Sunday, February 11th 2:37 AM
The condensation on the window appeared and dissipated with every breath. Arnold had his head leaned against the back window of the police car. His body exhausted, he thought he would fall asleep had he not felt such an intense shame. Arnold straightened his back trying to get comfortable again. The cold metal handcuffs restraining his arms made it impossible to sit correctly in the back of the car. Arnold straightened up once more looking once again over the scene.
The police had cleared out Rhonda's home. The evidence of revelry and celebration apparent in the yard. Covered in red cups, beer bottles, and plates. The police had busted up the party following the fight. They lined everyone up on the lawn and spoke with everyone about what had happened. Arnold only barely able to see, given the angle he was facing.
Arnold had been led out of the police car towards one of the ambulances earlier when the police discovered his wounds were still bleeding. He sat on a gurney with the paramedic. His hands still restrained, as the EMT stitched his deep cut, and stab wound. The police insisted they perform their procedure on site. The arresting officer was adamant to get Arnold to the police station.
Arnold could hear Helga yelling at the police officer taking her statement, while this went on. Arnold smiled for a moment hearing her angry tirades.
"What the hell is wrong with you guys?" Helga screamed at the officer. Helga pointed to the ambulance sitting across the yard. Arnold could barely make out what she was saying. Even in the darkness, Arnold saw her face turn red in anger. "He didn't do anything! He was attacked! Are you thick? You nimrod! What the fuck!" She screamed. "He's just now getting help after he's been bleeding to death in the back of your car?" Helga yelled one more time.
"Miss, I'm going to need you to calm down. I understand this is stressful-" the officer's words were lost when Helga opened her mouth to yell again.
"Yeah, it's stressful when your boyfriend is jumped at a party! Even worse when the police arrest him for defending himself!" Helga yelled again.
Arnold's smile only lasted the moment he heard the commotion. He sighed heavily and bowed his head. "I screwed this up so bad. She's so upset," Arnold thought to himself. "I'm so sorry, Helga," Arnold said only above a whisper.
"Alright kid, you're good to go, are you feeling dizzy or disoriented at all?" The fair-skinned technician asked. "Hey kid, do you hear me?" He asked once more, after a beat of Arnold not answering.
"Answer the question!" the officer holding onto Arnold piped up forcefully.
Arnold was jarred out of his thoughts, "Uh no, I'm fine," Arnold said.
"Alright, good. Good luck," the emergency worker said before shouldering his emergency bag. Arnold nodded his head.
"He's gonna need it, you've committed a couple of felonies tonight. Let's go," the officer said, pulling Arnold off the gurney. He lead him back to the back of the police car, opening the door and pushing Arnold in. He shut the door and walked towards another officer on taking notes from on the party goers.
Arnold was not sure how much time had passed since he was patched up. He sat in the back of the car, looking mostly at the floor. He had seen some of his friends pass by the car window. Stinky and Sid had walked passed with Lila in tow. Arnold looked at the floor unable to make eye contact with them. He only looked up again when they had gone.
Arnold felt his stomach in knots. "You really did it Shortman," Arnold thought to himself. He leaned back and looked over once more at the outside. The police were wrapping up, directing people to go to their cars and go home. The other ambulances with Arnold's attackers had long gone. The property began to empty. Arnold saw the arresting officer making his way towards the car. He opened the door and looked down at him.
"Alright kid, here's the deal. You're under arrest for felony assault. You have a right to an attorney if you cannot provide one the court can appoint you one…" the officer continued to list Arnold's rights.
Arnold's mind went blank. He felt time slow down, as he started hearing less and less what the officer was telling him. The buzzing sound had returned, and Arnold's stomach started to fill with dread. "Holy crap, this is really happening," Arnold thought to himself. He began to panic, his heart rate quickened and his brow began to sweat. His breathing became labored, he started seeing black in the edges of his eyesight.
"Son, are you alright? Speak to me are you alright? Do you have a medical condition?" The officer leaned and asked Arnold. Arnold couldn't respond, his breathing became hard and harder. Arnold felt the familiar feeling of his stomach dropping. Arnold seemed seconds from fainting.
"He's having a panic attack, you fucking idiot!" Arnold heard the panicked scream from Helga a few feet away.
"Look at me… Do you have medication you should be taking?" The officer asked. Arnold was unable to answer as he felt his consciousness slip away.
"He carries medication with him! You took it out of his pocket when you search him, you fucking moron!" Helga screamed. "Arnold!" she screamed. Arnold saw her place her hands on her head. Her voice full of panic, and unable to help her eye filled with tears. She turned and cried into Phoebe's shoulder. Gerald and Phoebe shocked to see one of Arnold's attacks.
The officer rushed over the evidence bags and fumbled through Arnold's personal items. He pulled out a plastic bag with a small white pill. The officer rushed over to Arnold. Handed him his pill. Arnold swallowed it and drank from the bottle another officer offered to him.
Arnold closed his eyes. "You're safe, you're having an attack, you are safe," Arnold began saying to himself. "You're safe and in handcuffs," Arnold thought. Arnold felt his breathing slowing, and his heart rate going down. He breathed evenly and deeply for a few moments.
"You alright?" The arresting officer asked. Arnold started to breathe regularly. He looked up and nodded. "Alright then," the officer said.
Helga looked up again seeing that Arnold had calmed. She smiled a painful smile through her tears. Arnold looked back at her, their eyes locking. Arnold felt her fear. He felt the pain he had caused her. His stomach felt like a lead weight. He closed his eyes and blinked one tear out of his eyes.
"Alright, I'm taking you back to the station," the officer said. He closed the door and walked around the front. Arnold looked over once more at Helga and his friends. Phoebe was leaning her head against Helga's shoulder rubbing her arm. Arnold saw through the window Helga burst into tears turning to Phoebe as they held each other. Gerald stood next to the pair. Arnold had only seen that look once before. When Arnold was convinced by someone to skip school. Shock and worry.
The officer got into the front seat and started the engine. His friends started to move away as the car made its way down the Lloyd driveway. Helga, Phoebe, and Gerald still looking as they faded further and further into the distance. "What have I done?" Arnold whispered to himself. His arm no longer pulsing with pain made his dread in his stomach more apparent. Arnold leaned back and looked at the ceiling, exhaling heavily. "Oh no, those guys…" Arnold thought to himself.
The officer drove without a word for a long time. Arnold looked up at the officer. "Excuse me…" Arnold said as he sidled up to the cage separating the back and front seats. The officer gave no response. "Excuse me, sir? Are the guys I got into a fight with alright?" Arnold asked, in a polite tone.
The officer gave a weird look into the rearview mirror. "Two of them were treated at the scene the third one needed to be hospitalized. You really did a number on him, kid," The officer responded.
"Oh my god? How could I have done this? Oh my god," Arnold bowed his head. "What did I do? I need to explain this to them, say how sorry I am," Arnold told himself.
"Don't act like the innocent bystander now, I saw the damage you did. You're in pretty serious trouble. Now sit back, and be quiet," the officer said.
Arnold leaned back into the seat, unable to put together where everything went wrong. "What's gonna happen to me?" Arnold asked in polite a tone as he could muster. Arnold saw the office look back at him through the rearview mirror.
"You're being taken downtown, where you'll be booked and bail will be set. If you can't pay the bail you can get a bail bond for ten percent of the bail amount. If you can't do that we'll find you a spot in the correction facility a few states over until your court date," The officer said. The officer had a matter of fact, almost cold tone that started to panic Arnold.
Arnold sat back in the seat. He looked out the window. The early morning sky was still dark. Arnold felt his shoulders getting heavier. He looked once more at the floor. "I can't believe I did this," Arnold said to himself.
The ride down to the police station felt like an entire lifetime to Arnold. He rode in silence, not moving. Arnold felt the lowest he had ever been. Arguing with his father might be a reprieve from this feeling. "Oh my god. I can't believe I hurt those people," Arnold said out loud. He exhaled and dropped his head. Arnold felt the overwhelming sense of heaviness in his stomach. He closed his eyes, a small tear rolled down his cheek. Arnold felt the familiar feeling of an oncoming panic attack. He closed his eyes again and starting breathing slowly, slowly ebbing the panic out of his system.
The cruiser came to a stop. Arnold, jostled from his meditation, looked up seeing the imposing gray concrete building they had come upon. The officer cut the wheel turning into a gated parking lot. The cruiser pulled into a spot and the officer was out the front door. The officer opened the door and pulled Arnold out. Arnold stood three inches taller than the officer. His shoulders much broader. Arnold's shirt was in tatters, covered in blood and ripped at the collar. Arnold looked down and got the full image of how he must look. "Oh god, I look like I killed someone," Arnold said out loud.
"Well you damn near did get moving," the officer said in a flat voice. The officer pointed Arnold toward a door with a large logo stating "Intake" on it. The officer grabbed Arnold's arm and started leading him towards the door. The door opened to an empty room with a counter, surrounded by a cage. An older officer sat at the counter reading a book.
The officer's eyes darted from the book to Arnold's direction and back down to his book. "Ah, a late addition?" The officer said without looking up.
"Yeah, I'm taking him upstairs for booking," the officer said. Arnold looked down at the counter and the officer.
"Alright then, effects?" The officer said, apathetically turning his page. Arnold started to panic again.
"Wallet, keys, and cell phone. I took the I.D. for booking," The officer holding Arnold said.
"Okie dokie. He had I.D., is he over eighteen?" The older officer said, bookmarking his book and pulling out a binder with a pen attached.
"Yeah," The other officer said.
"Name?" The officer said without missing a beat.
After a moment of confusion, the officer holding Arnold nudged him with his elbow. "He means you. Come on, it's late I'd like to get home before the sun comes up," the officer said, forcefully.
"Uh... A-Arnold…. A-Arnold Sh-Shortman…" Arnold finally managed to get out.
"Another public speaker I see," the older officer said as he put down Arnold's information. He reached over to the other officer motioning for Arnold's things, which had been put in individual bags marked evidence.
"Oh my god," Arnold thought to himself. "What have I done? Oh my god" Arnold asked himself again.
"Alright, one wallet containing a student I.D. and seven dollars. One set of keys with a car fob on it. Finally one cell phone. Do we need him to unlock it? Or should we send it to the tech guys?" he asked.
"No, we came upon the scene with plenty of evidence, we won't need it," the arresting officer said. "Kid laid out three college kids, broke one's arm and gave another a concussion," the arresting officer told the other officer.
"Oh my god, are they alright?" Arnold turned and asked, his face full of concern.
"What do you care?" The arresting officer said.
"Nice job kid," the older officer said writing in the ledger without looking up. "Personally, I'd have taken the long odds against you and lost. However, looks like you lost pretty big tonight too," The older officer finished. The officer ripped off a small receipt and slide it to Arnold. "Sign this," he said.
The arresting officer uncuffed one of Arnold's hand and Arnold was able to get them free. He motioned to the slip. Arnold complied and signed the receipt. The arresting officer asked Arnold to put his hand behind his back after he signed. Arnold complied with this as well. The cuffs when back on as quickly as they came off.
"Alright, keep this on your person. You'll need this to get your stuff back," The arresting officer took the slip and shoved it in Arnold's pocket.
"Let's go," The arresting officer said nudging Arnold towards the elevator. "Thanks, Manny, I'll see you later," he said over his shoulder.
"No problem, the older officer said setting aside Arnold's bags of property and going back to his book.
The officer led Arnold to the elevator. They traveled to the third floor where the officer tugged on Arnold to follow him to his desk. The officer directed him to the seat next to his desk. "Alright," the officer started typing on his computer. He looked away from his screen. Like he had made a decision he stood up. He walked over towards the small stand housing a coffee maker.
Arnold took a moment to look around. The floor was almost empty. There was an officer in a dress shirt typing away at his computer. He looked over and saw a room with a glass window and a toilet inside. Arnold's eyes widened.
The officer came back and sat down with his fresh cup of coffee. He took a long swig, while he started to type. He took out the bag holding Arnold's driver's license. He put down his cup and started typing the information from Arnold's license. He typed furiously, trying to go through each line of information.
"Alright, stand up," the officer said rising. He took Arnold by the arm over to a small station set up. "Stand here," the officer said. Arnold complied wordlessly, standing at the line indicated on the floor. "Look forward," Arnold looked forward into a small lens. "Alright, turn to your right," The officer said Arnold turned to face the direction. The officer finished his portrait and took his hands uncuffing him and putting his hands in the front position and cuffing them again. He and Arnold went over to the handprint station where the officer put each of Arnold's fingers onto ink and took his prints.
Arnold complied with each request without issue. Arnold felt his legs almost ready to give out. The officer led him over to what Arnold assumed was the holding cell. The room with the toilet and large window was empty. The officer pushed Arnold into the room and slammed the door. "Put your hands here," the officer said pointing to what looked like a large mail slot in the middle of the door. Arnold complied and put his hands on the small shelf where the slot was. The officer reached in and removed the handcuffs. Arnold rubbed his wrists instinctively.
"Wh-What happens now," Arnold asked in a quiet voice.
"Well, unfortunately for you, you had to start your little brawl in the middle of the night. So it's gonna be a while before you're completely processed. So you're here for the night, have a good one," the officer said coldly and walked away from the room.
Arnold watched the officer go back to his desk and start typing again. He made it about three keystrokes before he pulled out his own cell phone and leaned back, putting his feet on the chair next to his desk. A sharp rap on the window brought Arnold's attention to the older officer he had seen downstairs.
"Hey kid, I need to quarantine that shirt in one of these bags. I can't have you in this place covered in blood. I have a shirt for you," the officer said. He opened the slit and slide a gray t-shirt into the cell. Arnold looked down. Arnold couldn't move. "Kid," the officer said, wrestling Arnold out of his shock with his tone. "Don't make me have to get some guys to hold you down while we change your shirt for you," the officer requested, slightly annoyed.
Arnold took his shirt off and took the new one replacing the bloody shirt on his torso with the new one. He handed his bloody shirt to the officer who was wearing gloves. He shoved the shirt into a red bag and walked away. The floor was quiet again. Arnold exhaled deeply and backed away from the door. He put his back against the far wall, and slide down to the floor.
Arnold put his head between his knees. He let out a large breath. He looked up seeing the full length of the room. He was unable to lift his body, now that he had sat. His eyes were heavy, his body was sore with fatigue. Arnold lifted his arm and felt a sharp pain. He looked down seeing the stitched and bandaged stab wound. "Oh yeah, that happened," Arnold thought to himself.
The room's fluorescent lights assaulted Arnold's eyes, his head started to hurt. The room was intimidating. The empty space, the bland colors everything in service of keeping track of suspects but keeping them subdued. "I wonder if they turn the lights off," Arnold thought to himself.
Arnold looked over seeing the bench next to him. "I'll take anything, I'm so tired," Arnold thought to himself. His body felt heavy. He started to make towards the bench next to him, trying to will himself over to it. Arnold's body finally gave out and fell asleep on the floor next to the bench.
The dreamless sleep seemed to come and go within an instant. Arnold slowly opened his eyes, soon after he had closed them hours before. The lights never stopping their attack on his senses. Arnold raised his head looking around the cell, he made out one figure on the side wall of the cell. Arnold felt dizzy trying to raise himself off the floor. He slipped and slumped back down. A flash of white-hot pain shot through his arm up his shoulder.
"Ahhh" he let out. The figure looked over at him.
"Hey man, you don't look so good," the voice said. Arnold opened his eyes again unable to make out the face.
"I don't think I'm doing too good," Arnold answered in a gravely voice. He raised himself once more and managed to move his body onto the bench against the wall.
"The cops do that to ya? You can sue, you know," the man said. Arnold's vision started to come back. The mysterious voice belonged to an older man. Possibly in his late 40s, black hair with streaks of gray on the sides, dressed in a tattered gray suit.
"Uh, thanks. But it wasn't the police. I just…. I just had a long night," Arnold said rubbing his face.
"Ah, we all have those sometimes," The man answered. "In fact, I'm in here for having too long of a night. If you know what I mean," the man made a gesture with his hand indicating drinking from a bottle. The man started to chuckle. Arnold looked at his feet, without responding. "You have too long a night too?" the man asked.
Arnold looked up. " I guess you can say that," Arnold answered. The man looked at Arnold, his face curious. Arnold exhaled and said "I got into a fight at a party, I got out of control. I got angry and I…" Arnold paused and looked at the man again. He had honest eyes, he reminded him of his mother. "I hurt some people," Arnold finished. Arnold exhaled after finishing and leaned back against the wall.
"Was it that bad?" the man asked.
"I might have kept hurting people had I not stopped," Arnold said. His shoulders dropped and he buried his face in his hands.
"Well, you did stop though," the man said.
"It shouldn't have happened," Arnold said exasperatedly. "I just couldn't stop. All I saw was red, I was like a wild animal," Arnold said. He looked at his hands. Turning them over he saw the red of his knuckles from the dried blood. "Is that all I am? I mindless animal. Just there to do tricks on command, and make other's look good? And sometimes lose it and maul somebody," Arnold continued without realizing what he was saying out loud. "Oh my god the way Helga looked. She looked terrified of me. I would never hurt her, I just…" Arnold trailed off, his eyes starting to water. A long silence passed between the two men.
"Are you though?" the man asked after the silence had stretched.
"What?" Arnold asked.
"Are you an animal?" The man asked.
Arnold looked away from his hands. "What else would you call me?" Arnold asked.
The man shrugged his shoulder and said: "I'd say you're human."
Arnold's eyes narrowed at the man. "What?" he said.
"You see, an animal would do everything you've described and not think anything of it. He wouldn't sit here beating himself up over it," the man said. A moment passed between them. Arnold was confounded by what the man was saying. The man exhaled, got up sat next to Arnold on the bench. He leaned in and put his hand on Arnold's shoulder "You're a man like everyone else. You're a big guy which means you gotta be more careful than most to show that you're not going to use force to get the things you need," the man said. Arnold looked at him for a long time, before turning his eyes to the floor.
"Sounds to me, that you made a mistake. You know it was a mistake. You've been beating yourself up mentally about it. I'm guessing… all night," he said.
Arnold bowed his head looking at the floor. "I guess, I just snapped. I'm trying to fight for who I am. I guess I just wanted to stop being trapped," Arnold said.
"And the cup overflowed, I get it," the man said. Arnold looked at the man befuddled.
"You see everyone is a cup. You get filled with the stresses of life, the demands on our time, what we want, our responsibilities and the cup starts to fill up. We figure out how to drain the cup carefully, but sometimes it all pours in at once and our cups overflow and we make a mess. It happens," Arnold and the man locked eyes. The man's face softened. "The key is to learn to be careful when that happens. So that we don't damage something that might be important," the man finished.
Arnold looked up at him. The man smiled, he had a soft warm smiled. Arnold felt the weight on his back lessen slightly. Arnold smiled back at him. Arnold leaned his back once more on the wall. The man went back to the opposite bench.
Outside the cell, the morning went on. Officers darting back and forth. Arnold wasn't sure how long he had been asleep for. He craned his neck and looked over. The desk that the officer who arrested him was empty and the computer screen was off.
"Feels better to talk it out huh?" The man asked.
"Yeah…" Arnold answered after a beat.
"Well, now that you've done that.," the man sat up and looked at Arnold. "I'm an attorney. So the next time you need to talk through a potential crime, I suggest you shut the fuck up until you talk to an attorney who is not currently in a holding cell," The man said with a sardonic smile. He started to chuckle and Arnold started a laugh with him.
"I'm Arnold by the way," Arnold said holding out his hand.
The man took his hand and returned a firm handshake. "Simon, assistant district attorney for the city," the man said.
"Really?" Arnold asked, taken aback by the revelation.
"Yep, even us city officials get a little too drunk and throw eggs at patrol cars," Simon said with a laugh.
Arnold laughed in response. Simon stretched out his legs and made like he was going to take a nap on the hard surface. The two men sat with the white noise of business as usual outside the cell to occupy their ears. Arnold looked over to see if he could find a clock. Arnold searched the walls outside the cell and saw nothing. Arnold's attention was caught when a gruff voice cut through the quiet.
"Shortman, Arnold Shortman, you in there?" the voice came from the other side. Arnold looked and stood from the bench making his way over to the door.
"I'm Arnold Shortman," Arnold said.
"Perfect," The officer said. He opened the door and motioned for Arnold to come with him. "Counselor," the man called over to Simon.
"Hey there Bobby," Simon said as he waved casually to the officer.
"My name is Sargent Cole, I've been put in charge of your case and I wanted to talk about it. Come with me," he said.
"Remember kid, attorney," Simon said flippantly, earning a hard look from the Sargent.
The officer held open the door for Arnold. "You're not cuffing me?" Arnold said.
"No," the Sargent said. Sargent Cole lead Arnold into the bullpen. He stopped at a desk, with his name on it. "Take a seat," he said. Arnold complied and sat, Sargent Cole followed by sitting at his desk. "Alright then Mr. Shortman," Cole began, Arnold sat shifting in the seat. The dread started to well up again.
"I want to start by letting you know, that we are not pursuing charges of any kind at this point," The Sargent said.
Arnold's hearing went out momentarily and the buzzing noise had come back. His heart rate started to go up the moment he had sat. "Wait, what? Can you repeat that?" Arnold said.
"I said, we are not pursuing charges at this point. You are free to go," the Sargent repeated.
"What? Why?" Arnold asked, still unsure he had heard correctly.
"Well let me break it down to you. The arresting officer originally put felony assault. Which would be true. Putting someone in the hospital is a felony. However, you put someone in the hospital in self-defense," The Sargent said. Arnold sat looking at him, the confusion still apparent in his face. The officer exhaled.
"I'm confused, I hurt those guys," Arnold said.
"Well yeah, but you did so after three of them instigated the attack. In fact, two of them could be up on charges of assault with a deadly weapon. Since they not only started the attack, but they realized they started a fight with the wrong guy out came the knives," Cole said.
"You weren't there though, how could have gotten the complete situation in a couple of hours? Didn't interview people?" Arnold asked.
"Oh we did, we got about ten statements, all saying the same thing. You did everything you could to avoid a fight. Even taking a couple shots most men would not have allowed to happen. Those guys seemed to have been looking for trouble, and boy did they find it," Cole said with a small smile. "We also had a great deal of video evidence. Apparently, everyone with a smartphone recorded the incident. And we even had the host of the party come in this morning and hand over the security recording," Cole said.
"Rhonda came? She has cameras in her house?" Arnold asked, suddenly confused again.
"Her dad certainly does," Cole said tossing the file onto his desk and crossing his arms.
"You see, son this much police work wouldn't usually happen overnight. However, are you familiar with a young woman named Helga Pataki?" Cole asked.
Arnold perked up. "Yeah, is she alright?" Arnold asked.
"What's your relationship with her?" Cole asked.
"I've known her my whole life, she's my girlfriend," Arnold said.
"Ah, that explains it," Cole said. He leaned back in his chair. "She's fine, pretty upset but fine so far as I can tell," Cole said. He sighed and rubbed his eyes with his fingers. "She's been downstairs all night long arguing with every person with a badge who would look at her. Screaming about how her boyfriend is being persecuted, that he did nothing wrong and how we used excessive force to detain him. It's been a loud morning in the lobby. I finally had enough about two minutes into getting into the door and I took her into an office to talk to her. She spent the next two hours arguing with me to get you out of here. So, instead of arresting her and going through the paperwork I just took a look at your file. You have no record, so I looked through everything and talked to the district attorney's office. They're not interested in pursuing you for anything, given the circumstances in the case. So you're free to go," Cole finished.
Arnold sat for a moment, he leaned back in the chair. A small smile crept across his face, imagining Helga wanting to fight the entire police department. "Wow…" was all Arnold could get out.
"Yeah…" Cole answered. "You're a lucky man, she really loves you," Cole finished turning to his desk and writing something down. He turned back to Arnold. "Well, property is on the first floor. If you take the elevator down and it should be on your right. Helga should be waiting for you in the lobby," Cole said. He turned back and started writing something on Arnold file.
"Wow, thank you," Arnold said flatly. He sat in the chair. His world felt so precious suddenly. Arnold's dread started to lift as his rubbed his stomach. Cole looked up seeing Arnold still there.
"You're free to go, kid. Go on. Stay out of trouble," Cole said waiving Arnold off.
Arnold got to his feet and stiffly turned and made his way to the elevator. He walked in slowly and stood not moving. "What floor?" an annoyed voice coming from the woman standing next to him. "Uh, f-first, first floor," Arnold piped up. She pressed the button for one and the doors shut. The elevator creaked into motion, slowly descending to the first floor.