Danny exited the plane and was greeted by his loving family with hugs, kisses and many, many tears as they mourned their son and brother.
Danny held his Mother tightly as she wept uncontrollably in his arms saying over and over again, "Oh Daniel, why? Not my baby boy, oh why?" She was shaking with emotion and all he could do was hold her, but at that moment that's what she needed most. To feel her son, to know he was safe and that he was home, even if only for a few days.
Steve and Catherine exited the plane about ten minutes later to be met with the same love and affection. Steve knew them all from his previous visit and he introduced Catherine, who extended her condolences as well.
Still supported by her son's strong grip, Maggie Williams turned to Steve.
He looked at her lovingly, "Hello Maggie"
She gasped at the sight of his bruised and battered face, reaching out and touching him tenderly, "Oh Steven….what did they do to you?"
Danny released his grasp on her as she put her arms around Steve, he returned the loving embrace.
He spoke softly, his voice choked with emotion "I'm so so sorry Maggie. I tried to save him, I'm so sorry"
Hearing the distress in his voice she took his face into her hands, "Steve, we know you did everything you could do my dear boy. We know that. This is not your fault and we are eternally grateful for all you did for Matthew. His death was brought about by his poor decisions and ultimately that falls back on to Bob and I"
Tears were streaming down both their faces as Steve said, "No Maggie…you and Bob raised all your children to be good and honorable people, and Matthew was. He just made a mistake….a human mistake and he never should have paid for that with his life. He was a good man, a very good man. You did nothing wrong Maggie, please believe me on that"
She reached up and kissed Steve's bruised cheek, "Bless you my dear"
Bob Williams stepped in and took hold of his wife as airline personnel moved towards them with Matthew's casket. The sobs of the Williams' family was audible as they watched Danny and Steve assist in lifting the casket into the waiting hearse. Once the door was closed, Bob joined Danny and Steve in thanking the airline personnel and Bob turned to the Funeral Home director saying softly, "I need to schedule a time to see my son today"
Danny grabbed his Dad's arm, "Pops, no…you don't want to see him"
"Danny, he's MY SON, I have to see him"
Steve added, "Bob….Danny's right. You don't want to see him like this…you don't want to remember him this way"
Danny voice shook as he added, "Dad….trust us on this….please"
Tears slipped from the large man's eyes as he simply nodded in agreement. Danny shook the directors' hand and said, "Thank You sir. Please call my parent's house if you have any questions, otherwise we'll see you tomorrow afternoon"
The men watched as the hearse pulled away and soon they were all in vehicles, heading to the William's home.
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They spent the day at Bob and Maggie Williams' home, sitting on the deck, visiting and sharing stories of Matthew as the children ran around playing happily on the lush green grass which covered the large back yard. There was a swing set, tree fort and sandbox which keep them all joyfully occupied.
Steve and Catherine listened intently as Danny and his sisters talked about their brother. Most of the stories turned to how Matty was always trying to keep up with his big brother, and how much he idolized Danny. There were many tears shed, but also many smiles and laughs at the memories of 'little Matty'. A couple of hours after arriving Steve excused himself to go use the restroom. Rachel was sitting next to Danny and as Steve entered the house he leaned close to him, asking softly, "How is he doing?"
Danny shook his head, "I don't know babe. I know he's in a lot of pain. I'm watching him carefully"
"Honey…"
Danny looked at her with a concerned gaze, "What Rach?"
"I don't know Danny….it's his eyes….he seems so sad"
"Well Rachel this isn't really a party atmosphere right now, you know"
"Sweetheart that's not what I mean"
Danny sighed, "I'm sorry honey, give me a minute…I need to check on him" He smiled at his siblings and excused himself, entering the house.
His parents were in the kitchen area putting sandwiches onto a platter. Bob looked up, "Is everything okay son?"
Danny smiled at his parents, "Yeah Dad…I'll be right back" He moved into the living room and standing in front of a cabinet which prominently displayed photos of the family through the years, his eyes fixed on a picture from he and Rachel's wedding. He looked at his best man, Matthew…. beaming broadly.
Upstairs, Steve had thrown up and his head was still throbbing from the flight. Pushing up from the floor he rinsed his mouth and splashed water onto his face. He stood for several seconds watching the water swirl down the drain before pulling the pain pills from his pants pocket and this time he didn't take two pills…..he took three. He then left the bathroom and entering the living room he moved next to Danny.
Danny spoke first, "Hey, thank you for what you said to my parents' at the airport man"
"It's the truth Danny. They aren't to blame for this"
"Neither are you Steven and you need to remember that. How's your head?"
"Don't worry about me Danno…..…I'm fine"
"Steve, no bullshit…..please. How's your head?"
"It hurts….I…..I just got sick"
"Do you need to see a Doctor? The TRUTH now partner"
Steve nodded, "No D', I promise….I'll be fine I'm just a little queasy"
"You should lay down for a while okay"
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea…..just for a few minutes okay"
"Dad put you and Cath in the room upstairs, where you stayed last time. There should be some Tylenol in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom "
"Okay, thanks partner" Danny watched as Steve slowly made his way up the stairs and once he heard the door close he re-entered the kitchen.
He looked at his parents and smiled softly, "Mom, Dad…..can I talk to you?"
Bob responded, "Of course son" They moved to the kitchen table and sat down.
Danny didn't waste any time, "I think you have a right to know everything that happened when the cartel members held Matt and Steve. I already told you, and you can see that Steve was beaten but I didn't tell you everything"
He continued as he watched his Dad take hold of his Mother's hand. "They pumped him full of crystal meth and he became addicted"
Maggie Williams sobbed, "Of my God…... poor Steven….….."
Bob then asked, "Why didn't you tell us this before Danny?"
"I didn't see any need to worry you more than you already were and things were happening so fast"
Maggie reached over and squeezed her son's hand, "It doesn't matter sweetheart. Tell us, what can we do for him?"
"Nothing really. He's not himself right now. He's in a lot of pain, the drugs are out of his system but the withdrawal can last up to ninety days"
"Can't the Doctor's help him?"
Danny smirked, "Dad, we're taking about Steve here….that man doesn't do anything the easy way. The Doctors recommend slow withdrawal but Steve's going cold turkey"
Maggie asked, "What are his symptoms?"
"Abdominal pains and cramping. The pain is made worse because of his broken and bruised ribs. He's exhausted and is having some nausea, dizziness and vomiting. Plus he's having headaches and…..seizures as a result of his concussion. As bad as the physical symptoms are though the mental and emotional issues are worse. He's had some nightmares…and….one of the worst symptoms is depression and suicidal thoughts"
"Oh God Danny…no"
"Mom, I'm watching him carefully, we all are. I don't mean to alarm you….."
Bob jumped in, "Danny we're glad you told us. We love Steve too, you know that. He's suffering greatly as a result of helping our son"
Danny added, "And you know what Pops, he's told me he would do it all over again if he had to"
Maggie inquired, "Where is he now?"
"He's laying down for a while" Danny saw the concern on his Mother's face, "Mom, he'll be okay…nobody's tougher"
They visited for a short while longer before taking the platter of sandwiches and drinks and joining the others back outside.
******** More to follow ********