Chapter 19

"Okay Miss DeSoto do you need some help to get down from that chair?"

"A little bit please," Jenny asked as she started to use her feet against the chair rails to try and scoot herself closer to the edge of the seat.

"Would you like your Daddy or your Uncle to help you?"

"I don't think that policeman with the gun will let my Daddy help me," Jenny spoke softly only intending the judge to hear her.

"He will, if I tell him to." The judge smiled, he wanted to laugh but realized how frightening this room was to a child of Jenny's age.

With a nod and a wave of a hand Roy was allowed to come forward and lift his plaster confined daughter into his arms and give her a reassuring hug as he carried her to her mother who gave her a kiss on the cheek before her father sat her down in a chair before returning to his.

"Mr. Olsen," The judge addressed as he looked over several pieces of paper on his desk. "I see you have several other juveniles on your list of witnesses. Do any of them have anything new to add to this case?"

"They each have their own story your Honor but they will all confirm that my client Mr. DeSoto did in no way instruct them in any form of combat. Only that they were allowed to meet in his home to discuss the treatment they have been getting from fellow students at school."

"Thank you, you may be seated." The judge instructed before picking up other papers and looking them over.

"Mr. Malcolm?" The prosecuting attorney rose to his feet at the judges understood command, but remained behind the table at attention. "DO you have any other evidence that the defendant, Mr. DeSoto had any involvement in the altercations that took place at the school?"

Mr. Malcolm looked down at his papers laying on the table in front of him and then at his client before he very unwillingly looked to the judge, "No your Honor."

"In that case I find no evidence what so ever to substantiate the charges filed against the defendant and no reason to continue this hearing or to bind Roy DeSoto over for trial. Case dismissed."

There was still enough seriousness to be dealt with in a court of law concerning the altercations at the school. That in it's self kept the gathered group from sending up near defining cheers but there were loud sighs of relief and any one with in reach, reached out and gave Roy a slap on the back or the shoulder as he hugged his wife before taking hold of his children's hands.

The psychologist that had been working with the children to help them overcome the trauma of the incident had already made arrangements for a room for the family to gather in after the hearing. They were quickly guided there and as Roy entered behind his family he noticed his brothers from the department taking up positions to guard the door.

The Children were encouraged to talk about what had happened and their feelings. It was no surprise that they were still frightened of Mr. Bunker or that they were scared of the numerous up coming trials they would have to attend and testify at since each one of the boys involved were being tried individually and there was still the trial for Mr. Bunker that had the biggest fear. When they were through talking the children were again assured that they were loved and that they had done nothing wrong nor were any of their feelings wrong. They were told again that they could talk to their parents about any thing and would not get in trouble for what ever they said.

When the talking was over the DeSoto family made their way to their car with an accompaniment of off duty firemen to stand in the way of the press that had lots of questions they wanted to film the family answering. Roy was grateful for his department brothers, the press knew the answers they were seeking they could live with out their faces on the TV screen and front pages of the news papers.

Mr. Bunker was held with out bail pending the out come of his trial. Pending the outcome of the rest of the trials Mr. Bunker's class was relocated to a more secure facility. Not something their parents were happy about. The former Marine substitute teacher spoke to the school board in behalf of the students and worked things out so that they would not be treated as prisoners during their school time. Some of the boys had some harsh restrictions after school but during the school hours they were treated the same as the rest of the boys as the whole class was taught that fighting was always and only a last resort. A curriculum of non violent problems solving was implemented along with a very rugged physical fitness program that seemed to be bringing about even greater results than Mr. Bunker could claim. Of course they still had to learn their Math, English and science in addition to the special curriculum.

The following week Chris returned to school with supervised indoor recesses for a while until his stomach muscle healed. Allen had been moved to another class so he didn't have to go to the secured facility with the rest of Mr. Bunker's students since he was still in a cast he was allowed to stay with Chris and play board games during recess.

Jenny however couldn't go back to school just yet. With her arms and shoulders casted the way they were she could not do any school work and any effort to do so was frustrating and painful as the effort aggravated her shoulder and collar bone. A student Aid would come by every other day to spend an hour or more if deemed needed to help Jenny stay up on her school work and all the reports and assignments were given verbally.

Also with the confinement of the casts Jenny couldn't get a spoon to her mouth so she had to be hand feed. Help was offered by Miss Marlow from protective services but JoAnne assured her that she could handle the job and she was allowed to. Jenny also needed help going to the bathroom since she couldn't pull her pants down herself or clean up after the fact because the casts wouldn't let her arms move that way. It would be a while before she would return to school but she welcomed visits from her teacher who brought get well notes from her classmates.

Mother and daughter spend hours just sitting and talking. Sharing each other's feelings and thoughts on how to solve the problems of the world and what to fix for dinner and everything in between, it all somehow filled the days.

In the quiet of the evening after the children were tucked into their beds JoAnne marveled at the thoughts that came from her children. Counseling was paying off and they were beginning to come to grips with everything but Jo and Roy were determined to keep the counseling going through all the trials that lay ahead.

It was learned that some form of counseling was being given to the rest of the students with some needing more than others but that things were getting back to normal, for the students that is. The School board was being very aggressive at finding out how such a problem could go on for as long as it did with out someone noticing. An advocacy group was showing them what they didn't want to know, that it was going on else where also.

Mrs. Baldwin was finally released from the hospital but required to spend most of her time in bed. A social worker was assigned to keep an eye on the situation and several of the neighbors came forward to help out and soon her refrigerator was filled with meals that could easily be reheated. When the word got out that Mr. Bunker targeted the Baldwin children because of their worn out, and out grown clothes; boxes and bags of gently used and out grown clothing came for everywhere for the children to wear, they thought it was Christmas. There were even a couple of rebuilt bikes and pairs of like new roller skates delivered for the children including some gently loved dolls for Tracy and a ball and mitt for Allen, for when his arm healed.

Their mother felt ashamed to be in such need but an older grandmotherly neighbor was able to help her get over it.

Roy returned to work but made extra calls home.

After returning from a series of back to back runs Roy found his lawyer Barney Olsen helping to polish the fire engine and talking up a blue streak with Mike, Chet and Marco.

John volunteered to catch up the log and learned that the man had been there for three hours waiting for Roy to return.

Cap and John moved their paperwork to the kitchen so that Roy and Barney could discuss things in the privacy of the office.

"All right Barney what's wrong now?" Roy asked as soon as he shut the door and turned to face the man who was fast becoming a friend, the kind of friend who would always tell it like it is not caring how you might respond.

"Well, not wrong, in fact it's good, I think," Barney spoke with a confusing look on his face as he motioned for Roy to sit across from him.

"I've been having a few meetings with Mr. Bunker and his Lawyer, working with the prosecuting attorney, showing him the evidence against him, reading the psyche evaluation reports, the statements of his boys as well as the other children who were hurt." Barney rambled slightly and Roy just listened and wondered where all this was going to lead. "The old boy doesn't stand a chance and I think he's even beginning to understand that."

Barney paused and looked around the office as if he were looking for something then turned back to Roy. "He's done this before you know. In Texas at a military boarding school there and then again in Arizona, that's when his wife took their two sons and left him. He reportedly came here trying to find them. It's going to take the psychologists a while to decide for sure what makes him tick, but there seems to be evidence in his back ground that he was raised by an abusive father who used the same methods he's been using and like Mr. Bunker himself received several awards for his work with troubled youth."

"Sadly I don't think he'll do any real hard time but I'm pretty sure he's going to be banned from teaching again, at least in this state."

"It's a totally insane world we live in you know," Barney paused to wax poetic and philosophize a moment. "The man is taught by his father and not only does no one interferer they give the man awards for his actions. Then he grows up and does just what he was taught and gets those same awards and no one seems to see the harm that's being done."

"Do you know that a he has to have a court appointed supervisor present before he can speak to his own children but no one thought twice about letting him loose with a whole class full of over active and troubled kids."

"When you look at everything you find yourself questioning your own parenting skills," Barney added.

Roy just sat listening unsure what to feel or do next. When Barney realized he was rambling and got back on topic, it was becoming clear to Roy that there were parts of this case that were getting to his lawyer. The realization of a human side to his lawyer, made Roy that much more grateful for this man who was defending him and his family.

"Well anyway this after noon we came to the agreement that he'll plead guilty and not make us go through a full trial."

"That means the kids won't have to testify?" Roy sat up straighter in his seat afraid to be too hopeful.

"That's what it means, but you'll all still have to be there and there is still a chance that he'll change his mind. The man truly believed he was doing these boys a service and helping them become what he feels society wants from them and he has the awards to back up his beliefs."

"Of course no matter what happens Wednesday, we'll still have to take on the rest of the trials one at a time. And the children will most likely be asked a few questions during the sentencing phase for Mr. Bunker."

Barney bought in for supper and again entertained the men with fire stories of days gone by until an alarm called them out on a three alarm factory fire.

Later that night when the men were trickling out of the locker room ready to turn in Cap followed Roy into the kitchen where he found him standing with his back toward the door, hands on his hips and in deep thought. Cap stepped to the side just enough to catch Roy's facial expressions and watched him chew on his lip and fight back his emotions for just a moment before he silently stepped up to his side and gave his shoulder a good squeeze.

"I don't understand it all Cap," Roy finally spoke after about five minutes. "I just don't understand how something that is so wrong can seem so right." "How can we validate the kind of behavior that was taking place with awards and now how do we undo it all?"

Cap didn't even try to answer.