Bob nervously knocked on the door and stepped back. He looked at his watch; it was almost 5 AM and the sun was rising. He glanced back to the Volkswagen behind him but didn't say anything. After a while, the door was opened and Martin Brody looked at him in surprise.
"Robert? What are you doing here this early morning? Something wrong?"
Bob grimaced and took off his hat. "Sorry to bother you, Chief. But we need help." Martin looked behind the boy and saw Polo climbed out from the car with Tina in his arms. Larry walked behind them, and he was swaying.
"Shit." He immediately approached the kids. "Ellen! Come down here!"
Martin watched the three boys in his living room, being wrapped by blankets while their feet were soaked in buckets of hot water. Bob's teeth were chattering and he wrapped his body tighter with his blanket. Polo glanced to Larry who closed his eyes; it was obvious that Larry was still drunk and Martin looked at him with his brows furrowed.
Michael walked from the kitchen carrying a tray of hot cocoa for his friends and dad, and he put them on the coffee table. Ellen appeared and put some dry clothes in front of them. Their wet clothes were already in the hamper.
"Are those my clothes?" Michael asked. Ellen rolled her eyes and Michael just exhaled. "Be my guess, guys. Please, wear my clothes and drink our chocolates!"
"Mike." Martin chided his son.
"We're sorry, chief. We didn't know where else to go…" Polo said apologetically. "Your house is closer."
"What happened to her? I'm going to call a doctor and her parents." Martin paused. "And maybe your parents too."
"Mom and dad are in the mainland for a week… Just me and my older sister." Polo muttered.
"I don't think you should make my nana worried." Bob chimed in. His teeth were still chattering. Bob's parents died when he was younger. He had been living with his grandmother ever since he was a little boy.
Martin looked at sleepy Larry. He snapped his fingers in front of him, "And you? What's your excuse?"
"The mayor can kiss my grits." Larry quipped. Polo smacked him on the head and Larry grunted. Martin and Michael just looked at him warily. "Do whatever the hell you want. Call my dad, I don't care." He slurred.
"Watch your tongue there, kid." Martin warned Larry and stood up. "Honey, can you make that hangover cure for this dumbass? I need to call Vaughn, Tina's parents, and a doctor." He walked into the dining room.
"Sure." Ellen nodded and sighed. She mussed the boys' hair softly and then kissed Michael's head before walked into the kitchen.
The boys fell into uncomfortable silent. Michael rubbed his eyes tiredly and plopped himself to the arm chair while his friends were still sitting on the couch without their clothes on. "Jeez, guys. What a way to start a day. What happened?"
"We told you; Tina was drowning, we saved her." Polo answered.
"It was Polo who saved her, actually. I didn't do anything." Bob shrugged.
"Don't do that." Polo said to Bob.
"Do what?"
"Being all humble and all."
"I'M NOT!" He sternly said. Michael raised his eyebrow but didn't say anything. Bob looked miserable, and Polo looked tired. Larry looked subdued, which was weird to everyone.
"What the hell happened?" Michael asked again.
Polo and Bob were about to make up some lies, but Larry already blurted. "She was trying to kill herself."
Another uncomfortable silent fell into the room.
Michael sighed and ran his hand through his feather hair. "Shit."
"MOM! Mike is swearing!" Sean suddenly popped in the room. He was wearing pajamas and was holding a car toy. "And there's a girl on Mike's bed!"
"The only time he will have a girl on his bed." Larry muttered, which made Polo smacked him on the head again. Michael, who was used to Larry's rudeness, didn't comment. He knew Larry was angry about… everything. He lashed out most of the time, and it was a good idea just to let him be. Michael wasn't afraid of him, but it wasn't his place to kick his ass in his father's house. Maybe he would punch him when he was sober.
"Did you guys know why she wanted to… kill herself?" Michael asked quietly. He glanced to the dining room. He could hear his dad was talking on the phone.
"She said something about Eddie." Larry bitterly said. "She misses him."
Michael nodded in understanding and looked at the ceiling. His room was above the living room. He stood up and climbed the stairs. They shouldn't leave her alone if she was going to kill herself. He walked to his room and slowly opened the door. He saw a blonde girl, wearing his mother's clothes, on his bed, sleeping like a baby. On the bedside table, there was a glass of water and a bottle of sleeping pills. His mother probably gave it to her.
He sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. He stroked her head carefully. Tina stirred a little but still sleeping. She mumbled, "Eddie…"
"Here, drink this." Ellen gave a glass of Prairie Oyster to the boy in front of her.
Bob made a face when Ellen gave it to Larry. "Is that… raw egg?"
"With some hot sauce, salt, black pepper, and Worcester sauce." She smirked. "Drink it." Larry just looked at her in horror. "It will help you with your hangover."
Larry held the glass and he glanced to his friends. Polo and Bob grimaced watching him. He sighed and then gulped the ingredients. He made a gag sound but he didn't want to hurl in front of the former sheriff's wife and made a mess of her living room. Martin Brody might not be a sheriff anymore, but he still carried guns.
"Good boy. I'll make some breakfast for you all." Ellen tapped Larry's head and walked back to the kitchen. "Lots of GREASY bacons and scrambled eggs!" She taunted him while Larry just closed his eyes, nauseous with the image of breakfast. "I also gonna make you a pot of black coffee. That will wake you up!"
Sean was drinking Larry's hot chocolate, because it was obvious Larry didn't want one. Sean looked at the older boys curiously. He was going to make a comment or something when Larry cut him off. "Please, Sean. Don't make a sound. I know you."
"I haven't said anything!"
"Listen, kid. I'm gonna spank you to oblivion if you're bothering us." Larry made an empty threat.
"Leave the kid alone." Polo muttered.
"Mike always said the same thing, but he never actually done anything." Sean shook his head. He walked to the kitchen and sat at the kitchen table, watching his mother cooking breakfast.
Polo, Larry, and Bob were left alone in the living room. They were sitting together in the couch, while their feet were soaked in hot water. The teenagers were left by their own thoughts. Bob was thinking how the hell he'd get back home. Polo was too tired to drive – would Michael and chief Brody take them home? Larry definitely didn't want to go home.
Twenty minutes later, after checking up to Tina and Michael, and then talking to his wife in the kitchen, Martin walked back into the living room and sat on the loveseat. "I called the doctor, and he's on his way. I also called Tina's parents. They will be here soon. Apparently they didn't know that she ran away from home. Did you know anything about this?" He interrogated the boys. They shook their head slowly. "Okay. And I also called your dad." He stared at Larry. "He said that you were at the bar near the boardwalk. Is that true?" Larry nodded slowly. Martin sighed and rolled his eyes. "We'll talk about that soon. But right now I want to know what happened. And don't lie to me, because I will know." He looked at them pointedly. The boys didn't want to put Tina in the spotlight, so they were silent for a while. "Robert!"
Bob startled when Martin suddenly yelled at him. "She was going to kill herself!"
Both Polo and Larry groaned in unison. Polo smacked Bob's head. "Shut up."
"What?" Martin was shocked. "Tell me what happened!"
Bob stammered for a while, and then he gave up. "Mrs. Vaughn told us to pick Larry and bring him home. When we were on the way, Larry had a car sick so we stopped – you know, near that old house where Mr. Finch used to live? And then we saw Tina… walked into the water. She was drowning, but Polo –" He gestured to his friend who had his head lowered. "– saved her. And… here we are." He shrugged and wrapped himself more tightly with the blanket.
"Shit."
"Mom! Dad is swearing!"
"Be quiet, Sean!" Martin yelled. He could hear Ellen scolded her youngest son in the kitchen. "How do you know that she was going to kill herself?"
"She said something about Eddie… how much she wanted to see him again." Larry muttered.
Martin realized that the teenagers were really having tough times after that horrible event. His youngest son always crying in the middle of the night, remembering what happened. Michael walked around like a zombie most of the time. Whenever he wanted to have conversation with his oldest son, he just shrugged and not really in the mood to talk. He thought that he had it difficult; facing the Great White shark, twice in his life. He saw the terror and blood, which would last forever in his mind. But he got over it most of the time. He was the adult here – he had to protect his family, so he didn't have time to mourn everything.
But these kids… they were just kids.
Some of them probably legally adults, but they were still kids…
He heard gossips about Tina Wilcox who walked around the town like she was a crazy cat lady. She didn't have the coping mechanism like he had.
"Damn it." Martin muttered and stood up. Everyone could hear several cars were pulling to the front-yard. He went to the front porch and greeted the guests. "Mr. and Mrs. Wilcox… your daughter is fine, but I already called a doctor just in case." Everyone could hear Mrs. Wilcox's sob as Martin explained what happened. "Vaughn… your son is here too. He's fine. Thank the lucky stars."