Chapter 69
Before anyone realized it, April snuck up on the group. The weeks were beginning to fly by without any warning. The last semester of school was wrapping up in a month's time or so. Most projects were done or almost finished. It was only finals that were staring down the friend group. Elizabeth and Jack did have one paper due in their honors English class, but they felt comfortable with the project. They were able to pick one book and write an eight-page report on it. While finals brought their own anxiety, the group was on top of their studies. So, the group of friends were feeling as comfortable as possible with the end of school approaching in a few weeks. They realized most teachers were easing up on the workload.
Classes will be over in mid-May. Seniors will be finished a week before the underclassmen and a week and a half before graduation. Graduation was set for the third week in May. As Julie would complain about Elizabeth getting out of school so much sooner than her, her older sister couldn't help but tease her about it. Every chance she had, Elizabeth would remind her sister of that fact. It was definitely teasing from an older sister.
Julie passed her driving test with shouts from her and slightly worried expressions from her parents. Their trust in Julie was growing with her changed behavior, but they were still parents of a teen who had just begun to mature. They couldn't help but be a little nervous. The old Julie had always pushed for a new car. While Viola and Elizabeth had nice cars, they were always used. Julie didn't know the numbers, but she also knew her parents could easily afford a new car for her. She thought her older sisters just wanted a used car, and that was why her parents bought them. So, for a good year before her sixteenth birthday, she mentioned and hinted at a new car, preferably a convertible BMW. With her changed attitude, she stopped asking for a new car.
Instead of a new convertible BMW, she stopped hinting at a car. Her mother saw a beautiful little Volkswagen Beetle Convertible car that was almost nine years old but in great condition. She mentioned it to William. After dinner one night with just them, they stopped by the car lot and looked at it. They both fell in love with it. After a short test drive, they purchased the car.
In all reality, Julie loved her little bug. That's what she called it, Little Bug. For the first two weeks, she wanted to drive it everywhere. The first taste of true freedom was nice. Instead of having Tom pick her up, she always met him wherever they were going. While he didn't like it, he just experienced the first taste of freedom not long ago. He understood it but still didn't like it. Jack talked him into being patient. He knew what Jack had told him was true, but he had just missed having Julie with him. After the second week, she settled. Half the time, Tom would pick her up for activities, and the other half, she would meet him somewhere; however, for dates, he would always pick her up at her home. When they settled into the new arrangement, things worked out very well.
Tom stressed that it was his duty as her date to pick her up at her front door. At first, she thought he was trying to be a controlling boyfriend, but she knew that wasn't her boyfriend. He was by no means a control freak. He just wanted to do what he considered and what he was taught was the right thing. After all, Jack did the same thing with her older sister. Elizabeth helped her see that.
...
Jack, Cory, Steven, Lee, and Tom all sat at Abagail's café for a late breakfast. Jack, Cory, and Steven were about to head to the children's center to lead basketball practice for the kids. The group has grown to twenty young boys and girls. Lee was heading to weightlifting for football. Tom was going to a small, part-time job he had recently started. He began to deliver groceries for a local grocery store. He wanted to earn his own money to take Julie out on dates. He worked about ten to twelve hours weekly after school and Saturday afternoons. For him, it worked very well.
Much to Jack's chagrin, just like Cory did with his younger brother, he wasn't too excited about having Tom in the friend group. Unlike Lee, Tom had no desire to be in the group full-time. He was only there for them all to plan their prom dates. Or better yet, how to ask their girls out to prom. Jack still wasn't happy with the thought of his little brother being part of this planning session.
"Deal with it!" Exclaimed Cory in a stern tone. He loved how the tables were turned on Jack. Steven and Jack gave him a rough time when Lee was beginning to be part of the group. To be perfectly honest, Cory may have been enjoying this a little too much.
"Really?" Jack questioned.
"That's what you told me with this one starting to come around countless times." He nodded to his brother, who was shoving a forkful of pancakes into his mouth.
"It's different."
"Sure it is." Smirked Cory. "How is it different?"
"I don't know…it just is." Jack shrugged his shoulders. He let out a deep breath, knowing he was losing the argument.
"Whatever we do, please, no singing or dancing," Lee stated with a mouthful of pancakes.
"We've already done that. Let's do something else."
"Come on, Jack, the girls loved that little routine."
"Well…look at you…" Cory slapped Steven on the back of his shoulder. "…you go dancing a couple of times at Rachael's, and you are a professional."
"Better than you think." Smiled Steven. While he will never be on Dancing with the Stars, his dance moves greatly improved with his girlfriend's help and coaching. Plus, Connie absolutely loved dancing. Those dates were always a lot of fun, even for a non-dancer like Steven.
Several options were discussed and crossed off the list. Tom just sat back and listened to the whole group. He knew the fellas, but they were Jack's group, not his. He had a small smirk on his face. These guys have no game. He smirked to himself.
"Hey, why don't we just ask our own girls out? I mean, you all already did the group thing. The girls loved it, but since this is prom, why don't you just do it individually?"
"Huh…" Jack whispered. "That could actually work."
"Of course it will. The girls will love the personal touches, and you know they will all share the stories of how you did it. They always talk with each other about everything."
"See, that's why we wanted Tom around." Cory pushed Jack's shoulder. "That's a great plan."
"From someone who can't even go to prom because he is a sophomore."
"I've already told you, Jackie Boy, we are invited through Julie's friend. I have her friend's invitation, and her boyfriend gave his invitation to Julie. That's how we are going. Now, just deal with it." Tom teased with a smaller brother's teasing. He knew he was winning this little battle.
"I swear if you call me Jackie Boy one more time…" He pointed his finger toward his smirking little brother.
"Are we that bad?" Lee looked up in the direction of his older brother.
"You two are much worse." Steven laughed.
"So, it's settled." Cory brought the subject back to the intended conversation. "We do this individually."
…
Thomas sat in the seat next to William's desk. Instead of always sitting in front of his desk in one of the two chairs, he moved a third chair to the side of William's desk. Often times, he wanted to look at a piece of paper with William. It was just easier than trying to read the paper upside down. After the third time, the chair never moved. Both men were good with it. Their friendship, work and personal, grew closer as they were together.
Today, they discussed some issues with cyber attacks on large businesses. So far, the IT group has done a great job protecting the system for Thatcher Shipping. Thomas wanted to stay on top of it. With his previous discussions concerning threats, he oversaw them and was still in charge of protective custody. For William, it fell under the same umbrella. Thomas was in control.
"Hey, sweetheart," William answered his cell phone when it began to buzz with an incoming call. He smiled at Tom.
"William." Grace began. William immediately stood from his chair. He knew his wife and the many tones of her voice. Something was terribly wrong.
"What is it?" He quickly spoke.
"I'm at the doctor's office."
"Yes. Your doctor is on vacation next week and used this Saturday to get ahead of her patients. Is there something wrong?"
"Yes. She found something."
"I'm on my way!" He stated as he began to walk around his desk.
"I'll drive you." Thomas quickly stated. He knew William wasn't in a good place to drive. The tone in William's voice indicated that something was not right.
"What did she say?" William asked as he jogged out of his office door.
"She felt a lump. She wants to do a scan now."
"Please ask her to wait until I'm there. I'll be there in twenty minutes." Before he was even finished with the statement, both men were halfway down the hall of the offices. Thomas pulled out his phone from his pocket. William nodded his head with approval.
"Charlette. Grace just called William."
"What's wrong?" She also knew her husband's tone. "She had the doctor's appointment today." Her voice trailed off, connecting the dots. "Is she ok?"
"She just called William. I'm not sure what's going on, but William is leaving now to go to the doctor's office. I'm driving him."
"I'll meet you there!" Charlette immediately put down the box of books she was working on at the library.
…
"What do you think they're planning?"
"Oh goodness…I hope they will do something like they did for Valentine's Day." Rosemary stated. "That was so much fun."
"I know," Steph stated as the other girls nodded in agreement. "I still watch the video about once a week."
"Me too." Elizabeth, Connie, and Rosemary stated together. They really did love what their boyfriends did for them.
"Have you already begun to look for your dress?
"I haven't, Connie. Have you?"
"Not yet. Mother has spoken about it, but we haven't gone yet."
"When are the guys getting here?" Steph asked.
For some odd reason, all the girls suddenly missed their boyfriends. This was unique to them all. They were all friends. They loved their individual time with their boyfriends, but they also loved all of their time as a group. To each couple, they were growing closer.
"I believe they are going to the children's center for basketball practice with the kids," Elizabeth stated.
"Oh…that's right. Are we still getting together later?"
"Yeah. I don't want to miss that." Connie, Steph, and Rosey nodded at Elizabeth's statement.
…
The nurse was waiting for William to arrive. He and Thomas walked into the office together. Thomas stayed by the front door as William walked through the waiting room straight to the nurse, who was waiting by the door leading to the exam room. Just a few moments after William disappeared through the now-closed door, Charlette quickly walked through the front door. Thomas was still standing by the door.
"What do you know?"
"The doctor felt something in her left breast. The doctor leaves for vacation next week. She wanted to get on top of this if it is something."
"Anything else?"
"That's all I know. William asked her to wait until he got here before they did the scan. He went back about three or so minutes ago."
"Of course, he asked them to wait until he got here." She nodded her head as she accepted her husband's hand. They walked together to a small group of chairs in the corner. No one was close to them. They sat in silence for a few minutes.
"Have they called the girls?" Charlette broke the silence.
"No. William said they wanted to wait so they would know what to tell them. They don't want to worry them unnecessarily if they didn't have to."
"They are such good parents." She whispered. "I understand their thinking, but the girls will be upset because they would want to know."
"True, but I agree with their call. They just want to protect their girls."
"Yeah…"
…
"Grace…" William softly spoke as he walked into the exam room the nurse pointed to. Grace had on a paper-like shirt that was tied in front of her in two different places. Worry was written all over her face. He closed the distance and gently kissed her on the lips. "I'm here, Grace. I love you."
"I'm sorry to interrupt." Dr. Franklin stated as she walked into the room.
William turned and reached for Grace's hand. "Doctor."
"First, I don't know anything yet. During her yearly exam, I felt something. I don't want to chance anything is missed and wait until I get back. Since I have the equipment here, I want to go ahead and take a look. This will give us a blueprint to know exactly what we are looking at and the next step."
"And if it is…" William couldn't say the word.
"Let's not jump ahead of ourselves. We don't know anything yet. This scan will tell us what we need to know. It could simply be a lump that is nothing. That happens all the time. Just because there is a lump doesn't automatically mean anything bad. Since you are here, Nancy will join me, and we will quickly take a look." As if Nancy was waiting outside the door to be invited in, she walked into the room when the doctor finished her statement.
"Thank you." William and Grace mentioned it at the same time.
They both let out a long, unsteady breath. Their world had just been placed on pause. Their minds were spinning out of control, and they could not put two thoughts together that made any sense. Grace was William's world. He wouldn't know what he would do without her in his life. He refused to let himself think that way.
Dr. Franklin and Grace have been friends for years. She stayed in the exam room while Nancy positioned Grace to stand in front of the mammogram machine.
"I know this is incredibly uncomfortable. Mrs. Thatcher. I want you to step a little closer and remain as still as possible. You know the routine."
"Yes." Grace's voice was weak. That broke William's heart. His wife was always the strong one.
Grace shifted uncomfortably as Nancy began to perform the scan. Dr. Franklin was paying very close attention to the screen. When Nancy was done with one side, she repeated the procedure for the other side. While the test didn't take too long, for William and Grace, it took forever.
"Grace and William, Nancy will take you two back to your room. I will be there in a few minutes. I want to study these tests."
"Thank you," William stated. He reached for his wife's hand, and they followed Nancy to her exam room. There was no way he wasn't going to touch his wife. They were in this together…no matter what.
Dr. Franklin closely examined the images on her computer screen. She enlarged a couple of images and moved on to the next picture. Then, she picked up her cell phone and made a call.
"Scott, do you have a moment?"
"I do, Ruth. What's going on?"
"I just emailed you some images. Could you look at them and let me know what you think?"
"You want a second opinion?"
"I would like a second pair of eyes on this. I think it's nothing other than just a lump, a cluster of glans, but not cancer."
"Give me a moment." Scott pulled up the images after he placed the call on speaker. He examined the scans. "Ruth, the only thing that causes me any concern is scan two. However, when you enlarge the scan, it is clearly more than one gland that came together."
"That's what I saw. Image four shows it even clearer."
"Yes. I agree."
"Scott, I would recommend keeping a close watch on the lump with monthly self-exams and a follow-up in six months."
"This patient must be important to you. I would recommend the monthly self-exam and then a year follow-up."
"Yes, Scott. This is a close friend."
"Go with your first thought. It doesn't hurt to be overly cautious."
"A biopsy is the next move if the lump has grown in six months."
"I agree, but I seriously doubt that this is anything that will cause concern."
"Thanks, Scott. I just wanted a second opinion."
"No problem, Ruth. I'm grateful you have good news for your friend."
"Thank you, Scott."
…
Thomas and Charlette stood when the door beside the office window opened. William followed Grace out the door. Grace was crying but smiling. She stopped walking when she noticed her friends standing in the corner. Charlette's smile grew very big because of her friend's expression.
"From the huge smile, I am so excited to hear the news," Charlette whispered. Grace opened her arms for Charlette to walk into a hug. Charlette wrapped her arms around her friend, tears streaming down her face.
"The best of news," Grace whispered.
William and Tom looked at each other. They didn't say a word. They didn't have to. Their look was understood entirely between the two men.
"We just have to keep an eye on it, but Dr. Franklin doesn't think it's anything to be concerned about."
"The best of news," Charlette stated as she tightened her hold on her friend.
"Thank you for being here. How did you know?"
"Tom called me. Of course, I would be here."
Grace nodded her head. They truly believed their two children would be married at some point. They weren't sure about their youngest. Even if Jack and Elizabeth didn't get married, the two ladies were best of friends…they were already a family by choice.
"Why don't we go out and celebrate with lunch?"
"Sounds good, " Grace said after she looked at her husband, who slightly nodded his head. They were grateful their friends were there supporting them. Part of them wanted to just go home and close the door to be alone, but they were grateful for the support and just wanted to be with their friends.
…
Jack was sitting in the passenger seat of Cory's car. Since Elizabeth drove, he was going to ride with her after they all joined up together. The whole group was going to hang out together. Cory pulled into the mall's parking lot and found a spot. After pulling in and turning off the vehicle, Jack's arm was still out the window. His forearm was resting on top of the door, with his hand hanging out the window.
"Hey, man!" Rodney shouted as he grabbed Jack's wrist, giving it a good pull and squeeze. He laughed as Jack jumped.
Jack tried to pull his arm into the car, but Rodney had a good hold on Jack's wrist. He wasn't letting it go. Cory pulled back and quickly turned his head toward the passenger seat. He heard Jack yell and then saw him jump. That was the first time he had heard Jack cuss. He was more shocked than anything else. Instead of saying anything, Cory just watched the whole thing unfold. He was so confused with Jack's reaction.
On the third attempt, Jack pulled his wrist free from Rodney and quickly placed his left hand over his right wrist. He was feverishly rubbing his wrist. Jack was also leaning toward the middle of the car. His eyes were huge, and Cory wasn't sure Jack was breathing.
"Hey, man!" Rodney stated in a loud tone. "What are you all up to?"
His question was met with silence inside the car. Jack rubbed his wrist, trying to calm his mind. Cory was still watching the whole thing unfold in disbelief.
"Hey man…are you alright?"
Jack shook his head, trying to get his mind to function.
"Yeah, man…I'm good."
While Rodney didn't notice, Cory most certainly noticed the lack of confidence in Jack's voice. His friend was a little shaken. After just a couple of seconds, Jack was back to normal. His voice was normal, and his body posture was normal. As the group of guys walked into the mall, the only thing that Cory noticed was that Jack would often hold and rub his wrists.
As the whole group sat around a seating area just off the main center of the mall, Elizabeth studied her boyfriend. The whole group was around each other for an hour. Jack was his usual fun self, but there was something off. She couldn't put her finger on why, but she knew something was indeed wrong with Jack.
"Hey, take a walk with me." She whispered to Jack.
Jack nodded his head and then stood. He reached for her hand to help her stand. "Is there a reason for this walk?" He asked as she interlocked their fingers together.
She waited until they were out of earshot of the others. He loosened her grip and placed her hand on the crook of his elbow. Her hand rested on his upper forearm. She smiled when Jack took his left hand and gently rested it on top of her hand.
"There is." She paused for a moment. She wasn't afraid to talk to Jack. She never has been. Their communication has always been easy between them. She paused because she didn't want to push him too much. She remembered Charlette's warning when she went to Jack's home after the company picnic. You couldn't push Jack. You had to allow him to open up freely on his terms. However, you can't let him shut down, either. It took a lot to get him out of that place when he did. She loved Jack completely. She knew how to lovingly handle him. She handled him very well. "What's wrong?" She simply asked.
Jack let out a shallow breath. He tried his best to hide the struggle, but he knew in his heart that he couldn't hide it from his girlfriend. He glanced up at her and gave her a small smile.
"I had a flashback." He stated as he looked down at the ground in front of him. He greatly slowed his walking.
He didn't have to elaborate on the statement. She knew exactly what he meant.
"Why?" Her voice was soft and loving.
Jack sighed. "When Cory and I pulled into the parking lot…" Jack retold the story. It didn't take long for him to tell her everything.
As Jack told her the story, she slowly tightened her hold on his forearm. She felt his muscles tighten as he spoke. Then she felt them released with her hold on him. The act of talking was helpful. However, it was her presence, and her strength that she was giving him was everything for him. He reassured her that he was good.
Elizabeth stopped walking and turned to face Jack. She heard his words and knew them to be true. However, she had to see his eyes. Those emerald eyes made her feel like she could read his soul.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that."
"Thanks. I haven't thought about that Monday for a very long time."
"I haven't either." She quickly examined his face. "Are you sure you're ok?"
"I think so. After the initial shock, I think I was just shocked that it happened. I just haven't thought about it for so long."
Elizabeth heard the words, but she was also reading his facial expression. He was being honest with her. He had quit rubbing his wrists and was standing normally. His eyes told her he was good.
"Just remember…I'm here if you need to talk or want to talk."
"Thank you." He whispered as he kissed her gently on the lips. "That means everything to me."
…
Frank walked out of the sanctuary and into the church foyer just before Sunday school class began. He was in search of the new Sunday school materials for the teachers. He knew he saw them somewhere, but he couldn't remember where.
Frank glanced to his left just before he turned to the right. He immediately stopped mid-stride. He was still holding the door open. He turned to his left.
Jack had just walked into the foyer through the front door. He looked almost normal. Frank thought he looked a little tired, but nothing was too noticeable. However, something was just off.
First, Jack was alone. Over the last few months, Elizabeth has always been with him. They rode to church together. Frank would often tell Elizabeth in the beginning that he was happy she was there but understood that she had her home church. The church in which she grew up. Over the last few months, she always attended with Jack. She would often tell Frank that she attended because Jack attended the church. While that was true, Elizabeth loved Frank's sermons. He had a way of speaking directly to just her. Plus, she loved attending church with Jack. It just felt natural.
Secondly, Jack looked off somehow. He was dressed nicely, like normal. His hair was combed, and his face was clean-shaven. That all looked very normal. Frank remembered what Elizabeth told him…'Jack will tell you what he is thinking through his facial expressions. His face can't lie.' It was there that he saw something off.
Frank didn't move. He just continued to look at this young man. Three people walked by, and Frank didn't move, nor did he take his eyes off Jack. Jack hadn't noticed Frank yet. He had spoken to a couple of people as they walked by. Other people just didn't see anything off. It wasn't too obvious, but there was just something.
To Jack's credit, he came off as usual. He was trying to hide the emotion he was fighting inside his head. He couldn't even name the emotion. It didn't make sense to him. All that happened was that a friend grabbed his wrist in a prank. Somehow, it set him off. He spent the evening with Elizabeth and his group of friends. To all accounts, it was a typical evening. After about ten minutes, Cory even thought everything was normal. To him, Jack was normal. The time with everyone was just like every other time. The small talk with Elizabeth helped. The whole group of friends were joking and laughing.
Jack was typical until about two in the morning. Through the night, he had nightmares about the kidnapping. That was the first time he had thought about that horrible Monday morning in a very long time. It was in his past. He didn't think about it. He had no reason to. He couldn't understand why he was thinking about it now. It had to be when Rodney grabbed his wrist. But the rest of the night went usually. He honestly thought he was over it.
Everything was the same in his nightmare except that Elizabeth was the one taken and not him. He saw her zip-tied and placed in the large, black SUV. As she was being placed in the back seat, the last punch made his eyes focus on the black that was coming from around the edges. He was zip-tied, lying on the pavement face down. The total blackness met in the middle of his eyesight as the masked man was closing the door. As hard as he fought against the darkness, he couldn't win against it. He could hear her calling out to him for help. He whispered her name as he finally lost the battle and was taken over by helplessness.
That's when he woke up from the nightmare. He was covered in sweat, gasping for breath. He would look around his bedroom and finally realize where he was. When he would fall back asleep, the nightmare would begin from the beginning all over again and play itself out just like before. That cycle happened three times. Finally, Jack got out of bed around four that morning and sat at his small desk. He pulled out a sketchpad and tried to stay awake. The trick worked. He was still sitting at his desk when his mother knocked on his door to make sure he was up and getting ready for church.
The view for Charlette wasn't an odd one. It wasn't the first time she walked in and seen her oldest son at his desk. Jack was a little late to the breakfast table. She and Thomas didn't notice Jack's demeanor since he grabbed a slice of toast and left. They all knew that Jack hated to be late. They just thought he was rushing out the door so he wouldn't be late to pick up Elizabeth.
…
Elizabeth parked her white Mini Cooper beside Jack's truck in the church's parking lot. Jack had texted her earlier that he was running late. He asked her to meet him at church. She thought that was odd. He had always picked her up for church. Plus, Jack was never late. While they were always with family on Sundays, it was also a day they would spend together. It was one of her favorite days. She was a little miffed he wasn't waiting for her at his truck.
"What's going on…?" She slowly asked herself as Jack wasn't sitting in his truck or standing by his truck.
Something was just off. None of this was making any sense to her. She adjusted her dress as she held her small purse in her left hand. She silenced her cell phone before putting it in her purse.
As she walked into the church foyer, she noticed Jack standing in the middle of the foyer. Frank was standing at the double doors that led to the sanctuary. He had a very concerned expression on his face. She tilted her head as she examined Frank's expression. Frank never broke eye contact with Jack. He was utterly consumed with staring at Jack.
Like every other time, Jack knew Elizabeth was present. He could always sense her presence. She just had this way of doing that. He turned his upper body to look behind him. When he looked over his shoulder, Elizabeth saw his facial expression. She knew instantly that something was wrong. Then, her eyes focused on his eyes. Their connection was instant.
"Jack…" She whispered as she quickly walked toward him.
"What's wrong?" She asked him as she stepped up to him. The worry filled her tone. Her eyes looked into his eyes for just a second. She read all she needed to see. "You had nightmares…didn't you?"
He nodded his head as Frank walked up to the young couple. "Yeah…"
"Over that horrible Monday?" Her question was also a statement. She just knew. She always knew when it came to her boyfriend.
Jack nodded his head.
"You two come with me," Frank stated as he nodded toward his office. He caught Thomas' attention when he walked into the church foyer. Frank nodded for him to follow. Tom reached for Charlette's arm. He didn't say anything. She noticed the young couple walking hand in hand down the hall, with Frank immediately following.
"What is it?"
"I'm not sure. Something's wrong, " Tom said as he began gently pulling his wife toward their children and Pastor Frank.