by accident
Dad, and I was going to ask you if you could take me to the big library so I
could find a color picture before telling you. After what happened though, I
think you should see it now." Lucky said to them as he winced in pain while
handing the article to Tom.
"I remember this, but what has Seth
got to do with this?" Tom asked as he passed the
article to John.
"It's the picture Dad. Look at it
good, the boy in the picture, it's Seth!
That's him in the picture, I just know it is." Lucky told him as he gingerly
touched the bandage covering the back of his head again. Jerry,
John, and Tom
examined the photo carefully, and the ambassador's young son looked exactly
like Seth except for the boy's straight platinum
blond hair that was almost down to his shoulders.
"They do look similar, but if I
remember right, this boy had really blond hair that was even lighter than yours
Lucky. He was also killed along with the rest of his family in 1991." John
told him with a little skepticism.
"No, he wasn't Uncle John cause
that`s Seth. They said that they believed he was killed, and that they assumed
they found his body several months later. They said that the bomb blast must
have thrown him, and fatally injured him. It also said that he must have
survived the blast, and managed to drag himself to where he was found before he
died, but are they really sure that it was him and not some other kid?" Lucky
asked him, and then he looked over at Junior.
"Junior, tell them what we saw the
other day when we visited Seth." He said to him,
and Junior frowned for a few moments until he remembered, and then his face
changed as everything fell into place.
"May I see that Uncle
John?" He asked, then John
handed him the article, and he carefully examined it for a moment before
smiling.
"Oh my God, it is him! Lucky, you
found the needle in the haystack. It's Seth all
right." Junior said with a big grin as he looked at the others.
"When we saw Seth
on Saturday, both Lucky and I noticed it. Seth's
hair and eyebrows are all starting to turn almost white at the roots while the
rest of his hair is still brown. Then Lucky remembered that Mrs.
Robinson used to color Seth's
hair all of the time when he lived there with them. He said that she would only
color it dark brown, and after a few weeks, that Seth's
hair would begin to lighten up again."
"Then she would dye his hair again.
Once she forgot to do his eyebrows, and it was funny because he had real blond
eyebrows with dark brown hair. Normally, it's the opposite with someone having
blond hair and dark eyebrows." Lucky added with a slight grimace because his
whole body was sore, and he shifted a little until he was more comfortable
before continuing.
"I remember when Jake
told me that Seth had platinum blond hair and
eyebrows when he first came to live there cause he
used to tease Seth by calling him an Albino.
Then he said that someone was interested in Seth,
but he wanted Seth's hair brown, and I thought
that was really weird because why would someone
wanting to adopt Seth would want to change the
color of his hair. That was before I knew what they were doing though, and
before I ran away Dad. Mrs. Robinson
told me that she was going to dye my hair brown too right before I ran away. That's why I know that is Seth
in that picture Dad. If it took seven months to find the body out in the woods,
then all that would have been left would just be the bones, so how do they know
that the bones they found are really from that boy, and the boy in that picture
is not Seth?" Lucky asked them after explaining
everything. Then he winced as a sharp pain went through his buttock and down
his legs before a heart-wrenching whine escaped from him.
"Ow, geez Dad.
Everything hurts so much. My head really hurts, and so does my butt too."
"I know son, just try to lay still
while I ask the nurse for some medication for the pain. Dr.
Todd had to put a lot of
stitches in your legs, head, shoulder, and butt too. Just relax for a few
moments, and we will be right back. Junior will stay here with you while I go
talk to the nurse." Tom said before asking the
others to join him out in the hall.
"I'm sorry John,
but I don't think we should pursue this right now. If he goes and tells Seth
about this and gets his hopes up and it turns out to be wrong, it could have
some serious affects on Seth."
"But what if he is right Tom?"
Jerry asked him.
"Your son is a very smart lad, and
he was right about the police finding nothing but bones, and the child was too
young still to have any identifiable dental work done. There was some hair along
with enough bone marrow found with the bones to allow them to match the body's
blood type to the Ambassador's son only, but not enough for a DNA
profile at the time. However, the technology is much better today than it was
five years ago. That means that Lucky may have really stumbled upon the needle
in a haystack because he could be right about this. We need to check it out Tom."
"Look guys, why don't you look into
this story here, and talk with that lady from the University who is helping
identify the bodies. Jeanne, you used to do hair
right?" Sara asked and Jeanne
nodded.
"Let's go see Seth,
and bring some coloring kits for his hair. If his hair has been dyed, then we
should be able to change it back to its true color."
"She's right Tom.
Jerry and I will put our heads together with Juan
and see what we can find out, and if this turns out to be true, then all of us
owe your son a huge debt." John told him as he
continued to look at the grainy picture. Then he looked at Sara
and said.
"Todd
said that he was going to have Seth transferred
over to Ari and Simon's room because he is well
enough to leave the pediatric critical care unit now at Bayside. However, for
now, I want you, Jeanne, and Junior to stay here
with Tom and Lucky. Gary
will be in charge of the security detail, and tomorrow we can arrange for
security details to accompany all of you home to collect everything that you
need for at least two weeks. Todd also said that
he would set up these last two rooms for us to use until we can get all of the
security teams in place. If you need something from home, let Gary
know and he can arrange for someone to go get it for you. Right now, Jerry
and I are going to check on Officer Michaels,
and then run this by Chief Smith
and Juan."
"That will be fine with me, but please;
don't say anything to Seth unless we are sure
because he has enough problems with his memory already." Tom
told them before asking the nurse if she could give Lucky something for his
pain, and she said that Todd had left orders to
give Lucky Toradol shots for his pain. She told Tom
that she would be right back with the shot, and excused herself before leaving
for the drug locker behind the Nurse's station.
End of Chapter 2
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