The Road Not Taken

Chapter 33

October 20, 1974

John Beckett was glad that Sam was being released from the Terre Haute Sanatorium. He had been embarrassed that his son had such a weakness. He'd often thought, as Sam was growing up, there was something odd about him. He loved his child, of course, but Sam just wasn't the same as other children.

Thelma seemed to take it in stride, even seeking out "child development experts" to help Sam develop what she called his gifts. John just didn't understand how a child could read at age two, be able to play piano better than anyone he'd ever heard by age 4, do what was called higher mathematics in his head at age 5, and all the other things Sam did so well. That was all well and good, but life on a farm required more brawn than brain. Not that Sam's brain hadn't been a godsend on several occasions. It had allowed him to save a bit on the cost of feed and seed, or figure out the acreage necessary to optimize his land usage. Sam's ideas had especially benefited both the Beckett family and the community in general when he came up with Farmer's Market concept which had allowed several farms to survive, Sam's family's included.

John was proud of his son for many things. Sam had followed his older son in everything he did. Tom had taken to farming and because Tom did, Sam did as well. Even if Tom did it from the standpoint of practicality, Sam would do the same thing; over and over again until he could do it was well as his big brother. Tom was the person Sam had always strived the hardest to please.

The night Sam had gone to Terre Haute Sanatorium, John hadn't been sure what to think. Sam had always been a quiet, sensitive child from the moment he was born. Tom had screamed like holy hell when the midwife smacked his butt. Sam had taken in his lungful of air, made a few cries of protest about his displacement from his nine-month home and then simply looked. It wasn't a dull look, but was as if there was a fully integrated intelligence in that small body. It had been unnerving. The midwife that had delivered both boys at the farmhouse had said she'd never seen such a thing.

The night of Katie's funeral, though, it was as if Sam's mind had become trapped, become unable to cope with life. It had scared John more than anything he'd had to face before. Having lost two of his three children, he didn't want to lose Sam as well - especially not to a mental hospital.

The past few months, Sam had shown great improvement, coming back to the world, and having his unique personality reassert itself. He'd been meeting with his lawyer, Marcus Bennett, and other experts. It was John's understanding that they wanted to mount a defense based on Sam becoming "temporarily insane." They had used Sam's time at Terre Haute Sanatorium, which had postponed his trial date until after he was released, after he'd started getting better to probe his mind, to figure out the entire story of what had happened.

From what John had gleaned, Sam had been in a state of dissociation and that had led to what the doctor's referred to as a Post Traumatic Stress induced catatonia.

He thought back to the family history and the secret that he'd never told the children or even his wife when they'd asked about the Beckett family line. He recalled the day when he'd found his cousin Randall and his Aunt Mary dead in their house, their throats slashed. His mother had asked him to go over and deliver the pie that she'd made for them. He'd run back home in a panic, telling his mother of what he'd seen. His mother had sent him to his room and had called the sheriff. All John knew after that for certain was his father's cousin, James Beckett, had been found later that day, plowing the acreage furthest from the house. He'd later been found guilty of the murders and had been declared insane. The thought that Sam may be insane as well saddened him greatly. He shook his head.

John looked up the road to the farm knowing that Sam would return home today. His lawyer had gone to Terre Haute Sanatorium to pick him up, planning to spend the drive back to the farm with him regarding the planned defense. Mr. Bennett had called and told them they would be there by 3:00 p.m. It was 2:30 now.

John saw a car driving up the long drive toward the house and recognized it as Mr. Bennett's. As it got closer, he could see his son sitting on the passenger side. The car stopped and Sam opened the door and stepped out. John noticed that his son looked leaner than he'd ever seen him. Sam had never been heavy but now, his clothes seemed to hang on him. It reminded John of the soldiers who were released from P.O.W. camps back when he had fought in WWII. As Sam walked up to him, he saw sadness in his son's eyes that he'd never seen before.

John was cautious as he approached Sam. He certainly didn't want to set him off and have him return to the way they had found him that night. "Hello, Sam."

Sam looked towards his father. "Dad." The word was said with respect and love but also with a bit of trepidation as if he was stepping on eggshells.

"Your mother has lunch waiting," John stated, matter of factly. Then as if to make sure that this was acceptable, asked. "Are you hungry?"

"A little" Sam replied, cautiously.

John nodded. "Well, then. Let's get you into the house." He walked over to take Sam's arm.

Sam waved him off. "I'm okay, Dad. Really." He gave a slight grin, as if trying to convey much more.

John dropped his hands. "All right, Sam. If you say so. You let me know if you need my help though."

The younger man nodded before walking up the steps to the front porch. His mother met him at the door, rushing out and hugging him tightly. Sam hugged her back, then they walked into the house.

John stayed back, turning to the Mr. Bennett. "Did the doctor's give you any instructions? Tell you anything about how we should treat him?"

Marcus Bennett looked over to his client's father, again trying to size up the man. After what Sam had told him, he felt he needed to have this man understand what the reality of his son's position was. "Your son is fine, sir. He's had a rough four months but he is all right now. Just treat him as you always have. That's what he needs most."

John shook his head. "You weren't here that night. I don't want Sam facing anything like that again. I'm afraid that's what will happen if we're not careful."

The lawyer took a breath, considering his words before speaking them. "Sam went through some things that no human being should ever have to face. His mind just protected itself the best way it could, but he's been learning to deal with those memories," Marcus explained. "That's been one positive about the Vietnam War. They've done a lot of research on Post Traumatic Stress Disorders and how the mind reacts to such strong, negative stimuli.

John looked down at the ground, not wanting to ask the question but wanting to know the answer. "Is he crazy?"

"No, Mr. Beckett. He's not crazy." The answer came quickly and was said firmly. "But he was temporarily insane. The doctors all concur on that point."

"Insane." John tried the word out in his mouth. It hurt him deeply to believe his son had crossed that line. His gentle son, the one of his children that most wanted to find comfort in the strong arms of his father until he'd reached an age when he'd pushed away from him, doing his best to stand strong on his own, like his brother. John thought back to that time, right after Sam had started school.

The lawyer again tried to explain. "Temporarily insane. There is a difference. When your daughter's head exploded, Sam's mind couldn't deal with it. He reacted but not with conscious thought. It took a few days before all the things added up but eventually, everything became too much for him. That's why he shut down. It won't happen again."

John didn't feel the lawyer needed to know the Beckett's shameful history and so he claimed, "Well, no Beckett has ever been insane before."

Marcus wanted to shake the man, get him to understand that Sam wasn't insane. Rather, he'd reacted to an insane situation. "Sir, you need to get over that. Pleading temporary insanity is the best defense we can mount. It will keep your son from prison. There is no doubt that he killed your daughter's husband. We won't be able to prove him innocent except by reason of temporary insanity. Anything else will lead to prison for your son. I guarantee you don't want that for him."

John turned to the man, annoyance that the man would say such a thing to him filling his face. "Oh course I don't want that for him!" He took a breath, and then stated quietly and sadly, "But if he has to pay for killing someone, even that sorry son-in-law, then I guess that will be what happens. You just figure out a way to keep Sam from having to pay too high a price. If you'll excuse me?" John turned and left the lawyer standing in the yard, heading up to the house.

Marcus had a sick feeling that this would not work out as well as he had hoped. He'd seen this type of reaction to the idea of temporary insanity before. No one wanted to believe that there could be such a distinction. You were either insane or you weren't. Sam had indicated a fear of this on the way back in the car, telling him that his father would not take kindly to such a defense. His client had asked him to find something else. Something that would allow him to serve the shortest sentence possible. It was amazing how the two men converged on that same point both stubbornly focused on ignoring the reality of the situation.

Well, you could lead a horse to water but you couldn't make him drink. He would try again, of course, but he'd also start seeing what other pleas might be possible. Perhaps, if the Beckett's weren't ready to accept the best situation, they would accept another option. Certainly this man was not guilty of third degree murder. From his point of view, he was truly innocent. He sighed. Sometimes even the innocent had to pay a price.

He turned and walked back to his car. As he pulled away, he saw the farmhouse recede in his rear view mirror.

[END BOOK ONE

Author's Note: I've started the second book, Metamorphasis. I hope to start posting soon. Thank you for reading…