Chapter 11

After half an hour or so, Jarrod took a tray of food, milk, and coffee up to the guest room, knocking softly then letting himself in quietly when no one answered. He found Jack in bed, awake, a sleeping boy under each arm. Jack smiled at him.

Jarrod put the tray down on the dresser. "Mother figured the boys might be hungry," he said.

Jack Jr. stirred, not opening his eyes but mumbling, "Hm?"

Randy stirred then too, and did open his eyes. They zeroed in on the tray on the table. His movement made Jack Jr. open his eyes, and they both made Jack laugh a little.

"Come on, you guys," Jarrod said, helping Randy out of the bed and over to one of the chairs next to a little table in the corner of the room.

Jack Jr. followed over on his own power, and Jarrod put plates of eggs, ham and biscuits in front of them, followed by glasses of milk.

"Eat up," Jarrod said. "You don't want to have to explain yourselves on an empty stomach."

Jarrod fetched a cup of coffee and took it to Jack, helping him hold onto it. Jack sipped and said, "Good."

"Do you want anything to eat?" Jarrod asked.

Jack shook his head and said, "Ate."

The boys were perking up. Randy said, "You said he couldn't talk, but he can talk!"

"He's doing better and better all the time," Jarrod said, smiling at Jack. "But you two did the wrong thing coming out here without your mother's permission."

"We know," Jack Jr. said. "We did it anyway."

"I'm gonna have to take you home and hope we get there before your mother knows you're gone," Jarrod said.

"Yes," Jack said, the entire word, before either of his sons could say no.

Jack showed Jarrod he could hold the cup of coffee securely in his right hand. Jarrod went over to the boys, putting his hand lightly on Jack Jr.'s back.

"We'll keep taking care of your father, but you two have to help to take care of your mother," Jarrod said. "She's very weak and she needs you. But both of your parents are getting well. It's just going to take time, and you guys are going to have to be patient and help and not run away on your own again."

"Pa said no divorce," Jack Jr. said.

"That's what he said to me too," Jarrod said. "Hopefully I'll be able to talk to your mother about it when I take you home. Between the three of us – you two and me – we'll do everything we can to set everything right again for your family."

"Can we stay here with Pa a while today?" Randy asked. "Till after lunch maybe? These eggs are really good."

Jarrod chuckled a little. "Our man Silas is the best cook in the county, too. We'll let you keep your father company until after lunch, but then he'll need to rest and you'll need to go home and face your mother."

"She's gonna be mad," Randy said.

"And you're gonna have to take it," Jarrod said. "Many's the time when I was your age, I had to take it when I made my mother mad too. You'll live."

Jack laughed. It was a half-squawking laugh, but Jarrod heard what was behind it even if Jack couldn't say all the words.

"Yes, I got into trouble too when I was a boy," Jarrod said. "And my mother wasted no time in dealing out justice, her style. It's what mothers do. It's what they're here for."

"We know," Jack Jr. said with a sigh.

XXXXXXX

After lunch, Jarrod gathered the boys together and took them home in a buggy. Along the way, Jack Jr. finally asked, "Do you think our mother is gonna want a divorce?"

"I don't know," Jarrod said as he drove. "Your father doesn't, and that's a start, because he was the one who wanted it before. But listen, guys, things are not gonna be easy at your house for a while, and not just because both your parents are laid up. It won't take long for your mother to get her strength back, but she lost her baby and that's gonna take some time for her to get used to. To her, it's like losing one of you, or like you losing her or your father. It hurts. She needs to get well from that hurt. You'll have to help her."

"How?" Randy asked.

"By not running away," Jack Jr. said quickly.

"That's for sure," Jarrod said, "but you'll have to do a lot of other things too. You'll have to go to school every day and do your homework and study hard. You'll probably have to learn how to cook your own eggs and other things, and you'll have to run and fetch for her for a while even after she's up and around."

"And what about Pa?" Jack Jr. asked.

"It's gonna take a while longer for your father to heal," Jarrod said, "and it's possible he'll always have some things he can't do. You'll have to get used to that. But you can do it. When people we love need us, it feels really really good when we can help them, even if it makes us tired and even if it means we have to give up some of the things we like to do for a while. Trust me on that."

"Will you help us?" Randy asked.

"All I can," Jarrod said, "and so will the rest of my family. Your father will stay with us for a while, until he's stronger. My brother Heath wants to be the one to help him get up and get around better – and my brother Heath is one determined man. He won't give up on your father. And my mother and sister will make sure he eats right, and I will make sure he and your mother start talking to one another and working things out between them."

"You can't promise it'll all work out," Jack Jr. said.

"No, I can't," Jarrod said. "That's not the way life is. We all get handed problems we have to deal with. Sometimes the problems are our fault, sometimes they aren't, but we get them anyway. Learning to handle them helps us grow. Learning to help your parents with their problems will help you grow into strong men who can better handle your own problems when they come your way. And you'll always have the Barkleys to help you cope. We're your friends. That's what friends do."

When they got to the Main house, the boys were a little slow to go in, fearing the wrath of their mother when she saw them, but she surprised them. She was awake, still in bed, but like their father, she raised her arms and gathered them in. She was crying, but she was full of kisses too. Jarrod was grateful she had some color and some strength, and clearly plenty of forgiveness.

"Don't you ever run away like that again!" she said. "If you had just waited until I woke up, I'd have let you go to see your father!"

"We just got scared," Jack Jr. said.

"We're sorry," Randy said.

Frances pulled them close, then looked up at Jarrod and Mrs. Haley. "Thank you, for getting them home, for taking care of us."

"I'll be staying another night at least," Mrs. Haley said.

"And you'll be going to school tomorrow," Frances said to her sons.

"Yes, ma'am," Jack Jr. said.

"Now," Frances said, "you go run off some energy in the back yard and let me have a few minutes alone with Mr. Barkley."

The boys scrambled up and kissed their mother, saying, "Yes, ma'am," again, and then they took off out the door. Mrs. Haley followed them. She didn't have to say she was going to keep an eye on them for a while.

"Please close the door and come in, Jarrod," Frances said.

Jarrod closed the door behind him and came in. He pulled the chair under the window closer to the bed and sat down.

"Tell me about Jack," Frances said. "Everything."