Going Home
Chapter 21
Mike was still sitting in the armchair trying to come to terms with the horrendous ordeal that Steve had endured as a child, at three thirty am, when the living room door opened and Betty appeared into the room wrapped in a pink dressing gown. Walking quietly over to where Mike was sitting she glanced at the peaceful looking form of Mike's partner and smiled at Mike.
"Looks like we're finally winning the war! Has he been asleep for long?"
"No, not really. Just over an hour now but he's hardly moved and he managed to drink a cup of tea before he went! "
"Oh, that's great! The more fluids we can get into him for the moment the better! "
She walked very tentatively over to her patient and very lightly placed a hand on his forehead so as not to wake him and was pleased to feel that his forehead was still cool to the touch. She glanced back at Mike smiling, knowing that he must be thrilled to see Steve gradually improving but instead she saw him looking very troubled, deep in his thoughts. Turning her concern to Mike she walked over and sat in the armchair beside him.
"What's the matter Mike? You look like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders? You're not still worried about him are you? Because if you are, I can assure you that ..."
Before Betty could finish her reassurances that Steve would be fine, Mike spoke again.
"He ... told me about his Uncle!" Mike said in a very unsteady voice.
Mike said it in such a daunting way that Betty felt butterflies in her stomach. Almost afraid of the answer she might receive , she managed to pluck up the courage to ask.
"Was it ... what you thought?"
"No ... not that bad ... but bad enough! It just makes me so MAD!"
Mike's last word came out a little louder than he had intended it to, mainly due to the intense rage that was manifesting itself deep in his gut at the suffering that Steve had so unfairly and undeservedly endured all those years ago. Steve fidgeted and moved slightly in his sleep and Mike and Betty stayed completely still, hoping that Steve would stay asleep and get the rest he so desperately needed. Betty could see how enraged and upset Mike was so standing up quietly she reached out and took Mike's hand and whispered softly.
"Come on into the kitchen Mike so we can talk without waking him!"
Mike nodded, stood up and followed Betty into the kitchen. She turned on the light and Mike blinked as his eyes adjusted to the bright light, having just come from the darkened living room. He sat down wearily at the kitchen table.
"You, my dear friend need one of my special and famous hot chocolates!" Betty announced fetching milk from the refrigerator and a saucepan from the cupboard.
"Hmmm ... That sounds nice!" Mike said rubbing at his tired eyes.
As Betty busied herself at the stove, they both heard light footsteps and both looked over at the kitchen door, fearing that maybe Steve had woken however when the door opened, Gerry appeared through it, yawning and looking like hell on earth.
"Is this a private party or can anyone join in?" he announced sleepily, stretching his arms behind his back.
Betty laughed at her husband's humour and answered back.
"You must have a radar that always senses when I'm making hot chocolate dear!" and she laughed again.
"Ooh, hot chocolate! Count me in!" Gerry said sitting down opposite Mike and rubbing at his temple gingerly.
Mike looked up at Gerry and remembered that he hadn't asked about Gerry's injury as he winced at the ugly bruise that was now spreading around where the dressing was.
"What happened last night Gerry?" He asked, his voice full of concern but also glad of the distraction of not having to dwell on his hatred and anger towards Steve's Uncle Henry.
"Oh, just the usual Mike. Our local resident drug users shooting up and generally making a nuisance of themselves! However they were a little extra feisty last night and I was a little slower on my feet than usual!"
"What hit you?"
"Your namesake! A stone! Although I must admit it felt more like a boulder at the time!"
The two men laughed at that and just then Betty came over and placed three cups of steaming hot chocolate on the table lovingly topped with marshmallows and cream! Betty smiled to herself as she saw the two men's eyes light up when they saw them! As Betty sat down beside the two men she placed a gentle hand on Gerry's chin and eyed up the dressing and the bruise.
"How's the head?" she asked.
"Not too bad, just a little sore! But I couldn't sleep so I thought I'd come down and see how things were down here. How's the boy doing?"
At the mention of Steve, again Mike's demeanor changed to one of deep sadness for Steve and anger towards his tormentor. Looking down at his hot chocolate and frowning, Betty piped up instead.
"He's showing improvement. His temperature is staying down, he managed to keep some fluids down and he's finally sleeping! So it looks like he's over the worst. Thank God!"
"That's good news!" Gerry said but he noticed that Mike wasn't as pleased as he would have imagined he should be so he glanced at his wife and they exchanged a concerned glance between them. Then suddenly Mike spoke still not looking up from his cup!
"He ... told me what happened with his Uncle!"
Gerry sucked in a deep breath suddenly understanding his good friend's demeanor. Choosing his words carefully he said.
"Oh ... was it as bad as you had feared?"
"No ... but it was bad enough!" and with that he went on to recount the sad sorry tale to his two friends at the table, swearing them to secrecy, and with his voice wavering a couple of times before he had finished.
Betty and Gerry had listened quietly, with only the occasional gasp from Betty breaking the silence. As he finished his account, Betty had tears in her eyes and she spoke emotionally.
"Oh Mike! The poor boy! How can anyone be so cruel to a child like that!"
Gerry, while his heart broke for Steve, was currently more concerned about the deep resentment and anger in Mike's eyes. A look he remembered seeing in his eyes years before, when they worked together and a look that only ever meant one thing... a thirst for justice and atonement! So reaching out he placed a hand on Mike's arm and spoke firmly.
"I don't think I like that look in your eye Mike! Now I hope you're not considering paying that guy a visit because while I am in full agreement with you that for what that jerk did to Steve, he should be hung up and dangled by his feet off the Golden Gate bridge ... Well, you know as well as I do that ultimately what happened back then is his word against Steve's and a lot of time has passed too Mike!"
Mike looked up at his friend and smiled, grateful for his concern and comments and painfully aware of the legal situation as regards Henry's actions all those years ago.
"Relax Gerry! While I was thinking about it all a while ago I just realized that I don't even know the guy's second name OR where he lives! I know he married Rose Keller and that his name is Henry and that's about all I know so far!"
"Well, I can't say I'm not happy about that Mike! You need to leave it well enough alone for now and just concentrate on helping that young man in there get over what happened! Ok?"
"Yes, I hear you Gerry. You're right! Steve has to be the number one priority right now but so help me Gerry, if I do meet him you better be there to pull me off him!"
Gerry smiled at that statement.
"Well, if that's the case, then for all our sakes I hope I am!"
As the three friends drank their hot chocolate and chatted some more, Betty thought she heard something and called on the two men to be quiet for a moment. Then in the silent kitchen the sound reached all their ears at the same time.
"MIKE!"
It was Steve! Betty and Mike were the first two to race from the kitchen and they found Steve awake and half sitting up, distressed and cradling his left hand, pain written all over his face!
"My God! Steve! What's wrong? Is it your hand?" Mike asked kneeling beside him but also allowing Betty room to kneel beside him too, knowing her medical support was needed in this situation aswell as his calming presence.
Steve nodded and spoke through gritted teeth.
"Yeah ... hurts really bad! I think ... it's swelling! Can't feel my fingers!"
At this statement, Betty quickly went into action and started issuing instructions.
"Mike! Hand me my bag please? It's down beside the armchair! " Then as Mike handed her the bag urgently she gently unwrapped the last icepack from Steve's hand and yelled again "Gerry! Here take this and get me another ice pack please and could you turn on the main light aswell. Thank you!"
Gerry turned on the light and Steve shut his eyes against the bright light that assaulted them, covering them with his good hand.
Next Betty put on medical gloves and carefully started to unwrap the bandage and the gauze from around where the cannula was situated and Mike saw her frown as Steve's swollen hand and fingers were revealed. A massive purple bruise had spread from where the needle was, over the back of his hand and up towards his wrist! As Betty gently held the spot where the needle was, Steve almost jumped off the couch with the pain that shot through his hand and up his left arm from the wrist! He almost bit his lip, holding back the yell that he desperately wanted to release and his breath was coming in ragged gasps as he feared what was coming next.
As Betty probed the area as gently as she could, Steve felt physically sick from the pain and Betty could feel the tension and the distress emanating from her patient.
"Ok Steve! I'm sorry! I can see how bad it's hurting. The vein has blown! I'm going to have to take it out so we can start getting the swelling down! Once the needle is out it won't hurt as bad, I promise! Now take a big deep breath for me!"
As Steve sucked in a panicked deep breath, he kept his eyes shut tight and he felt Mike's hand firmly on his left shoulder, offering some comfort and support. He felt the needle being eased out painfully and a strange feeling washed over him. The nausea increased and his head swam slightly. Strange pulsating lights flashed in front of his closed eyes and the voices he had heard now sounded like they were coming from the next room. He very faintly heard Mike's voice raised and he was yelling something! He strained to make out the words but they seemed to be fading even as he listened. "Betty! ... something's wrong! ... Steve!... STEVE! ..." That was all he heard before he felt the blackness wash over him and he couldn't fight it anymore.
As Betty had pulled the needle out, Mike had watched with great concern, his partner's face. At first he had read pain there and felt the tension in his partner's shoulder but then very quickly, Steve's shoulder had slumped and Mike had watched the colour drain from his partner's face! Alarmed, he drew Betty's attention to what had happened and she feared that the young man had passed out! Unfortunately as the needle had come out, blood had started to free flow from the wound so her first priority was to stop that first! With the amount of swelling and bruising present she also felt that at the moment, it was a blessing in disguise that Steve was not conscious to suffer the pain of her ministrations!
Having taped up the needle puncture point and quickly redressing the wound lightly, she spoke comfortingly to Mike, who was in a state of panic trying to rouse the young man in front of him!
"Mike! It's alright! He's just passed out! He'll come around in a minute when the pain eases!"
Mike was breathing rapidly from the shock of Steve's sudden loss of consciousness as Gerry arrived in and handed the new icepack to his wife. Seeing Mike in such a state, he gently clasped Mike's shoulders and helped him stand and then firmly sat him down into the armchair.
"Mike, sit down and take it easy. Betty has this under control! Ok? He'll be alright!"
As Gerry administered to Mike, Betty attended to Steve. With the needle out, the hand dressed and iced, she took Steve's pulse which was very slow and then she took his blood pressure which was also very low. She then gently held his face in her hands and spoke.
"Steve! Steve! Come back to us! Can you hear me Steve? Open your eyes now! It's all over. You need to look at me now!"
Mike sat anxiously watching Betty trying to rouse his partner and he felt the anxiety and stress of the last few days drain him badly. He felt his hands starting to shake and within seconds Gerry appeared with a small mouthful of brown liquid in a glass and was pushing it towards his lips to get him to drink some.
"Here Mike, drink this! It will settle you a bit!"
Mike took the glass off Gerry and he drank it back, making a face as he did as the strong-tasting brandy hit the back of his throat. He looked at Gerry and nodded gratefully and then he turned his attention back to Betty and Steve.
It took several minutes for Betty to rouse him but with persistence and a cool compress that Gerry had brought, Steve's eyes eventually fluttered back open. He looked slightly confused and dazed at first and seemed to stare at Betty for a few seconds, as he appeared to be trying to comprehend what she was telling him.
"Welcome back to us Steve. Take it nice and easy now! You passed out on us! Your blood pressure dropped very low and your hand was very swollen and painful so I had to take the needle out! I think you're badly dehydrated Steve. I think that's mainly what caused you to pass out! Are you ok or are you still feeling a little flaky?"
It seemed to be taking him a little while to answer which only served to make Mike more anxious but then he spoke somewhat shakily.
"No ... I feel very thirsty and ... a little shaky ... Sorry! "
"Do you think if we help you to sit up, that would be alright?"
Steve nodded very carefully, still feeling light-headed.
"Alright, very slowly this time ok?"
Mike placed his glass down on the coffee table and stood up to help Steve and between him and Betty they sat him up very carefully. As they sat him up, Mike accidentally brushed off Steve's sore hand and he yelped in pain.
"Ow! Easy Mike, watch the hand!"
"Oh, I'm sorry buddy boy. Is it that sore?"
Steve breathed deeper and nodded, holding it now as if to protect it from further incident.
"Steve, we need to get some fluids into you, and as your veins are so bad an IV is out of the question so I want you to try to drink a glass of something sweet, every half hour for the next five to six hours! Do you think you can manage that? How is the nausea?" Betty asked still concerned about how pale and washed out the young man appeared to be and how his lips looked so dry and parched.
"It's still there a little but it's not too bad. I'll try to drink as much as I can!"
Mike who had remained silent staring at the young man, then spoke.
"Steve! Do you think you can stomach another cup of Mike Stone sweet tea? Huh?"
Steve nodded, feeling that at least the sweet tea might make him feel less shaky. Mike went off to fetch it while Betty continued checking her patient's vital signs. Within just a few minutes, Mike returned and helped Steve drink some of the tea, making sure that he took small sips and not large mouthfuls to avoid the nausea being a problem. As Gerry and Betty hovered in the background, Mike saw how tired they both looked and spoke firmly.
"Why don't you two try to get some more sleep! I'll stay with Steve and make sure he drinks every half hour just like you said! I'm not very sleepy so I can manage it!"
Gerry stifled a yawn, and Betty herself felt rather drained so studying Mike she replied.
"Are you sure Mike? I think it was my turn to watch him."
"Yes, I'm positive. Go on now! No use in all of us staying up all night. If I need you I'll call you, I promise!"
"Ok, Mike thanks! " and then turning and placing a supportive hand on Steve's shoulder she added "And you young man , make sure you drink plenty, Ok?"
Steve nodded and watched as Betty and Gerry made their way back out of the room and back upstairs. Then turning to Mike he drank more of the tea that Mike was offering and could almost see the tiredness and worry that he was causing the older man, etched on his face.
"Sorry Mike ... for all this!" and he lowered his head wearily.
Mike grabbed his chin and lifted it gently back up.
"Now, now, it's ok! We just need to get you to drink a good bit before the morning. Do you want to try to go back to sleep and I'll wake you every half hour?"
Steve shook his head.
"No, I don't want to sleep. I keep ... replaying things in my head Mike ..."
Mike watched Steve, slightly taken aback by his sudden confession.
"Were you dreaming about what we ... talked about earlier?"Mike asked cautiously.
Again Steve nodded somewhat sadly and added.
"And other things ... There was one more ... incident after the last one I told you about ..."
Mike felt his blood almost freeze in his veins at Steve's words and he was almost afraid to hear what it was but here Steve was opening up about it and he knew he had to let him talk it out so he listened quietly and let Steve continue uninterrupted ...
"I think that incident scared him badly Mike and he left me alone for a good while after that. He ... still shouted a lot, you know, said some mean things but there no more "special" chores as he called them. But then about two months after, we were having dinner. Aunt Rose had gone to a neighbour's house a few houses up the street. She used to help an elderly lady that lived there with some chores and stuff. Anyway, Henry started saying things ... mean things about my Dad and Mikey kept laughing ..." Steve trailed off slightly as if the taunting he had used was replaying in his head and Mike's heart ached for the young man.
"What .. was he saying about your Dad, Steve?"
Steve seemed to swallow hard as if the words were really spiteful and hurt him a great deal.
"Henry kept saying that my Dad was probably at fault the night of the accident and that he was probably driving too fast in his fancy car! Then he kept saying how bad they looked afterwards and how he could barely recognize them ... at the Morgue ... He said my Mom's face was ..." Steve couldn't continue as he thought about his Mom and how beautiful she had been and how he really hoped that they hadn't suffered too much. He felt tears building and the lump in his throat growing bigger, threatening to choke him.
Mike was horrified by how low Henry had stooped to cause upset to his nephew and squeezing Steve's shoulder supportively he spoke, his own voice giving away the anger and the disgust he was feeling.
"Alright, take it easy! I get the picture! Boy, that Uncle of yours is some piece of work huh? What happened next Steve?"
Steve took a few moments to try to clear his mind of the horrific images his memories had evoked and then clearing his throat he continued his story.
"I couldn't take it anymore Mike! ... I left the table and ran up to my room and I ... started throwing things in a bag. I had to get out of that house! I didn't even know where I was going , just ... away."
"What did Henry do?" Mike asked getting anxious about where this story was heading.
"He came up after me! He was yelling for me to go back downstairs and finish my dinner. He saw me packing my stuff and told me to stop! But I was too mad Mike! I don't where exactly I found the courage from because I was shaking like a leaf but ... I told him that he wasn't my father, or my Grandfather and that he was ... he was ... just a sad man who got his kicks from picking on kids! ... "
Mike felt a lump form in his own throat knowing that Henry would not have taken the harsh truth well and fearing in that moment for Steve's well-being but he couldn't help but feel proud of the young man at the same time for standing up to the tyrant none the less.
"Did he ... did he hit you for saying that?"
Steve nodded, as a tear escaped from his left eye.
"He ... floored me! I didn't even see it coming! I guess I should have ... My face was stinging from the slap and I was a little dazed but I grabbed my bag and managed to dodge past him and ran for the stairs. He ran after me ..."
Mike could picture the scene in his head and worried about what was coming next. He prayed that Henry hadn't beat him badly but then he remembered how his arm had been seen in a sling and feared the worst. He didn't want to keep asking questions though, seeing how difficult telling Mike about this particular incident was for Steve, so he waited patiently for Steve to continue.
"I made it to the top of the stairs ... when he caught up with me. He was yelling for me to stop and to come back but I had to get away from him ... he made a grab for me but he missed ... and hit off my back instead ... I ... lost my footing Mike! ... "
Mike sucked in his breath as the stark realization hit him. He stammered.
"You ... you fell down the stairs?"
"Yeah, I took quite a tumble. I hit my head on the way down and then I ... landed very badly on my left shoulder. The pain was terrible and all I could see was him coming down after me! I yelled at him to ..."
"Leave you alone ! That he'd done enough!" Mike continued and Steve turned and looked at Mike in horror wondering how in the world Mike could have known what he had said!
"How ... how did you know what I said?"
Mike patted his shoulder.
"You were yelling that yesterday when your fever was very high!"
Steve slumped, fearing what else he had yelled.
"Oh ..." was all he managed to say.
"What happened then Steve? Were you badly hurt?"
"I remember hearing the front door open and Rose screaming! Then I must have blacked out. I came to at the hospital. I'd broken my collarbone and my arm just above the elbow and they said I had a concussion and had five stitches to a cut over my left eye and my cheek was badly bruised..."
Mike squirmed where he sat, the fact that Henry had been the main cause of Steve's horrific injuries eating away at his insides and consuming him with a desire to push Henry down a flight of stairs and see how he fared! Also the fact that the bruising to Steve's face that Henry had caused by the blow he had struck, now conveniently disguised by the fall, irking him greatly too.
"Don't tell me. When you woke up you had another Uncle Henry welcoming committee huh? He probably warned you about telling the truth again. Am I right?" Mike asked but was almost a hundred percent sure he would be!
"Yeah, you're right. He told me he hadn't meant for me to ... fall down the stairs and that if I told what happened that they'd take me into foster care and I'd end up God knows where! He said that I could end up worse off and that it was better for me to tell them I fell just like he'd already told them! He said ... if I told them that, he'd leave me alone from then on ..."
"What did you do buddy boy? What did you tell them?"
"I told them ... I fell ! I couldn't face going off to another strange place Mike! I remembered something Harry told me once about " better the devil you know that the one you don't ..." I know I should have told the truth but I ... I was scared Mike. He ... he scared me ..."
More tears fell down Steve's face as he finished the story, and he wiped them away with his good hand, feeling so ashamed that he had not stood up his tyrant of an Uncle and basically let him away with everything he had done on him! Mike felt sorry for Steve and knew he was feeling bad about not telling on Henry but he also understood why he had kept quiet. He was only a child still and had changed homes due to such tragic circumstances so many times that he could see how another change would be devastating to the young boy and fear was a terrible thing. Having already proven what a nasty enemy he would make, Mike didn't blame him for trying to keep on Henry's good side.
"Steve! I'm so sorry you had to go through that! No child should have to live with that! Or have to stay quiet about things like that either! ... but I understand why you did."
Steve had thought that maybe Mike would be disappointed in him for keeping quiet as Mike was such a strong character that he figured that he would never have allowed someone like Henry to treat him like Steve had. But hearing that he understood somehow made it easier for Steve. He smiled weakly at Mike grateful for his understanding and for listening too.
"Did he keep his word buddy boy?" Mike asked almost fearful of the answer.
Steve nodded wearily, feeling that telling this latest story had taken all the strength he had left.
"Yeah, things died down after that. I tended to keep out of his way especially when Aunt Rose was out of the house. I just kept my head down but I tell you Mike the day I left for college ..."
Mike smiled.
"Best day ever huh?"
"Yeah .."
"Did you ever see Davey afterwards?"
"Once! We met by accident shortly after I got out of the hospital. I was waiting in the car for Aunt Rose to come out of the market and he was walking by! I called him and he asked me what happened and I told him. He was the only one apart from you now that I ever told the truth about it to ... He said that it was probably best for us not to hang out anymore ... that he didn't want me to get hurt again so we said goodbye and ... I never saw him again."
Steve seemed to slump back against the pillows and Mike could see the fatigue and sadness written all over his face.
"You look tired buddy boy! Here drink a glass of soda for me and then you should try to go back to sleep. I'll wake you later to drink some more. Ok?"
Steve just nodded and dutifully drank the glass Mike gave him. Then with Mike's help he lay back down and within minutes the exhaustion had washed over him and sent him back to sleep. As he slept, Mike covered him lightly with the blanket, made sure his sore hand was over the covers and out of harm's way and checked his forehead for any signs of fever. Finding none he went over and turned off the main light again and sat back down in the armchair and sat watching Steve. The only sound in the room was the ticking of the mantel clock and the sound of Steve's soft breathing and Mike checked his watch and seeing that it was now just gone five am he settled back in the comfy chair and waited for the next time he had to wake Steve. Thoughts of Uncle Henry filled his mind and he suddenly wished that Lenny was here so he could ask him what could possibly possess a man like that to be so cruel to a defenseless child who had already suffered so much. The only thing he could think of was the constant taunts about Steve's Dad. Perhaps there had been a certain amount of jealously involved of his brother-in-law and perhaps even some deep resentment that unfortunately due to tragic circumstances he had then proceeded to inflict on the next best thing, the man in question's unsuspecting son! All these theories filled his head as the minutes ticked slowly by ...