Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2015 14:50:55 -0400 From: Eff Del Subject: Green Grow the Rushes O- Chapter 13 *Green Grow the Rushes O- Chapter 13* *By Eff Del* Nolitimere156@gmail.com *It is really rather foolish to worry all that much about survival.* *We know for a fact, that nobody actually every survives, some just manage to escape situations but no one really survives this life.* *Worrying about survival is a complete waste of time. What matters is living life itself and the quality of that living for however long we can sustain it. In truth, that makes us no different than the Mayfly...just many days more fortunate.* He was looking at me with a very kind scowl but it was a scowl non-the-less. "Damnit Eric! When I was teaching you to drive all those years ago, what did I tell you about animals that step onto the road?" "Don't swerve even if that means you'll hit them Walter, but this was a deer and I was in a little sports car." "You had brakes, you had airbags and you'd have still been on the road not over the edge." "Leave him alone now Walter, he feels bad enough. With everything he's got to leave behind and all that good work undone. I'm quite certain that Eric feels horrible. Don't you dearest?" "Yes Mom, I really do. What's going to happen to all those kids...what's going to happen to Sean and Jack now? Who's going to take care of them?" She smiled and rubbed my cheek gently. "You will of course Eric. That's your job and you're going to do it." "Dad?" "Who else Eric? Son we've all fucked up and we pay a price for it every time. Hell junior, my biggest fuck up was not paying attention on the hill that day. Certainly it was fast, but if I'd been looking and seen it coming, I could have gotten us out of the way of that truck. That didn't happen though and we left you so devastated and so lonely. There was nothing your Mother and I could do, but Kyle was young enough that he could reach into your subconscious and it seems he really was able to help. You really have turned your life around and Mom and I are so proud of what you're accomplishing with the Great Game and with your family." "I wish I could hold those two boys of yours and be their Grandmother even for a little while Eric. I think they'd like me." "I think they would too Mom." "I really like little Sean Eric. We spent some time together during his bad time up north but I took care of him." "T-thanks Squirt. He told me that and I believed him. Kyle, do you sometimes hang around the cave on Hawke's Hill?" "Silly big Bro'...I kissed you there awhile back didn't I?" I smiled remembering that time with Sean. "Yeah Kyle. Yeah you did." "Eric, we haven't crossed over yet and we won't until we're certain that you're all right." "Thanks Dad. That's good to know." "We've just taken advantage of this opportunity to tell you that we love you and that we're proud of you and what you're becoming. Be peaceful Son." He kissed me. "Thanks Dad." I love you son continue to prosper in love." "Thanks Mom" I whispered as she kissed me as well. "Eric, I always regarded you as a son and I'm so proud of your development and growth." I felt his lips brush my cheek. "Thanks Walter. We really miss you." "We've already had this conversation Big Brother. Mom and Dad and Walter will probably cross over in a few years when we're all comfortable that you're safe but I'm hanging around until it's your time and we'll cross over together." I smiled bitterly. "Kyle I've got two other boys in my life now. What about them?" He giggled his crystal clear Kyle trademark laugh. "Silly, on this side of the line, time is meaningless. We'll just wait for them and then the four of us will cross over together. The universe has been there for a very long time Eric, it will wait another eighty or ninety years at least I suspect." He leaned in and kissed me tenderly. It was a chaste kiss like we'd always exchanged but warm and loving non-the-less. I looked at them and my eyes misted over. "If it wasn't for Sean and Jack, I'd just want to cross over with all of you right now. I love you all so much but I can't...I just can't." "We understand that son and we're proud of you and we're proud of our two adopted grandsons. We're just sad they never got to know us. Walter was lucky in that regard." "Maybe Dad, but it cost him his life." "Don't you suspect that was a better way to go than being blindsided by a run-away semi?" "You'd better believe that. Those boys were like my own grandkids. It wasn't a long time, but it was a great time. Thanks for that Eric." "You're welcome but, it was their pleasure Walter." "You have to go now Eric. I predict you have a very happy life ahead of you." Everything turned dark and there was complete silence. Momentarily, my brain felt as if it were a computer booting up. Strange sounds and miniscule lights flashing in random patterns filled my senses I actually felt as though I were tingling and twitching and then...everything dispersed into a neutral grey. I was conscious through this experience and wondered what was going on. Just before I began to panic, light entered my consciousness and then color and finally, (though gradually) focus. "Crash Tucker...terror of the open road! You certainly know how to welcome a guy back home don't you?" It was John and he was looking down at me with a very phony smile and concern all over his face. "Did you have a good time John?" "Now's not the time to talk about that Eric. What the hell happened?" "A deer." "A deer?" "Yes I was distracted and a fuckin' deer stepped out right in front of me and I forgot all of my training and I swerved. I was certain that I was dead." "Well, I don't know if you believe in divine protection or not but Eric, I've been out to the accident site supervising the recovery of the Jag... if you'd have swerved off the road about twenty yards sooner or twenty yards later, you'd have taken at least a hundred foot dive. As it is, you found one fine spot with a gentle rolling incline instead of a steep drop. You came to a rest smashing into some barrel palms. For chrizzakes, you didn't even total your car." "Did I break anything?" "Besides your car? No. Though you've been out with a concussion for a few days and even now, you still have two beautiful black eyes. How you didn't break your nose I'll never know." "Are you and Jenny OK?" "Yeah, Eric...your kindness to my parents...I don't know how to..." "You of all people should know to shut up about that John unless you don't think it's a good thing? I never thought to ask you about that I was just so taken by your parents...I" "Oh, it's a good thing I'm just so touched I...I..." "Don't be a jerk John. By the way I'm really glad to have you back." He smiled "Anyway Richard is outside and he'll have more information for you. For the new guy on the job, you've really kept him busy haven't you?" He patted my shoulder and left. Richard entered moments later with a tablet in his hand and a relatively calm demeanor. "I'm thinking of using my authority which you can't over-ride by the way, to make certain you never drive again." "That's for later Richard, tell me what you know I want to hear." He nodded. "Jack is alive and on his way home right now. We had a bit of a struggle with the Canadian Coast Guard who wanted to transport all of the survivors to Medical Facilities in the Maritimes...I'm not going to make a comment in that regard other than to say that we wanted Jack home. We used some phony credentials and documents and uniforms and...well. All you really need to know is that he's on a Skuggor medical transport and he'll be here about nine o'clock tonight. He'll probably need a couple of days of hydration so the medical staff will stay here with him. Daniel has already helped us set up a special room in the residence away from any noise. I'm told he'll need hydration and rest and he should be fine. You need to know that Jack like every other survivor of the disaster is terrified from this experience so I expect gentle contact is most important. They were on a research ship that was knocked on its side and barely escaped in life rafts that they didn't know how to use and spent four days on a rough and wild ocean exposed to the elements not knowing what was going to happen to them. So, contact with him should be minimal and gentle Eric." "Is that the official report?" I asked. "Yes Eric." "Goddam it Richard! This is Jack we're talking about! Sure he's going to need to be hydrated; no doubt but afraid and timid and all that shit? He's gonna want to see Sean...he's gonna want to see me and he's gonna want to see YOU and he's gonna want to see Martha. Move him into that special room but make certain that some well-meaning Skuggor medic doesn't try to get in my way." "Yes Boss." "You were doing your job Richard and I appreciate that." He grinned. "Thanks Boss." "Now, where's Sean?" "Right here Eric. He's on the estate." "So I'm not in some fucking hospital...I'm in my own house?" "Yes sir, it seems in your father's day half of the east wing second floor was converted into an emergency infirmary. It was state of the art then and it is up dated on a regular basis." "Christ! Maybe I should walk all around my own house some time eh?" Richard smiled. "Well, it is a big house." "I wonder what the hell else is going on here that I don't know about...a Casino? A bordello? I'm sorry Richard. I'm just stressed. Oh now, as to my driving, you issue that restriction and it will be the last command order that you give." He smiled softly. "Somehow I knew that would be the case but a few of us would still like to talk to you." I was angry but I also gathered myself together. "Fine. Set it up after I'm out of this bed. Now though, I'd like to see my little son." His eyes were tearless but obviously moist as he walked to my bedside. He bent over me on the bed and lay his little head upon my chest and suddenly began to sob. I ran my hand down his shoulder and arm and over his back but he just continued to cry. Finally he looked up at me and sobbed; "You coulda been killed. You'da been dead and who woulda loved me in this whole world?" "Sean I'm still here and I love you in this whole world." "Dad. Please don't never scare me like this again." "Sean it was really an accident and accidents happen no matter how careful you are little man. Though I'll admit in this case I wasn't careful as I should have been. You can't stop living just because you're afraid of accidents. I promise you that while I may look hideous with my two black eyes, that I'm perfectly fine. The best news is...has anybody told you...Jack arrives tonight." "Really?" His face lit up and his eyes grew wide. "Yep, he'll be here around ten o: clock but I don't suspect we'll go see him until in the morning. "Dad, Mr. Gary was right. You gotta have faith and I had faith that Jack was gonna come home and now he is!" I blinked my eyes and wondered to myself if it really was that simple. Could simply believing in something actually make it happen. We chatted briefly about how happy we would be to see Jack and the logistics of the next few days. "So, for a while, Arlen is going to take you and Spider to your practice. They want me to have bedrest but I will certainly be there for your first game next week. I'm pretty certain so will Jack." His dazzling smile warmed my heart. "I wish you would promise never to scare me like this again Dad." "Well Sean, I can certainly promise that I don't intend to ever do it on purpose my sweet boy." "Also Dad, I wouldn't be plannin' on havin' any family photos taken anytime soon...unless you're planning on changin' our last names from `Tucker' to `Raccoon'. His eyes got wide. "Holy guacamole...I wonder if you'll be looking better for my birthday!" His grin was ear to ear as he leaned over and kissed me before he left the room. ************ "Dammit! I will NOT be forced to negotiate my behavior in my own house!" The four stone-faced men in grey Skuggor medical scrubs standing at my bedside didn't even blink. Richard had come to tell me that Jack was now in the residence and was being set up in his special room. I told him to get someone to come in and remove my IV so that I could go and see him and shortly, these four sour pusses had entered the room. I repeated my request and was told that wasn't going to happen. I was flabbergasted. "You're all Skuggor aren't you?" They nodded affirmatively. "My call designation is; `Launcelot'. Do you understand that significance?" They all nodded and one spoke; "Yes Sir, you are the Ultimate Commander." "Well then dammit...get this needle out of my arm so I can go see my son." "Sir, the safety of `Launcelot' is of prime importance to every Skuggor and so, you cannot order us to jeopardize your safety." "Guys, my son was lost at sea for five or six days. He's just been brought home. I only want to see him...I don't want to be weightlifting or playing football with him." "We understand and we're sympathetic so, this is what we propose; Your son is in a room in this very wing though not on this floor. The IV will remain in place, one of us will move it with you. You will be transported to and from your son's room in a wheelchair." "A WHEELCHAIR! I didn't break my leg...I broke my goddamned Jaguar! I'm not riding in any wheelchair." They looked at each other, nodded and turned to leave. "Wait!" They turned back. "OK but Richard pushes the wheelchair not one of you guys." "Richard pushing the wheelchair is quite acceptable Sir." Shortly, Richard, with a devilish smile on his face entered the room pushing a wheelchair up to my bedside. As two of my stone-faced wardens `helped' me out of bed and into the chair, I realized that all I was wearing was a hospital gown. I was about to tell Richard to have Daniel bring me some pajamas when I suddenly realized that I didn't own any pajamas and hadn't since I was ten. I quickly decided that some sweatpants and tee shirts would do fine. I'd speak to Daniel myself in the morning. As my IV tube was being adjusted for mobility, I suddenly realized the Richard was softly but happily singing; `Swing Low, Sweet Chariot'. "You're certainly finding a great deal of humor in this predicament Richard if you don't mind me saying so." He leaned over and spoke softly into my ear; "Boss, after what you just put everybody that loves you through by your stupid carelessness, you've got every bit of this coming so don't you go pouting or complaining to me. Trust me, once the Docs release you, there's a whole bunch of people who want to tear you a new asshole." That certainly shut me up and I sat completely mollified as one of the attendants wheeled the IV Bag Tree in perfect pace with the wheelchair as Richard gleefully sang `Maybelleen'. I knew that in his private mind he was cackling at my discomfort. **************************** The grey clad Doctor sitting outside the door to Jack's room stood up and smiled softly. "John is sleeping. We administered a sedative shortly after we got him into the bed." "Jack." "Overall, he is remarkably well and we're going to do a complete physical..." "Jack." "...on him tomorrow but...eh? Excuse me?" "Jack. His name is Jack. He's never been called John in his life. I doubt if he would instinctively answer to it." The Doctor looked a bit disturbed. "I see. Well I certainly wish we had been informed of that. I'll make certain that the staff is notified. I know that he'll be much more comfortable being addressed in a familiar manner. As I was saying though, he's sleeping and I'd be grateful if you tried not to wake him up. I know that all you want to do this evening is look at him just for personal reassurance so I'd like to tell you that you'll find him with an IV insert just as you have. You will also notice a very large bruise from the right side of his forehead to his temple; the result no doubt of some blunt force issue. Our preliminary tests show no indication of concussion or damage to the skull. What you won't see tonight are the numerous other bruises and contusions in other spots on his body. The ocean worked them all over pretty good. That was my rather long-winded way of telling you that john...Jack is going to look a lot worse than he is...not unlike yourself if I may say so Sir." I turned to the stone-faced Medico that was my IV bearer and waged an index finger at him. "Now you see...THAT is how a Doctor is SUPPOSED to talk to people." Turning back I said to the Doctor attending Jack; "Thank you Doctor, that was very kind of you. May I see him now?" He smiled and opened the door. By Joyous Gaurde standards, it was a normal bedroom and he was in a regular bed. The overhead light was dim but there was enough illumination to see him clearly. He looked so little and so peaceful. The Doctor was right. The bruise on his forehead appeared horrible but the serenity on his face gave mute assurance that it wasn't a concern. I smiled at the wispy stubble of red hair on his chin and under his lips...his sailor's whiskers. I'll be interested in seeing how long Sean lets those remain. One long fingered hand was on top of his blanket and I stroked it softly. I saw his eyelids flicker so I quickly pulled back my hand. I blinked a two large heavy tears dropped from my eyes. I looked up at Richard and his eyes were moist as well. "Let's go. We can visit with him tomorrow." As we approached my room, I looked back to Richard; "Would you ask Daniel to retrieve a couple of pair of underwear, a couple of pair of sweat pants and a few tee shirts from my room and have them brought up with my breakfast tray?" "Will do Boss. Sleep well." The four stone-faces helped me into bed and moved the wheel chair into a corner. ************************** In the morning, I was startled when the door opened and in Walked Daniel pushing my breakfast cart and behind him was Martha. She stormed right to my bedside and I could tell she hadn't come to sing me a sweet good morning song. "Eric Arthur Tucker what has gotten into you? Saying nothing about your stupid carless selfish stunt of driving fast along a mountain road when you know that you're so distracted you shouldn't have been driving at all...we'll talk about that later...BUT last night you were rude and insulting to four men of medicine who have been working night and day to save your life. Behavior like that makes me wonder if you didn't damage your brain in the accident!" "But Martha, they..." "They what? They refused to do something that was not medically safe? They refused to give-in to you even when you tried to pull rank? They ignored your childish tantrum and yet managed to provide you with a safe solution and you were able to see Jack anyway?" "Martha...I..." "Don't `Martha' me! This is a very big house Eric but it doesn't hold secrets well and the walls have ears. Even all those years you were so drunk and sick, I'd don't think I was ever as ashamed of you as I am right now!" She was beet red and she bent over and kissed me smack on the lips. "I'm so DAMNED glad that you didn't get yourself killed!" She turned and stormed out of the room. I sat up in the bed blinking wandering what the hell had just happened here. "Daniel, it's turning out that that mountain run in the Red Cat was the worst drive I've ever taken and aside from the beer I had with my burger at Deegans, I hadn't had a sip of alcohol that day." "Trust me Eric, there's more shit going to hit your fan over that drive. It's only begun." I looked up at the big man. "You too Daniel?" He nodded. "Practically everybody. Martha's just used last night's tiff with the doctors as a trigger for her venting. Sean's downstairs in the kitchen wanting to know if he can go see Jack or if he should wait for you." I thought for a moment and then decided that I didn't think there could be anything Jack would love to see this morning than Sean. "No, Daniel. I believe a visit from Sean is just what Jack would like. Just tell him not to be too rambunctious oh...and warn him that Jack's got a big bruise on his forehead." "Will do. I'll come back later for your cart." "Thanks Daniel and would you ask Richard to meet me up here in about an hour?" Taking the cover off my plate I saw that Martha had lovingly crafted me a cheese and ham omelet with strawberries and cantaloupe slices and a half-dozen pieces of toast that had been cut into heart shapes. I poured a cup of coffee from the carafe took a sip and then tore into my eggs. (To be continued) ********************************** Thank you, thank you thank you everyone who's written and provided feedback. It's so gratifying and so very encouraging and I know that I'm speaking for every writer on this forum. I want to publically thank Sam T for providing the inspiration for part of this chapter. It felt right as soon as you said it Sam. Sam is also working with me (because I'm a techno-moron) on an easy way to make those spreadsheets available to you. I created this world and I've got to refer to them almost every chapter. Also...don't forget to make a contribution to NIFTY. NIFTY gets cash or this forum is trash.