Thank you as always for the lovely reviews! I genuinely wish I had a chance to sit down and update this story far more regularly than I do. Hopefully it will not be as long between updates next time. Thank you for your patience!
Chapter Sixteen: Uncertainty
Danny was in a jovial mood as he drove to the police station. "It's a proud day for a father when his first born is starin' down the barrel of criminal charges," Danny sniggered. "You are startin' to build up quite a record Darryl. Your first juvie stint shouldn't be too far away now. Today could be the day."
Heath looked at Brax with worry etched on his face, but Brax shook his head in an attempt to reassure him that Danny was only teasing. In reality Brax had no idea what was going to happen to him. He knew that there were countless witnesses of the fight, including several teachers. If the police wanted to make an example of him, they had all the evidence they needed. Brax handed Heath some bacon rinds that he had swiftly grabbed off Danny's dirty breakfast plates before they had rushed out the door. Heath quickly shoveled down the bacon scraps and nodded his thanks towards Brax. As he went to bite down on the last piece he realised that Brax hadn't kept any for himself. He handed the final bacon rind to Brax, but he shook his head and pushed it back towards Heath. It was then that Heath noticed how unwell Brax was looking. His lips were blue and there were beads of sweat covering his forehead. Heath again tried to offer the last of the bacon to Brax but he turned his head from Heath and stared out the window.
Danny pulled up outside the Mangrove River Police Station and all three Braxton boys got out of the car. Brax's heart began to race as they walked through the familiar doors. He had been in this dreaded building more times than he cared to remember. It was a rare week when police weren't summonsing one member of the Braxton family. "Darryl! You finally decided to show your face." Constable Ashton Cooper chided. "Please make your way over to the interview room and you will need to be present Mr Braxton. You both know the way," he instructed, the distain evident in his voice.
"Wait out here and don't move!" Danny barked at Heath and Heath solemnly made his way over to the waiting room chairs.
Brax walked into the police interview room and sat down next to his father. The room was dull and cold but Brax was burning up and had sweat pouring down his face. The police officers sat opposite the Braxton's with stony looks on their faces. "Darryl, this is Constable Ben Green and he will be helping me conduct this interview today," Ashton Cooper explained. "You have the right to have a lawyer present if you would like."
"We're not payin' for a lawyer," Danny injected.
"We can contact the Legal Aid Youth department and they will provide somebody to help," Constable Cooper explained.
"He doesn't need a lawyer!" Danny Braxton barked. "Darryl's not answerin' any of ya questions unless ya charge him."
"Please keep quiet Mr Braxton. We are here to question your son," a frustrated Ashton Cooper sighed. "Now Darryl, do you know why we have called you in for questioning?" Brax sat still and stared down at his hands that were resting on the table. He was feeling hot and dizzy and short of breath. Ashton Cooper sighed and continued. "It's in your best interests to co-operate with us Darryl, do you understand that?"
Brax nodded.
"Right! We received two separate complaints about you yesterday and both parties decided to press charges. One is an alleged assault charge and the other is an alleged theft and trespassing charge," Ashton Cooper informed.
"Did you steal fruit from your neighbour's tree yesterday morning?" Constable Green questioned. Brax continued to look down. "Did you get into a punch-up at school?"
"Are youse deaf? I told youse, Darryl is not answerin' ya questions, so either charge him or we're outta here," Danny growled and stood up. He grabbed Brax by the arm and tried to yank him up. "Let's go son."
"Sit down Mr Braxton!" Ashton Copper yelled. Danny begrudgingly sat back down. "Darryl we have enough evidence to charge you with both offences, regardless of your assistance in this interview. I was hoping we could avoid further legal action but based on your lack of cooperation and remorse I am starting to think otherwise."
"So you have nothing to say Darryl?" the frustration was clear in Ben Green's voice.
Brax could hear the adults in the room speaking but he was finding it hard to concentrate on what was being said. The room was spinning and the words were all blending together. All he could focus on was getting enough air into his lungs.
"You have left us with no choice Darryl," the constable exhaled. "My previous warnings have obviously been a waste of time, so this time we will be taking the matter further."
"Are ya chargin' him?" Danny questioned.
Ashton Cooper looked at Darryl Braxton. The boy did not look well but he could not let that cloud his judgment. Ashton knew that a detention centre was no place for a 12-year-old boy but Darryl Braxton was running out of second chances. Ashton had issued him a handful of official warnings in the past and none of them had deterred the boy from crossing the line. Now the time had come to take action. Ashton had always known this day would come. With parents like his, it was inevitable that Darryl would end up behind bars one day. "I will be referring the matter onto the Juvenile Court," Ashton Cooper stated. "Darryl, we will have to hold you here until a probation officer can come and hear your case. They will decide whether or not you will have to face court."
"How long will that take?" Danny queried.
"No more than 24 hours." Ashton turned to his colleague. "Can you please escort Darryl to the holding cell Constable?"
Danny Braxton patted his son on the shoulder. "Don't worry son. I'm sure the pigs will take good care of ya." He leaned in and whispered in Brax's ear, "and I'll take good care of Heath while you're gone," he smirked.
Brax turned to Danny with a look of horror on his face. He didn't know what was happening. Gone? Gone where? Constable Ben Green grabbed Brax tightly around his upper arm and dragged him to his feet. He pulled him out of the interview room and into the waiting room, where Brax saw Heath. "Brax!" Heath called out. "Brax where are they taking you?" Heath rushed over and grabbed his brother's hand.
Ben Green roughly swatted Heath's hand away. "Let go boy. Your brother is headed for the lock up."
Brax tried to break free of the constable's grip, so he could reassure his brother, but he was so weak and the officer's hold was too tight. Danny strolled back into the waiting room and the officer called out to him. "Mr Braxton, please come and control your son."
Danny grabbed Heath and pulled him back. "Your brother is stayin' and we're goin' Now quit your whinin'."
Brax could still hear Heath's sobs as he was hauled into a narrow passageway. At the end of passageway were two sets of prison bars. Constable Green released his hold on Brax and unlocked the first row of bars. He pushed Brax to walk a few more paces forward before they came to the second row of bars. Ben Green opened the cell door and shoved Brax inside. Brax flinched as the bars slammed shut behind him.
"Make yourself at home," the constable jeered.
Brax turned to see Constable Green getting his keys ready to lock the outer set of bars. "What's happening?" Brax hoarsely cried. He grabbed hold of the bars. "Why am I here?"
The policeman laughed. "You really are as stupid as you look Darryl," he said before locking the cell door and walking off.
"I need to go home to my brother," Brax sobbed but the police officer did not turn around and Brax was left alone in the cell.
Brax looked around the cell. It was empty except for a bed, a toilet and a small sink. The thin mattress was covered with a dirty grey sheet and a small flat pillow lay on top. Sweat continued to drip down Brax's face and his brain felt all fuzzy. The room was spinning and everything was aching. He felt so confused and he had no idea what was going on. All he knew was that he needed to get back to Heath. Brax held onto the bars to steady himself, before stepping over to the bed and collapsing down onto the mattress. He crawled into a ball and cried.
Ben Green strolled into Ashton's office. "Did you get hold of the Juvenile Court?"
"Yeah, they can't send an officer out here until tomorrow, so the Braxton boy will have to stay overnight."
"That should give him a good scare even if the juvenile officers decide to drop the case."
"Yeah. Hey listen…" Ashton slowly started. "Do you think the kid is OK? He seemed pretty disorientated when you were taking him to the cell." Ashton had originally thought Brax was putting on some kind of sympathy act during the interview, but now he was starting to feel uneasy about how sick the boy looked.
"He is probably just crapping himself because he has to spend some time in the lock up. Don't worry about it."
"Yeah, you're probably right."
-x-
Later that evening, Ashton decided he should be the one to take Darryl Braxton's dinner to him and explain that he would have to stay in the cell overnight. As he approached the cell, he was confronted with an alarming sight. The boy was huddled in a ball, shaking profusely. Ashton quickly unlocked the cell door and ran over to him. "Darryl? Darryl can you hear me?"
Brax did not open his eyes or respond. Ashton tried to gently shake him awake and he was shocked by how hot he felt. "Hey, I need help over here!" he yelled out, hoping one of his colleagues would hear him and quickly come to his aid. Ben Green came running when he heard the call. "We need to get this boy to the hospital immediately!"
-x-
"Good evening Officers," Dr Sidney Jones approached the two men and shook their hands.
"Good evening Doc," Ashton nodded. "How's Darryl?"
"He is in a bad way, but he should pull through," the doctor smiled. "It is a good thing you got him here when you did."
"What's wrong with him?" Ben inquired. He was trying hard not to feel guilty for ignoring the obvious warning signs of the boy's ill heath.
"He has quite a severe case of pneumonia," the doctor explained. "It is the result of a rib injury he sustained a couple of weeks ago."
"Have you been able to get a hold of his father?"
"No not yet, but based on my last dealings with the man, I'm not surprised." Dr Jones sadly replied.
"No, he isn't exactly in the running for any Father of the Year awards," Ashton sighed. He turned to his partner. "Ben, can you drive over to the Braxton residence and inform Mr Braxton that his son is in hospital. I'll stay here. The boy is still in police custody, so I'll keep guard."
"It's been a long day Coop. Are you sure you don't want me to get one of the other fellas to come down here to take over?"
"Nah, I'll stay." Ashton turned to Dr Jones. "Can you point me in the direction of Darryl's room?"
"Sure, follow me."