The fight between Darcy and Sylvester was hard to watch. It was also impossible to ignore. Sylvester was scrunched up on the ground with his face in his hands. Darcy towered over him calling him curse words and accusing him of murdering Rudy. Bob stood in the back of the crowd wanting to say something. Wanting to stop all of this. He was angry that Sylvester had attacked Louise, but now was not the time. Sylvester was at the worst point of his life and doing a far better than Bob would be in this situation. If he had found one of his children dead and within minutes of being saved. He would have fallen dead right beside them. Here was Sylvester continuing to breathe against all odds.
"Why didn't you call an ambulance?!" Darcy demand.
"I panicked. I thought I could make it. I am sorry." Sylvester rambled.
"Sorry? Sorry?! Our son is dead! Because of you and you say you are sorry?! Like it will make it better?!" Darcy spat.
"Aunt Darcy, I think you need to lie down." Mandy called.
"I'm not your aunt anymore!" Darcy snapped.
"It does not matter now. Let us get you inside." Mandy said taking Darcy's hand.
"Bob? Can you help me with Sylvester?" Isaac, Sylvester's brother requested.
"Yeah" Bob replied.
Once everybody was inside, Bob tossed the blanket into the outside trash can. He then slid into the house and retrieved a towel from the hall closet so Sylvester could keep some of his dignity. Isaac stood on the right side of Sylvester and Bob on the left. They wrapped the towel around him, put his arms on their shoulders and guided him inside. Isaac took his brother to the bathroom to clean him up. He placed the soiled clothes into a bag and asked Bob to dispose of them. He then guided Bob to the duffle bag the contained Sylvester's things. Sylvester was coming around by the time Bob returned. Bob felt sick again when he heard Sylvester's helpless cries.
"Oh God! Take me instead! Rudy! Baby I need you back!" Sylvester cried.
The breakfast rush had just ended and there was a little less than an hour until the lunch rush would begin. Just enough time for Big Bob to get everything in order. He instructed his chef on what ingredients they would need for the special of the day and sent his wait staff to clean the bathrooms and check the trash cans. Leaving only one lone waiter to cater to the three current patrons. The door burst open, and Pete burst inside.
"Top of the morning, Pete. How are you?" Bob greeted.
"Family OK, Bob?" Pete asked.
"Yeah. Why?" Bob questioned.
"Craig, one of my regulars. He is the librarian at Wagstaff. He was in last night. He said one of their students died yesterday." Pete explained.
"Who?" Bob gasped.
"I do not know. We were swamped last night; Terri is still on parental leave and Jason called out. It was just me and James all night. All I know is it was a fourth grader." Pete explained.
"Louise" Bob gasped.
Big Bob grabbed his phone and frantically dialed his son's number. It rang a number of times and then cut to voice mail. Big Bob called again, again it rang then went to voice mail. A third repeatedly. Big Bob's heart was racing, and sweat was pouring down his face. Terrified as to why his only son was not answering the phone. Fourth time and this time Bob picked up.
"Dad? Is this important? I am dealing with an emergency right now." Bob greeted.
"Bob, Pete just came in. He said a Wagstaff student died. Are the kids, OK?" Big Bob questioned.
"My kids are alive, but it was Louise's best friend. I am dealing with that. I will call you back. I am sorry. I did not mean to upset you." Bob rambled.
"No, it is OK. I am just glad the kids are alright." Big Bob replied.
"Dad, I would have called." Bob assured.
"I know but I wouldn't have deserved to know. Give my best to Louise. If she needs anything. I will be there." Big Bob sighed.
Upon returning home Louise went straight to her room and locked the door. Everybody wanted to go after her but realized she needed the time alone. The rest of the family went to the kitchen and Linda half heartedly began preparing lunch. Tina removed her glasses and buried her head in her arms. Gene aimlessly watched his mother work. He wanted to say something funny and break the tension but for the first time in his life nothing crazy came to his mind.
"Mom?" Gene finally asked.
"What is it, baby?" Linda replied.
"Why did Sylvester attack Louise? Why did he ask her to kill him?" Gene questioned.
"Because he lost his only child and found his body. The only way he could cope was to drink himself out of reality." Linda explained a little too bluntly.
"Is he going to be, OK?" Tina asked.
"No" Linda breathed.
Eventually Bob returned home thanks to Teddy. By the time he left Darcy's house. Sylvester had sobered up a little and Darcy was at least pretending to be civil. Bob knew the Stieblitz' divorce was ugly, but he did not imagine it was this bad. Louise was still locked up in her room when Bob returned, and he was the one chosen to try and talk to her. After an hour of no response. He gave up and went to the living room. Part of him wanted to open but the parent's meeting was now just over an hour away. He thought about the call from his dad and the older man's fear he had lost one of his grandchildren. He thought about how his dad had started just locking himself away. Then it overworking himself. How for forty years, Bob Belcher senior had just existed. To broken to care about the world. Bob's heart dropped to his stomach fearing his youngest child would endure the same fate.
Linda sat on the bed a pile of clothes stacked beside her. She had no idea what she should wear. What on Earth did you wear to a parent meeting to discuss a dead child? Finally, she decided on her black slacks and a white stop with black paisleys on it that Bob had gotten her for Christmas. She hung the rest of the clothes back on the hangers and returned them to her closet. Bob exited the bathroom in a pair of slacks and a baby blue button down. Wordlessly the exited their room and headed down the hall. Tina exited her room.
"I want to go with you. I want to see how to help Louise with Rudy." Tina informed them.
"I am sorry Tina it is parent's only." Linda apologized.
"But we will tell you what we learned, and we will keep trying to help Louise together." Bob assured.
The auditorium at Wagstaff was unusually quiet. One of the teachers handed Bob and Linda two packs of tissues and a stack of books upon entering. The Belchers took a seat in the middle left of the auditorium. Trying to avoid looking at Rudy's class picture which was blown up and displayed in the center of the stage. Eventually a disheveled Mr. Frond took the stage. For once he had no dolls in his hands and did not open the meeting with a bad joke.
"As you all know yesterday afternoon. At four o'clock in the afternoon we lost one of our fourth graders, Rudolph Alexander Stieblitz to a tragic asthma attack. We called this meeting to guide parents in helping their children cope with this tremendous loss and to paint a picture of the coming weeks. For starters for the next two weeks all absences will automatically be excused. We are also invoking a grace period on all homework for that time. Beginning on Monday we will have grief counselors present. Rudy's class will have mandatory group therapy once a week for the remainder of the school year and each student in his class will have two private sessions with the counselor. These sessions will be over the next two weeks. Some of these sessions will have to be after or before class. If that does not work for you, please inform myself or another member of the faculty so we can ensure your child is met during school hours. School will be closed this Friday so that students can attend Rudy's funeral. One of the books provided to you is explaining how a funeral may look to a child who has never attended one. We will. We will. I am sorry. I need a moment." Mr. Frond informed.
Louise curled up on her bed. She closed her eyes tight. She just wanted this pain to go away. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up expecting one of her parents instead it was a woman around her mom's age. She looked a little like Linda but also like Bob. She wore a flowing gown and a pink hat. It was her grandmother. Fantastic now she was going crazy. She closed her eyes, and the woman was gone. It was just a dream.