The Siege Of Dawson Junior High.
In the light of recent events I must point out that this story is not intended to offend or disturb any of you who may have experienced a situation such as is described here. This is only for entertainment purposes and is only the work of fiction although perhaps based on real life events. I hope that some of you will enjoy it and pass on any comments you might have.
It began as just a normal and routine day at the school. Susan Blake had been teaching at Dawson Junior High for some eight years and she taught the 9th graders American History and Maths. Being in charge of a bunch of rebellious fourteen year olds was not a job she altogether relished. Joey Paterson in particular was a hard kid to keep under control and if there was any trouble in class he was normally the ringleader. She knew that he was a bright boy and it was too bad he never gave one hundred per cent to his lessons. He just liked to disrupt the class and make smart ass remarks. If the truth be known she really didn't like him a whole lot. However, the events that were about to unfold later that day would make her see young Joey and others, including herself, in a whole new light.
It was twelve noon and time for the school lunch break. All of the students were in the school cafeteria and the teachers were in their respective quarters. Since it was a free period Joey Paterson and his best friend Mark Wilson decided to spend some time in the gym to work on some exercises attired in gym shorts and shirt. Joey was climbing the rope and managed to get three quarters of the way up before deciding to come down again.
"That was pretty good, buddy!" his friend observed.
Joey grinned, never one to accept second best. "It was okay but I know I can go all the way to the top. Let's take five and then I'll try again."
Meanwhile in the large common room where the school staff gathered during lunch Susan Blake sat opposite one of her fellow teachers. Jack Parker taught Science and Geography to the 8th grade students. As they drank coffee Jack enquired, "How did it go today, Susan? Any problems you can think of?"
"Just the usual, Jack!" she replied. "Teaching a bunch of kids going through puberty is never an easy task you know. Joey Paterson in particular is one boy who's quite a handful to say the least. Needs a good paddling if you ask me"
Parker nodded. "I agree. He can be such a pain in the ass that kid."
Susan grinned. "He's certainly that. A shame he doesn't apply himself more to his studies because he's really a clever boy. I think his problem is that he doesn't have a good home life. His father is out of work most of the time and an alcoholic. His mother died when he was quite young. It can't be easy growing up in a shabby apartment with a man who doesn't know how to be a father."
"I guess we are all the products of our environment but if Joey has no goal in life then the only one he can blame is himself." Jack then finished his coffee and stood up from his chair. "If you'll excuse me, dear, I have some work to catch up on. See you later." And so Susan remained at the table with her half finished cup of coffee, alone with her own thoughts.
Back at the gym Joey was about to climb the rope once again when both of the boys heard a sound outside the large swinging doors. Then the doors were pushed open and in came a man neither of them knew. He wasn't one of the teachers so they concluded he had broken into the school. He was wearing faded blue jeans and a grey shirt. In his hand he held a revolver. He eyed both fourteen year old boys with a look of malice.
"What do you want here?" Joey heard himself say. In his entire young life he had never experienced fear like this. He realised he was shaking.
"Shut your mouth, you little punk!" was all the man said. He then aimed the gun at both of them. "Who gets it first?" He fired a shot over the heads of both boys as if in warning of what was coming next. He then lowered the weapon and pointed it directly at Mark Wilson. The young teen stood petrified and motionless.
Joey called out to him, "Look out, Mark, he's gonna shoot!" He then ran towards his friend in the hope of saving him. He pushed the other youngster out of the path of the oncoming bullet with speed he never dreamed that he had. He then felt a searing pain in his right leg as the bullet hit him instead. Both of them were now lying together on the hard gymnasium floor.
They were certain they were both done for but their assailant seemed to loose interest in them and just ran back out through the doors much to their relief. Mark looked at his life long friend beside him and saw blood on the floor and on Joey's leg. He had taken a bullet that was intended for him. He could see the gaping wound on the other lad's upper right leg.
"That looks bad!" he said with a trembling voice. "Don't worry, Joey, someone will be coming soon and they'll patch you up."
"No, Mark, you have to go and get help!" the wounded boy told his friend. "They don't know we're here, we didn't tell any teacher." They could hear more gunshots in the distance. "They'll be too busy calling the cops and going after that crazy bastard. Just find a teacher, any teacher and bring him here."
So Mark Wilson ran out of the gym and down the hallway. He heard some people in the distance and the sounds seemed to be coming from the opposite direction. There was not a soul to be seen the way he was going. As he was about to turn back and follow the voices from the other side of the hall she saw Miss Susan Blake moving the same way he had been intending to go. He called out to her, "Miss Blake!"
Susan saw the 9th grade boy in gym shorts and shirt and trainers. He had obviously been in the gymnasium without notifying the principal or anyone else. From the look of him he was clearly shaken and distressed. She came over to him and placed both her hands on his shoulders. She stood just a little taller then him. She asked him, "Mark, what's wrong! I heard the sound of gunfire from the cafeteria and there were more shots from that direction. Did you see anything? Speak up, boy!"
The terrified youngster managed to tell her, "Miss, Joey got shot by this guy with a gun. I think he was trying to kill me but Joey got me out of the way. He got hit in the leg and I think he's hurt quite bad. Please help him."
So Susan took the boy's hand and he lead her back to the school gym where the gunman had first revealed himself. Over in the far corner of the large exercise room was Joey Paterson. As she came closer she could see the pained expression on his face and that he was bleeding quite badly due to a hole in his right thigh caused by a bullet and the bullet was still lodged in there.
"Whatever happened to you?" she asked him although she knew it was a stupid question and the boy couldn't answer her anyway because he was going into shock. She told Mark, "Give me your shirt. I'll need it to wrap around his leg and stop some of the bleeding but that bullet has to come out or it could get serious." Mark did as she ordered him without question. She tore the fabric into strips and wrapped it around the boy's injured leg several times so that it acted as a bandage.
"How are you gonna get that bullet out, ma'am?" Mark asked her.
Susan told him, "I can't do it here. He needs to be taken to the school infirmary. That's not too far from here. Should have some instruments there I can use. I'm no surgeon but I did some nursing years ago and I know enough to remove a bullet. I don't think he's in any condition to walk. I'll have to carry him."
"Let me help you, Miss Blake!" Mark pleaded with her.
"No, I need you to go ahead and be sure it's safe for us out there. You'll have to open the infirmary door too so you need your hands free. I can manage Joey on my own." She spoke soothingly to the boy now in her care and said, "Put your arms around my neck." Susan, a quite strong lady, then lifted the 120lb boy into her arms and began to carry him towards the gym doors and out into the hall with Mark leading the way to the infirmary.
"Don't worry, son, you'll be fine." She looked at the boy cradled in her arms and realised she didn't think of him as the cocky kid she had to suffer during her classes any longer, the kid who thought he had all the answers. Just now he had risked his own life to save his friend and now he needed medical help and she fully intended to see that he got it. There was nobody else in this part of the school.
Soon Mark opened the door of the school medical room where all the accident victims were treated and Susan entered carrying the wounded teenager. She placed him down on the large metal table. He had apparently slipped into unconsciousness now. Mark noticed the phone on a small desk by the window. "Shouldn't we call the principal or somebody, let them know we're all right?"
"No, that can wait!" she advised him. " Right now this boy needs attention. He may still need to go to hospital after for further treatment." She then addressed the lad lying motionless on the 'operating' table. "Now then, tiger, let's get that nasty bullet out." She searched the drawers under the table and found a long sharp pronged
instrument which could be used to remove the harmful bullet. She told Mark that he would have to assist her. She instructed him get some bandage and a reel of cotton fabric so she could sow up the wound in Joey's leg once the bullet was out.
The 'operation' was not nearly as difficult as she had thought it would be. Soon the bullet was out, she had stitched up the opening caused by it and then she had wrapped the boy's leg with medicated bandaging. Both Susan and her young assistant looked at Joey's still form on the table.
"He'll be all right won't he, Miss!" There was concern in Mark's voice.
"He'll be fine, just needs to rest." She gave the other boy a hug and informed him, "You did a good job. Now you watch your buddy while I make some calls."
While Mark stood watch over Joey their teacher spoke to the principal and other members of staff for several minutes. After she hung up she gave her curious student an update of the situation in the school. The principal, Mr Williams, was going to call Joey's father and tell him that his son had been shot but he was going to make a full recovery.
Susan went on, "It seems that the man you guys saw in the gym could be a former pupil of the school but they're not certain about that yet. There have been two other victims, a boy and a girl but I'm not sure yet how seriously they were wounded. Two police squad cars and two ambulances are outside the school grounds but they can't help the kids who got hurt until the gunman is apprehended. Two officers have him cornered in one of the classrooms so hopefully it should all be over soon. Lucky he only had a handgun that can only fire a few rounds or it might have been a whole lot worse."
"I'm sure glad Joey was there with me or I'd probably be dead for sure right now." Mark told her. "He's a real hero."
His female teacher smiled and replied, "He certainly is, kiddo! I always had him labelled as a bad boy but not any more."
Several hours later things were pretty much back to normal at the school. The man who had senselessly stormed the building had now given himself up and the injured students, including Joey, were taken to the local hospital. They were all soon out of danger and were discharged after a couple of days. It was decided that the school would close for the rest of the week in view of the events of that day.
When the school reopened again the children seemed to be more or less over their unpleasant encounter of the previous week and lessons resumed as always. Susan at once noted the change in Joey Paterson. He was so much more quiet and subdued and he was even polite to her. She could hardly believe it. Maybe sometimes things do happen for a reason she was thinking.
After classes had terminated for the day and she bade all her students farewell only Joey remained behind as she suspected he would. Something told her there was so much he wanted to say to her and she had some things to tell him also. He approached her desk and asked her, "Can we talk, Miss Blake?"
"Of course we can, Joey!" was her immediate response. "What's on your mind?"
"A lot of things I guess." The boy then told her the first thing he wanted to say. "I want to thank you what you did for me. I was out of it most of the time but Mark said how you got that bullet out. The doctor at the hospital told me I could have lost my leg if you hadn't. I want to say I'm sorry for acting up in class all the time and I'll try to do better from now on. I guess I did piss you off a lot of the time."
Susan replied, "Yes you did but let me tell you something. You are one brave kid. You proved that by being willing to save Mark's life at the cost of your own. I want to say I was wrong about you, you are not a bad kid at all."
"Not any more, ma'am." Joey then held out his hand and said, "I just want us to be friends, I sure hope we can be."
Susan then extended her own hand. "I'm willing to give it a shot if you are." The boy and the woman then shook hands. Susan was no longer resentful towards this youth. They then both embraced to confirm their new friendship. It was the beginning of a new chapter for each of them.