“Dear God,” Irene breathed on a sob. “Those poor families. Those innocent girls. How dare Alice say her son has never given them trouble and that he isn’t taking drugs. She has never paid enough attention to him to know what he’s doing.”
“Or who he’s running around with,” Tim spoke softly, obviously shaken.
Herb sat stunned. The twins were in shock and Anna, standing between them, had an arm around each brother.
Hope couldn’t understand why her family was sad. She whined and trotted from one to another, finally standing in front of the children to bark.
“Oh, Hope,” Anna said, dropping to her knees. “You know we’re upset and you don’t understand. It’s unfortunate that people aren’t nicer like dogs, at least like you.”
“I need to go to the hospital and visit them,” Tom finally was able to talk. “Dad, can you take us, please?’
“Son, I have to see that your sister gets back to college. It’s too soon after the accident. I’m sure the doctors won’t want anyone but immediate family visiting. They need to gain strength and there may be more injuries that will show up later. I’m surprised the information was given out at all. Wait a few days, at least until after Tuesday.”
“But, Dad. We don’t expect them to talk to us. We’ll just feel better if we can look at them. I know we can’t do anything.” Tim was gulping and choking on a sob.
Irene said quietly, “I can’t help but feel thankful that you boys were not in that wreck. I know that some parents may not know what their children are doing, but that’s no excuse for not constantly reminding them of right and wrong. Children need to know that parents check on them because they love them and want the best for them.”
“Wait and pray, boys,” Herb told them.
“Dad’s right,” Anna told them. “Trina is still unconscious and Meg and Alex are still in shock and too weak for visiting.”
The twins walked sadly to their room. Herb took Anna to the bus and gave her money. He looked at her with moisture in his eyes and hugged her over and over. “I’m so proud of my children and love you so much. It would break my heart if I found either of you were sneaking and doing something you’d be ashamed to tell me about.”
“Dad, we love you and mom. You will not find either of us in serious trouble because you’ve loved us and taught us well.” She gave a weak smile. “Except for Tom’s experience with the dynamite. Remember, Alex was left with a nanny and housekeepers all of his life. He must have been twelve when he was entirely on his own. His parents have wealth and top jobs, but they haven’t shown the love and caring you have for us. Thank you, Dad.” She hugged him again and then boarded the bus.
Mr. Grissom called a special assembly on Monday morning. “Students, whether you believe it or not, I care about each and everyone of you and I’m here for you if you need me. I beg you, if you have experimented with drugs, or are drinking alcohol, please come to me or one of the counselors and let us help you break away from something that will destroy you. I never encourage students to tattle, but in this case, I am. If you know of another student who is drinking or taking drugs, please tell me so that I can have a chance to help that person. Your name will never be mentioned. Otherwise we may be burying that student. Go to your homerooms and remember, if you need to talk, I’m here, not to pass judgment, but to help.”
Tuesday, after school, the twins went by the hospital. Alex tried to talk, but he was too weak and still unclear as to what happened. They just told Meg they were praying for her and wished her well. They weren’t allowed in Trina’s room because she had only regained consciousness that day and was very weak. A nurse told them Trina had no memory of the accident. The twins, with heavy hearts, made their way home.
The following Saturday, at Canine Wonders, the group was disappointed that Marshall did not come. For the first time the work was just another job.
“Mom,” Tom called as he and Tim entered the house.
“In here, boys. I’m making jelly and can’t leave the berries cooking.”
“Mom,” Tim began as they came into the kitchen, “today is the first day that no one brought Marshall. We’re afraid he might be too sick to come.”
Herb came in as they were talking and they told him of their fears. “After supper you can call and check on him. He may have had a medical appointment. If he’s sick, Sharlene might be upset, so be kind. They might not want Marshall to know how sick he really is, so be careful what you say.”
“Sharlene? Hello. It’s Tom Jackson. Tim and I missed Marshall today.”
“Thank you for calling. The last two days have been bad. He’s showing a little more interest today, but he isn’t well. Marshall wants to talk.”
“Hi. Who’s this?”
“It’s Tom. And me, Tim, on the extension.”
“Oh, goody. Next Saturday is my birthday. Mommie says we’ll have a family party, so could you and the others come for cake and ice cream?”
“Anna and the girls won’t be here, but we boys sure can. What time is your party?”
“Mommie, what time can they come?”
Sharlene took the phone. “Oh, my. We planned on a quiet time just us, but we’ll be glad to have all of you. We hadn’t planned a big occasion. You know why. Can you come at five after you leave the kennels?”
“You bet and we insist on bringing the cake and ice cream,” Tom told her.
“Oh, thank you, but no. That won’t be necessary. I’ve already planned on what I will serve.”
“But you didn’t expect a bunch of us. Please, Sharlene. We want to do this for Marshall.”
“I’ll reluctantly say okay, but Brian won’t like it. He’ll appreciate it, but he’ll feel we should feed our guests.”
“We insist. We’ll furnish everything, dinner and all. If you want to decorate, that’s okay.” Tim stated firmly.
As the twins told their parents, Herb and Irene were excited and wanted to help. “I’ll make his favorite meatloaf, mashed potatoes and peas. I’ll get Rita Dodd to make something and Marsha Tully will want to furnish her delicious rolls and maybe a beverage. I’ll talk to them and help you plan.”
“I’ll give you money for a large sheet cake and about a gallon of ice cream,” Herb offered. “Have his name written on the cake with maybe a dog and balloons printed on it. Find out what his favorite ice cream is and get enough for the crowd. Don’t forget paper plates, cups, napkins, tableware and whatever is necessary. We want to make it easy for Sharlene so she won’t be cleaning up. Tell your friends to bring simple gifts like puzzles, books, so forth.”
“Do you know something that we don’t?” Tom asked his parent.
“Such as ----” Herb looked puzzled.
“Like you know he may not live much longer.” Tim had a choked voice.
“Sharlene does say he’s getting weaker by the day. Yes, boys, it could be any time, but we don’t know for sure. We’ll all grieve when it happens, but you wouldn’t want him to linger in pain and misery,” Herb spoke haltingly.
“No. No.” both boys answered. “We’ll do what we can and make this the best birthday party ever. We’ll tell the others so they can be prepared and won’t let Marshall suspect.”
Tom, Tim, Doris and Ellen went to the hospital to visit their friends. A nurse told them that Meg Dawson had been discharged. She was to stay at home for a week, have a doctor’s appointment and then be told when she can return to school.
“Hey, guys,” Alex spoke weakly. “I am ashamed of myself. I need to apologize to you for ignoring you, my good, true friends. I’m ashamed that I neglected you for those others. Will you forgive me?”
Tom took his hand. “Yes, of course, Alex. You made some bad decisions but you’re paying for it. If you learned a lesson from this and will never do it again, it’ll be great. If you had only hurt yourself, it would be bad enough, but you hurt two innocent girls.”
“That’s the worst of it. I didn’t mean to harm anyone, but it happened because I was stupid and thought I was being a smarty. Those yo-yos I was running around with didn’t help any.”
“Blaming someone else is not going to help you,” Tim spoke kindly. “Face up to what you did and make a vow that you will never take any more drugs or drink any alcohol. You were always on the first honor roll and you’ve let yourself down there. You’re in danger of failing and not graduating with us this year.”
“Alex,” Ellen took his hand. “You know drugs and alcohol cook the brains. Thankfully you haven’t been on them long enough to have done much damage to your brain, but who knows. Plus they damage your heart, liver and kidneys. You may have more troubles in the future.”
“I know what you say is the truth, but you all sound so serious.”
“We are serious,” Doris told him. “We know how much good you can offer the world and what a great future you could have. You can do something great by warning others what can happen to them.”
“I heard you say one time that you wanted to either be a brain surgeon or a college professor of science. You have the ability to do it, but you have to be willing to apply yourself. You can talk to individuals, or groups, and tell them what your bad decision caused,” Ellen said.
They talked a few minutes more and wished Alex well. They then went to visit Trina. As they walked down the hall, they met Alex’s mother.
“Alex is going to have more trouble than he knows about. When he was thrown over the steering wheel into the windshield, he had an injury to the back of his neck at the top of the spine. The broken bones will heal but the nerve damage is questionable.”
Tom hugged her. “We are so sorry this happened, but to tell the truth, we knew for some time that Alex was an accident waiting to happen.”
“You kids pretend to be his friends. He went everywhere with you. Why didn’t you tell us what he was doing? Why didn’t you talk to Alex and stop him?”
Doris touched Alice Bauman’s arm. “We did try to talk to Alex. He laughed at us and went off with his new friends. They ganged up and followed us, harassed us and taunted us. One even threatened Tom and Tim because they tried to talk Alex into leaving that gang.
“Surely not. Did Alex know about it? Who are these boys anyway?”
“Yes, Alex knew. He was with them when they threatened us and Alex just laughed.” Tom told her the boys’ names and she gasped.
“I know those boys and their parents. Surely you’re wrong. Why the father of one of those boys is our family doctor. They’re all from good homes.” she babbled.
“Alex is from a good home, too.” Tim reminded her. “He was bored and looking for someone to give him the attention he craved.”
“How dare you talk to me like that.”
“Mrs. Bauman, I don’t mean to be a smart-aleck and add to your troubles, but be honest with yourself. How would you have reacted if we came to tell you that Alex was with a rowdy crowd, skipping school, acting strangely and avoiding old friends? Would you have appreciated us coming to tell you or would you have resented it?” Ellen asked her.
She took a deep breath and choked on a sob. “I don’t honestly know.”
“If we could see the personality change in Alex, why wouldn’t you recognize it at home?” Tim asked gently.
“I guess I was just too busy with my work and social obligations, thinking I was doing so well. Truthfully, we rarely saw Alex. “Now that I look back, I remember that he began to argue with us, sass us, running out of the house and disappearing when we tried to talk to him. I thought it was just teenage years. It was easier to ignore than to make an effort to pin him down. His father has worked with families who have these same problems. Why didn’t he see it?” She was becoming hysterical.
“If you had known the boys he was running around with, would you have gone to their families and ask them to talk to their own sons?” Doris asked.
“I can’t answer that either. I guess truthfully the blame should be laid at mine and my husband’s feet. When Alex was born, I was making a name for myself as a prosecuting attorney and my husband already had a well established law practice. We were just too wrapped up in our careers to pay attention to a child we hadn’t planned on having,” she cried.
Tom put an arm around her. “Forgive us for adding to your heartaches, but it has to be said. We don’t think badly of you. You’ve done what hundreds of parents have done, but it isn’t too late to make things right. Alex does love you both and I’m sure you love him. You have to practice tough love and be firm in family rules. Don’t be ashamed to share this with the public and maybe save other children.”
“Thank you,” she said, blowing her nose. “It’s pretty sad when children my son’s age have to tell me how to raise my own child. I know you mean well and I am grateful. Thank you for being a good friend and telling us the truth.”
“We’re here if you need us. We’ve said many prayers for Alex and the two girls, and we’ll continue praying for them and for you and your husband.” The young people went on to Trina’s room.
Trina was pleased to see them. She moved slowly and talked haltingly. “I still am not sure what happened. I know what I’ve been told, but I don’t remember. If I had known Alex was taking drugs, I would never have gotten in his car.”
“Don’t dwell on it,” Ellen patted her shoulder. “You’re getting better and we’re thankful for that. Just relax, cooperate with the medical staff and concentrate on getting well. We want to see you back at school.” They didn’t want to tire Trina, so they left promising to return.