For the Children part 9
It was a domestic violence situation. They could hear people yelling and children crying as they pulled up to the curb. Vince was already there, trying to calm down the tenants of the apartment. "What's going on?" John asked Vince, but they both had to duck as a woman who was bleeding from cuts on her arms picked up a dish from the cupboard and deliberately threw it with all her might. Smash!
Roy grabbed the crying infant sitting in the high chair out of harm's way from the flying pieces of china, and John picked up the two year old who was sitting on the kitchen floor screeching "NO! NO! NO!" over and over. With the children in their arms, the paramedics couldn't take care of the woman.
A man they could only assume was her husband came back into the room just then, yelling at her about the paramedics and the police. The woman picked up several plates at once, and threw them at his head, causing all the men to duck. Vince called in for back up. John called to Roy over the sound of the yelling and shattering dishes, "We gotta find a safe place for these kids!"
Roy nodded, "Gotta be a crib or something around, you find it."
Johnny kicked open a bedroom door that was already ajar, and found a crib, so he called out to Roy. After Roy placed the baby on the mattress, John looked at him with his eyebrows raised. The toddler was clinging tightly to his neck, his face buried in Johnny's shoulder. "Stay here 'til we get this sorted or someone arrives who can take over," Roy answered Johnny's unspoken question. So John waited with the terrified two year old, and tried to comfort the crying baby at the same time, while Roy re-entered the fray in the kitchen with Vince.
What a relief it was when the sirens from the back up police squad were heard. As soon as he saw the patrolman in the doorway, Johnny handed off the child in his arms, and got himself to the kitchen where the real action was taking place. Broken glass and dishware littered the floor. Both the husband and wife were blossoming with bruises on the areas of their bodies that were visible. They were still in such a state of heightened adrenaline that their injuries weren't sinking in yet, and the woman kept trying to get swipes in at her husband, despite the best efforts of the men in the room to keep them apart. It reminded Johnny of a couple he and Roy had treated who had beaten each other to the point of needing surgery – all in the name of improving communication through 'fair fighting'. There was nothing 'fair' going on here; that was clear. And the children complicated matters – he hoped that social services would be taking them somewhere safe as soon as possible.
Roy had been in discussion with Rampart, and it was decided that for now the couple's wounds only needed to be treated superficially rather than at the hospital. Vince was just itching to get them to the police station and file several charges against them, including assault, disturbing the peace, endangering minor children…he'd probably have a few more by the time they arrived at their destination.
Roy and Johnny were very grateful when they were relieved of their responsibilities with the Jones family, for that was their name. In the squad the two men took a moment to compose themselves before letting Dispatch know they were available and starting the engine. Johnny stretched his neck, twisting it from side to side to get the kinks out after holding the children in his arms for so long, and said, "Keeping up the Jones'," in an exhausted voice. Roy looked at his friend with an involuntary grin, and then the two men burst out laughing. "Man oh man oh man. What a scene," said Johnny when he stopped laughing.
"Domestic bliss was never like this," countered Roy, and they drove away, chuckling. Without laughter, you just might have to cry at the stuff people lived every day.
The squad was a safe place – a predictable, dependable place – especially after some of the bad runs, and John and Roy often found themselves thinking and talking about life within its confines. Driving back to the station, Johnny couldn't help but review their day so far. A suicidal 9 year old and now a family with small children in full self destruction mode… "Say Roy, d'you want to swing by the hospital and check on the Raines kid before we head back?"
Roy thought for a moment. That whole incident had really gotten under his skin too, probably even more than for John, because he knew the family, and there was this undefined link to Chris and his changed behaviour. "Yeah. Let's do that. You call us 10-8 to Rampart. I wonder if his mother's still there?" said Roy.
John sighed and shook his head very slightly. It was a situation that wasn't yet resolved despite the child being seen by the best doctors available, and he wanted to find out all he could about it so he could help his friend, and his friend's son, who was as close to him as if he was his own flesh and blood…
When they got to Rampart, Brackett told them that he had admitted Kyle for a 30 day evaluation, and that his mother Sophie had gone home to get him some things he would need for his stay. "Wha'd'ya think, Doc? Can we visit?" asked John.
"I'd give it a couple of days, guys; he's pretty fragile right now."
Roy nodded. "I figured, but we just thought we'd check."
This time Kelly nodded, and then he sighed and his eyebrows drew together. "Say, Roy, would you mind coming into my office for a few minutes? I'd like to get some information from you since you know the boy…his mother suggested that you might have some insight into what is going on."
"I don't think so, but if it can help Kyle, I'll do what I can."
"D'you mind, John?"
"Naw, I can keep myself busy for a few minutes, no problem," Johnny replied. The other two men smiled. In the days before he was dating Jane they knew exactly how he would be keeping himself busy. Roy wondered idly if Johnny would fall back into his old habits if given half a chance as he followed Brackett into his office.
"Sit down, Roy." Kelly perched himself on the corner of his desk. "So, give me an overview – I know what happened today, but what led up to it? What's your take on this kid?"
"He's a good kid." Roy paused to collect his thoughts. "I've known him for about a year – since Chris, my son, started in Cub Scouts. Kyle is a year older but despite the difference in their ages, they're friends…well, friendly, anyway; y'know, hanging out after activities and going to sleepovers – part of the gang, I guess." Roy leaned forward in his chair, and Kelly shifted his weight. "I've been thinking about this off and on all day, Doc, and I just don't know…I can't think of any reason for his behaviour. His dad isn't around very much – a bit of a workaholic I guess you'd say – but it didn't seem to bother him, partly because he was usually at someone else's house."
"Did anything change recently? Can you think of a time where he didn't seem as usual to you? His mother said that his behaviour had changed for the worse in the past few months."
"Yeah, but so has my son's and, I mean, we're all still getting over the shooting at their school – it wasn't that long ago."
"Hmmm, I guess so. So you can't think of anything else to tell me?"
Roy thought about it for a moment; should he elaborate on his concerns about Chris' fighting and difficulty sleeping, his irritability? Was he making something out of nothing? He'd need to think about that some more before he said anything. "If I do see any links, I will let you know."
"That's all I can ask for, Roy."
That evening, as Roy lay in his dorm bed, he went over and over the events of the day, especially Kyle's comment just before he tried to jump off the desk. His heart yearned towards his son, and he hoped that Chris was getting a restful sleep.
Smiling Billy Abel, everyone's friend, whether young or old, was always there ready to lend a helping hand. Chris didn't know who to tell or what he should tell about the man everyone liked and relied upon. Who would listen to him anyway? He was just a child, and Billy was an adult. Billy gave presents to kids who didn't get noticed by their own dads – things that showed he really knew what they were interested in, like the balsa wood airplane model he had given to Chris recently. It was just what Chris had wanted, and hadn't had a chance to ask his dad to buy for him. Billy just knew things like that about the boys. And Billy wasn't afraid to get down and play in the mud if that is what the boys wanted to do. He comforted them if they were sad or hurt, treating them as if they were his own children…everyone said it was so good of him, so kind…Chris couldn't sleep and lay in his bed with the light off, just staring at his ceiling, staring and staring as the night wound down to the morning that started the whole cycle up again. He was so very, very tired, but if he closed his eyes, if he let down his guard…
Sometimes, when he was staring endlessly into the blackness, or fixating his gaze on a vague shape in the gloom, he remembered Wilson, the shooter at school. He remembered the desperation in the man's voice as he called over and over for his daughter. He remembered hearing the bangs and the crashes, the slams and the muffled screams. He remembered seeing the blood on the floor…and he was horrified to feel within himself an answering anger, a desire to grab that gun out of Wilson's hand, and use it himself…that's why he couldn't let down his guard, why he had to be vigilant all the time. His father was a genuine hero, a fireman and a paramedic, someone who saved lives every day – and he, his father's son, was a murderer in his heart, though still only a child. The fear and shame and anger and pain grew and grew, every night feeding off itself like some mythical beast, until Chris hated himself with a passion that was as tangible as his skin and left a sour taste in his mouth at all times.
The next day, Johnny caught up on his personal chores – groceries, laundry, banking, etc. while Jane was at school. He was waiting at her house after she finished work in the afternoon, and she was pleased that he had surprised her. "To what do I owe this?" she asked with smile as she unlocked her door. He carried in a bag of groceries and plopped it on her kitchen counter.
"I brought supper. And I'll even help you make it," he grinned.
Jane laughed and tried to attack him, but he was too agile and spun away easily. She opened the bag and looked inside, recognizing the ingredients. "Boeuf bourguignon?"
"Is that how you say it? Roy tried to make it at the station one time and it was pretty interesting. I thought it might be good to see what someone who knows how to cook could do with it."
"I've never made it, but I know the technique – the main thing is to sear your meat first, and let the ingredients simmer a long time, getting to know each other." She looked at him coyly, "Are you planning on staying for a while?"
While their meal was "getting to know" itself, Johnny sat with Jane on her couch, and she snuggled into his arms, sighing with contentment. Johnny sighed too, but to Jane's attuned ear, he sounded worried rather than in the moment. "What's up?" she asked, gazing into his eyes, trying not to let herself be distracted by the line of his cheek or the way his dark hair curled by his ear.
"You heard about our run to your school yesterday, right?"
She sat up straighter. "Of course. Mr Meredith had a special staff meeting."
"What did he say?"
"Basically it's not our business so don't gossip; give the Raines family their space and respect. Do unto others."
Johnny nodded in agreement. "Good advice. I like him. Seems like he's got his head on straight."
"I think so too. What's bothering you, John?" She didn't mean to, but even she could hear that when she said his name it was like a caress. He smiled at her and kissed her…and then they were both distracted for a while.
"Uh, Jane…"
"Sorry - you want to talk to me, right."
"I don't want to not do this, you know, but I'm finding you very…"
"I'll be good."
He sighed again, torn between wanting to continue this highly enjoyable activity and wanting to talk to her seriously. "I don't want you to be good…" he complained.
"Tell you what, we'll talk about what's bothering you and then we'll continue with what's on your mind."
He grinned at her choice of words. "Okay, but you better sit up, and stop being so darn…"
"Enticing? Seductive?" she teased.
"Yeah, all that."
"I'm listening."
Johnny turned away from looking at her so he could focus on what he wanted to say. "Roy knows the kid, Kyle I mean – so does Chris – same Cub pack." He didn't look her way, but he could feel that she was paying close attention to what he was telling her. "Kyle said – told Roy – Chris knows why he did it – why he tried to kill himself."
There was nothing flirtatious in Jane's manner now. "Oh, Johnny! But what does that mean?"
"That's what we don't know. And Chris has been having problems at school lately – Roy told me about it a few weeks ago but put it down to the Wilson thing."
"I knew Chris was spending time in the office because I'd see him there, and he wouldn't catch my eye, so I knew he felt guilty about it…"
John turned to look at her. "That's why I decided to talk to you about it. You've got like, an inside view. Have you noticed anything? Is there something, you know, from the school that might help us get what's going on? Maybe he's being bullied or I dunno…"
She frowned, thinking hard, but after a moment shook her head. "We've all been so tossed around by recent events that it's very difficult to say. I guess everyone just assumes that any reactions we've been seeing or feeling are due to the shooting. But maybe they're not – maybe there is something else…I'll keep my eyes and ears open, Johnny."
He relaxed, and drew her close to him again.
It was almost the end of the school year, and the Gardenview School Family Fun Day and Barbeque was scheduled for the first Saturday in June. The PTA had decided that it would be a very good way to get the memory of the "incident" from a couple of months ago out of everyone's mind and help rebuild their little school community into the safe haven it used to be. Joanne was one of the main organizers, and she convinced her husband to take a turn manning the grill, so of course, Jane found it pretty easy to talk Johnny into giving his time flipping burgers too.
The day was very sunny and there wasn't a lot of shade outside, so periodically Jane would go into the school to cool down. Despite her wide brimmed hat, she was worried about sunburn and heat exhaustion. There are definite disadvantages to being a redhead with fair skin in California. On one of her trips inside she heard some noises from a supposedly empty classroom, so she walked past the room, and pushed open the door that was closed over but not shut. "Hello?" she called.
A man's voice answered her. "Hi there! We just came inside to get out of the sun for a bit – I'm guessing you did too?" She vaguely recognized the man, and saw that he had two boys with him in the room – boys she knew from Chris' grade three class. There didn't seem to be anything amiss, but she got a strange feeling, and told the boys they should be outside. The boys looked at the man, and he smiled and nodded to them. "Listen to the teacher, men," he said, and winked at her. She didn't know how to respond, so she just herded the boys out the door. The man was right beside her, smiling and making conversation. "They're good kids, aren't they? I'm glad the school puts on this day for the families – brings everyone together and makes for good memories."
They were outside now, and he didn't wait for her response, but waved and sauntered off, still smiling and chatting to several people along the way. Jane stood there for a moment, trying to figure out what just happened. She walked over to the refreshment tent, where Joanne was giving out lemonade. "May I pour you a glass, Jane? You look warm." Jane nodded, and accepted the cup gratefully. "Did you have a good chat with Billy Abel? He's a nice man, isn't he?" commented Joanne.
"Billy Abel?"
"Yes, that man you were just standing with. He is very involved in Chris' Cub pack. Very good with the boys. They all love him."
"Oh," said Jane.
