Caught in the monkey jar: Blackbeard Interludes
Heroes and villains- (the beach boys.)
"Frank! This is a surprise!" said Sara warily "Today might not be a good day…"
"Hell Sara, none of them have been that great apart from when Jack touched down on US soil again..."
"Yeah."
"He in?"
"In back. You can try but don't say that I didn't warn you."
"That thing at the hospital was a while ago now…"
"I heard all about it."
Jack was in the kitchen -it was time for his antibiotics and painkillers. He got the small bottles out, struggling with the childproof caps. He stopped and listened for a minute. Sara was fighting his battles for him like he wasn't there, invisible, useless dammit. Treating him like he was an invalid.
"Uncle Frank, unca Frank!" yelled Charlie.
"Charlie my boy, lookin' good…"
That did it. Jack limped as fast as he could round the side of the house to the front.
"Jack." said Frank uncertainly. Charlie's arms still wrapped round his neck.
"Charlie, come here now!"
"But unc Frank's here! We havin a barbeque daddy?"
"No. Go away Frank. Told you once. I never want to see you again."
"Jack, listen to me!"
"NO! I already heard plenty. Put my son down and walk away from me, my kid and my wife."
"Daddy?" Charlie didn't understand what was going on as Frank gently let him down.
"Sorry Charlie. I love you. . I tried to help your dad remember that."
Jack took two steps nearer, and Frank raised his hands in surrender.
"I'm going if that's what you really want, but under protest."
"I don't care."
Sara looked at Jack and back at Frank, torn. She stepped closer and gave him a quick hug and kiss on the cheek "You tried, he'll come round. Give it time. Take care Frank."
"You too."
"Don't go, unca Frank!"
"Got my marching orders, son. I only stopped by anyway…"
"Are you coming back?"
"I don't know, Charlie."
"Why not?"
"That depends on your dad," he glanced back at Jack who was still glowering at them all.
"Daddy, why can't unc Frank stay today?" but Jack didn't answer.
Frank knew he was only making things worse by staying. He turned round and walked back to his car.
Charlie followed him.
"Charlie, come back!" called Jack, and he set off across the grass after his son. But before he'd gone more than a step or two Sara asked him.
"What are you doing?"
"Getting Charlie."
"What are you're going to do? Drag him back?"
"So what DO you want me to do?"
"He's five years old, he doesn't understand why his Uncle Frank can't come round anymore just because you say so. If you can explain it to him, please tell me, I need to understand. This is hard for Frank and Nancy too."
"Seems like you care more about Frank's feelings, what happens to him or what he wants!" said Jack hotly. Frank heard and walked back towards the couple.
"That was a low blow, even for you Jack. Leave Sara out of it. Just you and me. Apologise to Sara or I will kick your ass - injured or not, you stupid son of a bitch."
Charlie unsettled by the yelling and byplay ran back to Sara's protection.
"I don't have to do anything you say, not since you left me for dead!" Sara got worried as the two men squared up to each other.
"I told you…"
"Shut up!"
Fortunately the base hospital van arrived before it got ugly, and Sara hated ugly. They'd all forgotten it was his regular appointment at the base hospital for therapy. Jack felt embarrassed, especially as Frank was right there this time. The driver got out and opened the sliding door, waiting for Jack to get in.
"Looks like your ride is here, Jack," said Frank with a neutral face. He did not pity Jack, he just wanted him to get better so he could have his friend back.
"Like you care!" spat Jack, not moving an inch. "Six months and it still ain't fuckin'over! Don't you get it yet, Frank?"
"Okay, I'm going! No use talking to you when you're like this. Talk to me when you've calmed down." and Frank got in his car and drove away in a squeal of rubber.
"The hell I will!" Jack called after him before turning back to the house.
"Aren't you going?" Sara nodded towards the van
"No!"
"Jack, you have to go…"
"Oh for crying out loud!" and he limped back to the van "Happy now?" he called as it drove off.
Sara spent the time until he came back trying to console Charlie. She was angry at Jack for hurting everybody. She understood his reasons but surely he could forgive? She had something else to be angry about when she went into the kitchen later. She waited for him to return. The wait was shorter than usual. She didn't pity him, she tried not to mollycoddle him, but she had to tell him about the pills.
She waited until he was inside the house and Charlie was playing in the garden out back before asking him how he was, as he slowly made his way to the couch. PT did him good but was painful and tiring. She filled a glass with water and placed it in front of him.
"Actually, I'm kinda wiped," he said as he picked up the glass.
"I'm not surprised, what with Frank turning up and then doing PT. Did you take your pills before coming out?"
"Yeah, I think…….oh…"
"You left them open on the counter in the kitchen. It's okay I put them away."
"Sara, I never meant to leave them out. I saw Frank out the front..."
"And you saw red, I know. And we agreed to have some medications downstairs as long as they were out of Charlie's reach."
"It won't happen again."
"I know it won't. Just thought I'd mention it."
"No wonder PT was such a pain in the ass today. I was supposed to take those pills." He started to get up.
"No- I'll get them, and more water. You're settled."
"I'm sorry, really sorry for what I said earlier. You don't deserve that from me- or anyone come to that. And about the pills. But as for Frank, I can't… Not yet, it's too soon like some other things. But I'm not giving in."
"It's not a matter of giving in. You've been back two and a bit months, Jack. Give it some time. What about Charlie? I've spoken to him but you need to talk to him too."
"I'll think of something."
"Can you talk to him soon before he thinks it's something he did?"
Jack stirred on the lounger; he'd heard something inside the house. The something appeared at the corner of his vision. "Daddy." it said. He let out his breath.
"What's up kiddo, it's very late."
"Can't sleep, daddy."
"Oh."
"Mommy was asleep, an' you weren't there so I looked for you."
Charlie suddenly shivered, barefoot in his pj's.
"C'mere." Jack said, lifting the blanket he had, and his son scooted in, snuggling against his chest, all elbow and knees. But he was warm and real and right now his son needed him. Jack wrapped an arm round him and settled the blanket over them.
"You have a bad dream, Charlie?" he asked warily. He'd had that big final, very public, argument with Frank yesterday and he knew all about bad dreams. Charlie shook his head.
"What then?"
Charlie shrugged. "Why are you out here?"
"I couldn't sleep either and came out to look at the stars. It's a beautiful night."
Charlie peered at them too. "Could you see them over there? Where you were?"
"Sometimes."
"Oh."
"I was in a different country not another planet; I just saw a slightly different part of the night sky."
"What about unca Frank, could he see your stars?"
"I guess so."
"Oh."
"Would it make you feel better that he could?" He felt Charlie nodding against his chest. "Then I'm sure he did."
"Did you see people hurting each other? Andy at school says there was a big battle and lots of people got killed. But I told him you were a pilot."
"That's right, I am a pilot, but sometimes I jump out of the plane and work on the ground. You remember I told you about the parachutes? I saw some fighting."
"Was Unca Frank where you were fighting?"
"Yes and three others."
"I know Unca Frank came home. What about the others, daddy? Were they with you?"
"No Charlie."
"Oh."
"It's okay."
"Where were they? Where did they go?"
"We almost lost one in the fight, but they made it back to the helicopter with Frank."
"What about you, daddy?"
"Got into a fight, got hurt."
"Like when I felled off my bike an scraped my whole arm, daddy?"
"Kind of, but a lot, lot worse. Frank thought I was dead and there were more enemy soldiers on the way. He had to bug out."
"But you weren't dead, daddy, just hurt."
"I know, kiddo, but he thought I was."
"But he told us you were coming home." Charlie was confused.
"Yes. He knows I'm okay now- he didn't then. He thought he did the right thing."
"Is that why you shouted at him yesterday?"
"Yes."
"Oh."
"It wasn't anything you did or said. It's just something between Uncle Frank and me. I was surprised to see him and I got mad. You and your mom just happened to be there."
"So when can he come back to see us?"
"I really don't know."
"Oh." There was a pause. "So you got captured by the nemeny soldiers?"
"I did."
"Did you escape?"
"I tried, but they made it very hard to get away. That's why I was away so long." Jack was trying valiantly to reconcile his own version of events with his small son's vision of being captured by pirates or smugglers on a deserted island. It was the only was he could understand the idea of capture and being held prisoner.
"Were you the only one there?"
"No, there were lots of others Why?"
"I didn't want you to be on your own."
Jack couldn't explain to his small son that he had been alone for most of the time; he was surrounded by others in the same situation. All trying to stay alive, all trying to get out one way or another.
"I thought about you every day." Jack murmured as he kissed Charlie's forehead.
"So did me and mommy."
Jack had forgotten the inquisitive mind of small children, leaping from one idea to another.
"I told my friend Andy you were a hero like Superman, and that's why you couldn't write or phone us while you were over there."
"Charlie you know I'm not Superman!"
"Why not? Mommy said you went there to help people."
"Your mom's right. But I'd never wear the cape and tights."
"Well I don't care, you're still mine" said Charlie sleepily.
"Thanks buddy. And you're mine and your mom's always. That's why I came back."
"Did the stars help you find your way home?"
"In a way."
"Tell me. What's that one, daddy…?"
"The one that looks like a funny dog or the triangle one…."
"Don't be silly, daddy!"
Inside the house Sara sat at the bottom of the stairs and wiped her eyes before silently padding out to peer round the patio door at the sight of her husband and son wrapped together on the sun lounger pointing at the stars.