It Is What It Is

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Email feedback can be sent to trager2275@gmail.com. © 2015 by Eric Trager.

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CHAPTER EIGHT

"Irv, Dick Roberts here. Got your email. What's going on?"

"Dick, I had a couple of the guys from the football team come to me this morning, and, look, I need to see you face-to-face. When's good?"

"How about 9:00 tomorrow morning? That good?"

"That works. See you then."

Sean finished up his lawn jobs in good order and got back home to prepare for his meeting with his dad that evening. He went up to his room, stripped to take a shower, and made sure that he had the 1968 penny with him. Again, he held the penny in his thumb and index finger, looked out his bedroom window toward the skies and said, "Mom, I'm gonna need your help tonight. I'm going to tell dad that I agree to move to Janesville but there's a condition on it. I'll needja with me tonight, mom..." He then placed the penny down on his desk and went to take his shower.

As he showered, Sean's mind went across the events of the day. He cemented his love for Andy, he did his business with Coach, he discharged his obligations to his customers, and now he had one last task to accomplish. Between cataloging those items in the filing system of his brain, there was one thing that kept crossing his mind, and that was that he would surrender himself to Andy and let Andy take him. They had not talked about that, per se, but Sean knew he was ready. After all that Andy had done for him, and all that Andy meant to him he knew he wanted to surrender himself. A great wave of warmth overcame Sean, and he felt that even though the nearest future was a road untraveled for him, that with any luck he'd not travel that road alone.

Sean got out of the shower, shaved, fixed his hair and brushed his teeth then returning to his room to get dressed. He bounded down to the kitchen thinking this would be as good a night as any to make the shit on a shingle that he had planned for a couple nights earlier but never got to make with all the intervening events. At least he'd make his dad a palatable dinner even if, and he certainly hoped not, that the rest of the evening might not prove so palatable. Sean did not worry about being honest with his dad, though. They had always been able to talk, and Sean knew deep down that after losing Val his dad wouldn't lose him, too. There was just no way.

Sean prepared the shit on a shingle, set the table set, and made sure there was cold beer in the fridge as Joe generally liked to have a cold one when he got home from work. Right on the dot, Sean heard the garage door open and Joe's car pull in.

"Hey, sport! Jesus, what's that? Shit on a shingle? Trying to butter me up, hey?" Joe said.

"Nah, dad, I was gonna make this the night we went out and had pizza, so it was what we had around, ya know? Look, it's all ready, we can eat whenever you want."

"OK, I'm gonna change and then I'll be down in a few minutes."

"Sounds good, dad!"

About ten minutes later Joe came down and said, "OK, let's eat!"

"Two minutes, dad, the toast has to finish! There's beer in the fridge if you want one!" Just then, the toast popped up, Sean grabbed the toast, buttered it, put two pieces each on a plate for his dad and a plate for himself, ladled the shit on a shingle over the toast, and put it on the table with a "Voila!"

"This always takes me back, son. I think you and I might be the only two people left on the planet that actually like this stuff!"

"Could be, dad..."

Joe tucked into his plate of food, and after swallowing the first bite looked up at Sean and said, "Alright, Buster, let's have it. What did you decide?"

"OK, dad, but like you said at the restaurant, here we go, but ya gotta hear me out and ya gotta let me finish."

"Fair enough, son."

"OK, dad, here's what I decided. I'm on board with moving to Janesville, and let's get that house I saw, the big Spanish one I told you about. I called the Realtor lady this afternoon and it's still available. I'm fine with moving, dad. I can get used to a new town. I do have one condition, though."

"OK, what is it..."

"My condition is that we take Andy with us. Andy and I already talked about it."

Joe looked at Sean in a quite startled fashion and said, "I, um, wasn't prepared for a condition like that... That's uh...unique. I guess I need more information, son."

"OK, dad, but you have to promise not to get mad at me. This is going to be a really long story so just let me get through all of it, OK? And, no, I am not in trouble, and neither is Andy..."

"OK, son, go ahead and start and I won't say a word until you tell me you're done."

Sean went on to tell his dad how he and Andy had always been there for each other after the death of Andy's dad and Val, he recounted the entire Janesville trip not leaving one detail out, he went into the meeting with the football team and how he was ambushed and told he wasn't wanted on the team, about his meeting with Coach, how Andy now feared for his safety, how he and Andy had after so many years discovered that they were in love with each other, about Andy's latchkey home life, the 1968 penny. All of it. Every detail no matter how large, or small of every piece of the story was laid out in excruciating detail. After 20 minutes, Sean stopped, and without flinching a millimeter said, "OK, I'm done. That's why my condition is that we Andy comes with us."

"Um, well, I..." Joe stammered. "I was not expecting... I mean, OK. Give me five minutes to absorb all of this, OK? Look, run downstairs to the bar and get us a couple of shot glasses and the Jaeger. Get yourself a beer while you're up yet, too. I think we're both gonna need it..."

Sean rose from his chair, and Joe thought to himself, "Holy fuck! I sure didn't see THAT coming! Who could? Well, kids don't come with an owner's manual, do they now... How am I gonna handle this? Val, I need your help now more than I've ever needed it..."

Sean returned with the shot glasses, Jaeger and a beer for each of them.

"OK, Sean, pour us each a shot once, and give us a nice pour, will ya?"

"Here ya go, dad!" Sean handed Joe his shot and a fresh beer.

Joe and Sean both raised their shot glasses.

Joe gave his standard toast, "Here's mud in your eye!"

Both of them drained their shots of Jaeger and chased them with a good quaff of cold Leinenkugel's beer.

"Son, I had a minute to think when you were down at the bar. Here's the deal: when we were at the restaurant you told me you needed a couple of days. Well, so do I. First I want you to know that I believe every word you told me tonight, that's not an issue. Besides, nobody could make up a story like that. Second, about you and Andy. If Andy is the one who makes you happy, I can't stand in your way, son. You being gay is a surprise, for sure, but it is what it is, and I don't give a shit. Now, Andy's a good kid, but I'm gonna level with you here: I know how he makes his money. It's a small world out there. And if he does come with us, then there will be no more making a living that way. Period. I'm sure you can understand that. I need a couple days to figure out how this can be put together, if it can be put together at all."

"That's fair, dad. By the way, Andy's coming over at 7:30 so the three of us can talk."

"It's 7:45. Why don't you give him a call... I'd love to talk to the both of you together, especially if he's your, um, boyfriend."

"Oh, wow, it's 7:45? Andy's always on time...you can set your clock by him. OK, I'll call right now!" Sean dialed Andy's number. It rang five times then went to voice mail.

"Hey, Brown Eyes! It's Sean! It's 7:45 and my dad wants to talk to us. It's all good. Call me!"

"It went to voice mail, dad. I think I'll send a text, too." Sean sent the same message by text.

Five minutes later and still no answer from Andy.

"I think I'll call his house." Sean then dialed Andy's house number, which he never called. "Hello? Yes, Mrs. Barry, it's Sean... Fine, thanks... Say, Andy was supposed to be coming over at 7:30. He's not here yet and it's almost 8:00. Is he there? Oh, he left about quarter after seven? He did? OK, thanks! Bye!"

"Dad, Andy left his house 45 minutes ago and he's not here... Now, if he rode his bike, that's like ten minutes. He should have been here a little before 7:30 if anything..."

"What do you think, Sean?"

"I dunno, but this isn't like Andy. Let me try his phone again..."

Andy's phone again rang again five times and went to voice mail. Sean left a second voice mail and sent another text. No answer after five minutes.

"Dad, I'm kinda worried... Something's fishy here. He's not home, he's not here. He left in time to get here, and told his mom he'd be here. Something's just not right, dad...."

"Let's wait a few more minutes before we do anything, son. I'll tell you what, if he's not here in five minutes then here's what we'll do: you go in your car, I'll go in my car, and we'll drive all the possible routes that he could have taken. We'll leave a note on the door for him to call you if he gets here so we can come right back. Deal?"

"Ok, dad, but I'm a little worried."

Joe had to admit to himself, too, that something didn't seem quite right.

Five minutes passed. "Dad, we need to go now. I'll take everything to the west of Sheridan, you take everything to the east, OK?"

"OK, you back out first, and make sure you got your hands free on!"

"OK, I'm outta here, call me when you leave so we're in communication. I've got the note to leave on the front door and I'll tape it up on my way out!"

"OK"

Sean started out crisscrossing all the east-west streets between his house and Andy's. After ten minutes, he was still coming up empty-handed.

"Dad, still haven't seen anything!"

"Me either, son! I'm about done here. Haven't seen any sign of him."

"Dad, if we don't find him I'm calling the police when we get home."

"That's probably a good idea, son."

"Dad, I'm headed home. I am going to call 911 when I get there."

"OK, son, I'll be back in a few minutes. I'm not quite done yet." Joe actually was done, but something told him to check the park where the team met before the Braden meeting. Joe turned the big Cadillac in the direction of the park. Entering the park, even though it was after legal hours, he switched on the Xenon high beams hoping that they might provide enough extra illumination to see outside the narrow confines of the roadway. Joe rolled down all the windows as well as opening the sunroof, and switched off the air conditioning so that if there were any sounds coming from outside he'd have the best chance of hearing them.

The park had several winding roads turning back on each other here and there, and it would take Joe at least ten minutes, if not more, to cover them all at a speed slow enough to have a good look.

"Dad, I'm home now, and I called the Police. They put out an APB for him."

"OK, I am almost done," Joe lied, "I'm gonna hang up now." Joe didn't lie out of a bad motive; he just didn't see the point in needlessly worrying his son any more than he already was.

"Alright, call me if you find him. If I hear from the cops I'll call you!"

"OK."

Driving a little further, Joe thought he might have spotted something out of place next to a garbage barrel to the side of one of the pavilions. "Nah," Joe thought, "It's just a trash bag..." Joe began to drive on when he thought he saw the trash bag move. He backed the big Cadillac up, turned it 90 degrees in the road so that the Xenon high beams were on the garbage bag and again thought he made out some kind of faint movement.

Joe decided he'd need to investigate more closely but did not have a flashlight. The immediate area around the pavilion had decorative concrete barriers next to the roadway spaced so as to not allow vehicle access up on the grass, but about 50 yards down the road the barriers ended. Joe sped down to the end of the barriers, drove onto the grass and toward the place where he saw the trash bag. Yet again he thought he saw the trash bag move.

Getting close, he saw it was two trash bags put inside each other end-to-end like a pillowcase, and there was faint movement.

Driving to within ten feet of the trash bags, Joe called out, "Hey, is anyone there!"

After about five seconds, Joe heard a faint human voice and a sound like muffled moaning.

Joe was out of the car in a flash, ripped the trash bags apart and before him was a battered body. He didn't know at first if it was a man, or a woman. Joe's eyes couldn't see detail well at first because of the glare of the headlights aganst the darkness of night. After a few seconds he made out that the face was Andy's. Bloody, battered, but alive. Joe bent down and said, "Andy, it's Joe Wyman. Don't move! Sean and I have been looking for you. I'm glad I found you, son. You're safe now. I'm going to call for help, but I'm not leaving! Stay with me, son! Help is on the way!"

Joe whipped out his cell and called 911. In case the one, or ones who beat Andy were still in the vicinity, Joe drew his Glock 9-Millimeter.

"911, what's the emergency?"

"I'm at Southport Park and there's a young man down. Please triangulate on these cell phone co-ordinates. He appears to be badly injured and in need of immediate help. He's alive, but unable to speak. I am at the North Pavilion. My car is up on the grass, lights are on. Black Cadillac XTS, Wisconsin plates GMJ-101. We need an ambulance immediately!"

"Sir, what are his injuries?

"How would I know what his injuries are! I'm not a Doctor! He's badly beaten! We've been looking for him because he didn't show up for a family function! He needs help NOW! He's bleeding and appears to have blood in his sputum! He is conscious but barely! No more questions!"

"Sir, an ambulance and a Police cruiser have been dispatched. Please stand by. ETA is five minutes."

"Thank you!"

After about a minute, Joe heard sirens in the distance but getting closer. Presently, an EMT van and a Police cruiser pulled up. The EMT's got busy. Joe introduced himself to the officer, informing the officer that he was armed, and had a conceal carry permit. The Police officer proceeded to question Joe about the events leading up to the 911 call. Satisfied with Joe's answers, and agreeing to send a Detective by the Wyman house later that evening, the officer returned to his cruiser and entered the information he had into his onboard computer. The EMT's worked on Andy until he could be safely transported.

Joe asked the officer if he was free to go. Asked where he was headed, and telling the officer that he was headed home, the office told Joe he would escort him home as the Police Criminalists had already arrived and begun to process the crime scene. Joe asked for a minute in order to speak with the EMT's.

"What are we looking at here with Andy?" Joe asked.

"That's his name? We didn't find any ID on him..."

"Yes, his name's Andrew Churchill. He's my son in law."

"Well, sir, he's been beaten up pretty bad. I'm sure you knew that. It looks like the most pressing thing he has right now is at least one broken rib and possibly a punctured lung. He's lost some blood, which we are replacing as we speak, and he's a little dehydrated which we are also taking care of. He'll have a safe trip to the hospital, and once there they'll probably know more in an hour, or so. He took a good beating, that's for sure. I hope he pulls through, but at least he's young and strong."

"OK, what Hospital will he be at?"

"Aurora."

"Thanks."

Joe went back to the Cadillac and met the officer for his escort home. The trip home was completed in record time with the officer following Joe. Once home, Joe motioned the officer to come in the house.

Joe called for Sean, and bade the officer to take a seat in the living room. Sean bounded down, asking, Didja find him? Didja find him? What's the cop doing here? Something's wrong, isn't it... DAD?" Sean's eyes were the size of saucers.

"Son, after I searched all the possible bike routes that Andy could have taken, something told me to go down by the park. That's where I found Andy. Son, he was beaten up fairly severely. The paramedics said he'll be OK. They've taken him to Aurora Hospital. The officer is here to escort us there, and there may be a detective showing up later to ask questions of what we might know. I'm so sorry, son, but at least we found him, and he's alive. This will be OK. It's not OK now, but it will be."

Then walking over to the Police Officer, Joe said to him in a low voice, "Officer, we really should leave for the hospital. Please radio your Detective and have him meet us there."

"That makes sense, sir. And you're sure the young man in the hospital is your son in law? I apologize, sir, but I have to ask."

"He might as well be, Officer... My son over there, well, that's his boyfriend."

The officer looked at Sean and immediately confirmed in his mind what he had originally thought. "Sir," he said addressing Joe, "please follow me on the way to the hospital! Young man," he said addressing Sean, "go with your father! We'll be traveling at speeds a bit in excess of posted, but not unsafe! We should be there in less than ten minutes!"

"Yes, sir!" Sean and Joe said in unison.

Off into the night the big Cadillac XTS flew following the instantly recognizable silhouette of a Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, majestic in its own right with all lights and sirens on. Through every red light and around every corner until at last the Cruiser and the Cadillac arrived at the hospital.

"Gentlemen, this is where I leave you. I am glad to have been of service to you this evening!"

Joe extended his hand to the officer and said, "My son and I are grateful to you. May I have your card, please? When this is over, I'll write a letter of commendation to your superior officer."

"Certainly, Sir, here you go. Please wish your son and his friend the best for me."

Meanwhile, Sean raced toward the entrance to the Hospital. At the patient information desk, he asked if an Andrew Churchill had been admitted. After an interminably long wait he was told that they had no record of a person by that name coming in that evening.

Sean looked horrified. He asked again, "Do you not have a record of anyone coming in this evening being the victim of a beating, possible punctured lung? The EMT's told my dad they were bringing him here!"

"Wait a minute, let me look. I looked under the name of Churchill, but what did you say his first name is?

"Andrew, please look under Andrew, Andy, or And..."

"I'll try And since it'll give me all names with extra letters after that. Hmmm, I show nothing like that name... When did you say he was brought in?"

"It would have been maybe in the last 20, 30 minutes, or so..." Joe said.

"He's probably still in Emergency, then. Let me call back there and see... Give me a brief description of him."

Sean barked the answer, rapid-fire, "Sixteen! Five-ten, maybe one-sixty! Dark blonde hair, brown eyes! His name is Andy!"

The receptionist placed the call to Emergency and exchanged a couple short phrases were with the person on the other end of the line. She looked up and said, "They have a young man matching that description who was brought in about 20 minutes ago. Go back out the front door, then to your left you'll see the Emergency entrance. They can help you."

Sean sprinted to the door faster than Joe had ever seen him run in his life. Joe followed behind content to give Sean his head in this moment. This has been a rough week for Sean, Joe reasoned, and now it's gotten even rougher. The best thing to do is to let his almost-man of a son be a man, and for him to stay in the background unless needed. Joe figured that his son, having his mother's temperament, would rise to the moment.

"Sean, son, give me Andy's home phone number. Someone has to notify his mom."

"Dad, I'll make the call. Then we need to find out what happened."

Sean pulled up Siri on his iPhone and commanded, "Siri! Call Andy home!"

"Calling Andy home!" Siri answered in her metallic voice.

"Hello?"

"It's Sean... Yeah, we, um, my dad found Andy... No, he's not OK... He's been beaten up pretty bad... At the park... Aurora Hospital... We don't know, they just brought him in... Emergency Room... I don't know... OK... Bye."

"I'm proud of you, Sean. That took guts. What'd she say?"

"She's on her way, dad. I'm gonna go up to the desk and see if they can tell me anything!"

Sean approached the desk and cleared his throat, "My friend was brought in a little while ago. His name's Andrew Churchill. I'd like some information on his condition if you have it, please."

"Are you a relative, sir?"

"Not directly, ma'am, but he was on his way to my house when this happened. I just want to know how good, or how bad his condition is, that's all..."

"I wish I could give you that information, but because of privacy laws I can't. All I can tell you is that he was brought about 15 minutes ago, he's listed in serious condition, and they are preparing to admit him as soon as a room is ready, which at this hour of the night could run anywhere from one to three hours."

"Is there a way for someone to let him know I'm here? Ma'am? Now, I don't know how you feel about this sort of thing, butcha see, that boy back there is my boyfriend. He'd want to know I was here for him."

The receptionist gave Sean a quizzical look. Sean noticed the wedding ring on her left hand.

"Ma'am, I know you have rules. I might be young, but I'm not naïve. I see you're wearing a wedding ring. Imagine that instead of my boyfriend back there it was, God forbid, your husband. I'm only asking that someone let Andy know I'm here, that's all..."

"You know, I think I need a bathroom break about now, don'tcha know... Hmmm, well wouldja just look at that! It looks like your friend's room is right on my way to the bathroom! What a coincidence!" she winked. "And your name is..."

"Sean Wyman. Thank you ma'am. I appreciate it."

Sean went to sit back down in the waiting area when he heard the "whoosh" of the automatic doors. Andy's mom flew through the door, making a beeline for Sean.

"How is he? Did they tell you anything? When will he be ready to go home?"

"Mrs. Barry, all I know for sure is that they said he's in serious condition, and they're going to admit him as soon as a room is ready. I don't think he's going home tonight if they're admitting him. Maybe my dad knows more. Dad?"

"Kathy, I found Andy at the park. The only thing I was told by the EMT's is that they were pretty sure he had a cracked, or broken rib, or ribs, and maybe a punctured lung. They said he took a bad beating. He wasn't in good shape when I found him. I stayed with him until the EMT's came, but they had to bring him in right away. I found him inside two garbage bags."

"Garbage bags? What?" Kathy gasped. "Who would do this? Joe, weren't you scared? They might have still been there!"

"Kathy," Joe said pulling his shirt up an inch exposing the butt of his Glock, "as you can see, I was prepared to defend myself."

"We don't know who did this." Sean said. "Andy wasn't talking when dad found him, and I haven't been able to see him. We don't know if he knows who did it, or not. We don't even know where his bike is..."

"Sean?" the receptionist called out. "Somehow, Andy found out that you're here. I have no idea how... He wants to see you."

"I'm his mother!" Kathy said, somewhat startled, "I should go..."

"Ma'am, it'll be better to let Sean go first. You see, Andy knows Sean's here. He doesn't know you're here yet. Let' have Sean go back, and Sean can let Andy know you're here. It's best to have him see only one person at a time. And not for too long. He's a little groggy because of the morphine..."

"Morphine?" Kathy mouthed. "Ma'am, I'm his mother, and yes, I'll wait for Sean, but can you, or one of the Doctors let me know his exact condition?"

"I can't because I don't know. I only know he's listed in serious condition. I'm sure when you go back one of the Doctors, or Nurses can fill you in."

"OK" Kathy said as she sat down and fished through the three-month-old magazines on the coffee table to find something to read.

"Kathy," Joe said, "our sons are very close, you know. Andy was on his way over to our house tonight to talk to Sean and I about a matter of some import. Now is not the time or place, but you and I need to talk. Are you able to meet me for lunch tomorrow? I'll email my office right now and cancel all of my appointments."

"Sure, Joe. Look, I know I haven't exactly been the model mom all these years since Leonard died, but I did what I could to provide for Andy. I had no money on my own, kids cost a lot to raise, and I know I made some faulty choices. I know I ignored him. I have some idea of what's going on with those two, but you know me, outta sight outta mind, right? Yeah, sure I'll meet you for lunch. Just let me know the place. Would 11:30 be OK?"

"11:30 is fine, Kathy. I'll make reservations at the Country Club – it'll be private. Just meet me there."

"That works, Joe. Thanks."

Sean made his way back through the Emergency Ward's maze of small rooms looking for the one with Andy's name on it. When he found it, he almost broke down in tears as the name on the chart said "Andrew Wyman." Sean thought to himself, "They must have made a mistake. After all, it was dad that found him... Still..."

Sean took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, parted the curtain, and was promptly taken aback by what he saw. He knew he could not let on with any expression how shocked he was. There lay Andy, out of it, battered and bruised, with two black eyes, face swollen, tubes in his chest and his side, two IV drips, one blood and one saline, and his left leg appearing to be in traction.

"Hey, Brown Eyes..." Sean softly spoke and grasped Andy's hand in his own, rubbing the top of Andy's hand with his thumb, "I've been here for a while, but they only let me back to see you now. You don't have to talk if you don't feel like it. I'm so sorry, Brown Eyes, I'm so sorry... I'll be here for you every day. I promise on my mother's grave nobody will ever touch you again."

"Ah uv woo." Andy croaked out.

"I love you, too." Sean bent down and gently kissed Andy's lips, so gently because he knew it must hurt, but he felt he needed to do it. He felt Andy needed loving contact at that moment. "I'm gonna go now, Brown Eyes. They're getting a room ready for you. I'll be back in the morning. Promise me that you'll do whatever the Doctors and Nurses say, OK?"

Andy nodded once, and then fell asleep.

Sean exited the little room, wiped his moist eyes with the back of his hand, stopped to take a few deep breaths, squared his shoulders again, stood tall, and marched back out into the lobby. Both Joe's and Kathy's eyes were on Sean as he came out.

Joe looked at his son, but said nothing. Kathy paused, then asked, "How is he, Sean? Don't spare me, be honest."

"Well, Mrs. Barry, he's um, well, OK, it's not pretty. He's been sedated, that was obvious. He was awake for about 30 seconds when I was in there. He fell asleep before I came back out. I didn't get to talk to the Doctor, or a Nurse, so I don't know his exact injuries, but, well, you asked me to be honest – he's injured alright. I told him I'd be back tomorrow, and I'll tell you both what I told him: I swore to Andy on my mother's grave that nobody will ever touch him again."

"Oh, Sean!' Kathy said. "I'm gonna go back now and have a look. If he's asleep, I won't wake him, but I'll see if I can find a Doctor. Please wait!"

"We're not going anywhere - this is gonna be a long night, Kathy..." Joe said.

A few seconds after Kathy went toward the patient rooms, a large man in a suit appeared. "Excuse me, sir, but would you happen to be Joe Wyman?"

"Yes, that's me. What can I do for you?"

"Here's my card. I'm Detective Chrostowski, Kenosha Police. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"That's fine, Detective. I'm not sure how much help I'll be, but fire away..."

"Thank you, sir. I guess my first question is who is the young man sitting next to you?"

"This is my son, Sean. He and Andy, the injured boy, are close friends."

"OK, I'd pretty much figured that. Now, can you tell me what you were doing in the park at that hour?"

"Sure. Andy was due at our house at 7:30 p.m. He's normally punctual, and by the time it was 7:45 we realized that he was not there yet. About 7:50 Sean called Andy's mom who said..."

"If it's alright Mr. Wyman, I'll question Sean in a few minutes. Is he a minor?"

"Yes. He's 17."

"Then you will be present when I question him."

"That's fine, let's keep going, Detective."

"OK, so Andy was at that point running late, and according to you he's usually punctual. Go on..."

"Correct. Sean and I decided to go look for Andy. We decided we'd cover the routes a person would take if they were coming by bicycle, which is how we assumed Andy would be traveling. It's about a ten-minute bike ride from his house to ours. I had exhausted the possible bike routes that would make sense to take, but I decided to look in the park. To go through the park wouldn't be a route that makes much sense, but a person could do it if they wanted to..."

"Tell me what happened in the park."

"I drove down the park road, pretty slow. I put the high beams on as there are no streetlights in the park, and I wanted the extra light from the high beams in case I saw something. When I got over by the North Pavilion, I saw a trash bag. I thought I saw it move, but then I thought I must've imagined it. It moved again, so I went down a ways to where I could get the car onto the grass. I drove up to it with the headlights directly on it and it moved again. I jumped out and found Andy inside of two trash bags, one over his head, the other over his feet kind of joined up in the middle. I called 911 and pulled out my Glock in case whoever did it was still around."

"Very well. Sean, did Andy's mom say that he was traveling to your house on his bike?"

"I don't remember if she did, or if she didn't, sir. By that time, I was starting to get worried. I just assumed he took his bike because that's how he always gets around."

"Just one more question. Can you think of anyone who would do this to Andy?"

Sean took a deep breath, "Well, Sir, maybe."

"Maybe? What's maybe mean? Young man, your friend was beaten to within an inch of his life from what I can tell, and all you can say is maybe?"

"OK, Detective, all I meant is I'm not a hundred percent sure, but I can think of a few guys maybe giving him a little bit of a shit, or something, but not this! So my answer is yes, but I am not accusing anyone. I mean, I didn't see it happen."

"I know that, son, and just because you might give me a name, or names, doesn't mean that you've accused anyone, let me be clear about that. All it means is that it will be just another part of our investigation. So, who are taking about here..."

"OK, well, I can give you the names of some of the guys on the Tremper football team. Other than that, there's nobody I can think of."

"Interesting. The football team? Why's that?"

Sean then recited the same story to the Detective that he'd recited to his father earlier that evening.

"Yes, that certainly IS interesting. I think that'll be all for now, gentlemen. If you think of anything else, you have my card. Good evening!"

"Good evening, Detective!" Joe replied.

"Dad, I think I just opened Pandora's Box here. I know that some of the guys on the team are douche bags, but I dunno...do you think they'd do this? And what if it gets out that I gave that idea to the Detective? That would just be a way worse for Andy."

"Son, Detectives don't blab that kind of shit. Now, tomorrow I am meeting Andy's mom for lunch at the Club. We're going to hash out the Janesville thing. I think she can be persuaded, especially after this. I also texted Garrett Crossman letting him know I need to see him at some point tomorrow because we'll probably need a lawyer before this is over. Now, don't be surprised, but I also called Joe Burkheimer tonight when I was on my way back from the park. That's right, I know Joe Burkheimer, OK? I know he's Andy's supplier, and I know that you know that. Like I said before, it's a small world. Anyway, Burkheimer's gonna let Andy off the hook. So if Andy has any, um, inventory at this point we need to get it back to Joe. Joe's gonna refund Andy at wholesale whatever Joe thinks it's worth, which probably isn't gonna be much on the dollar and call it a day. That's the deal Joe and I agreed to. You can tell Andy it's not negotiable. The bottom line here is that I don't feel either one of you boys is safe in this town right now. You're all I have, Sean, and Andy's all you have. I'll do my best, son. I want you both safe and sound."

"Jesus, Dad! You are way ahead of me! Dad?"

"Yeah..."

"I love you, dad. Thanks..."

"I love you, too, son. Now, you just let me handle this. I've been around the block a few more times than you have. You just give it a business-as-usual attitude for the next while. I know you're even-keel, well, be extra even now."

"Yeah, you're right, dad. Hey, um, about Andy's inventory: we took it all out of his house last night and hid it in the septic tank at a house construction site out by Pleasant Prairie. A friend of ours had the idea because he thought the football players might narc Andy out."

"You tell me where it is, and Burkheimer will probably have it out of there by this time tomorrow."

"OK, dad. I'll have to look it up on a map, but I'll give you the name of the road it's on. It's the only construction site, no one could miss it. But he has to go there at night after sundown when no one is around."

"You figure it out where it is when we get back home and tell it to me verbally. Do not email, or text it to me!"

Joe looked up and saw Kathy Barry coming out from the patient area. She was ashen-faced.

"Did you see the Doctor?" Sean asked.

"Yes. I'll tell you what he told me. Andy has two broken ribs and a broken leg. There is a small puncture in his right lung. He's got a lot of bruising, well, you saw that. It also looks like he might have been stabbed in the thigh, anyway there is a large gash on his thigh. They're going to admit him, and the Doctor thinks he'll be in here anywhere from one to two weeks."

"Stabbed?" Sean gasped.

"Yeah, hun, stabbed." Kathy said as she dissolved in tears.

"Kathy, we all feel the same way. Sean and I love Andy as if he were part of our own family. We'll talk more at lunch tomorrow, but how do you feel about when Andy gets out of here he goes to our house? The reason I suggest that is because we have full security and surveillance systems at the house. I had them installed for Sean's safety after Val died. The company that did the design work are all ex-FBI and military guys from Milwaukee. The guy who installed it is a guy I know from Mukwonago and he threw some very interesting upgrades into the design. I had him install some pretty heavy-duty security on Sean's Equinox, too, including video surveillance. Anyway, if Andy's in my house, it would be almost impossible for anyone to get to him. If we let the cops know he's staying with us, then if anyone was really stupid enough to try anything they'd have every cop in Kenosha down their throat."

"I see what you're saying, Joe. That might be a good idea, especially given my, um, track record as a mother. I think right now I should just trust you guys. Is that OK?"

"Kathy, it's more than OK, and don't worry about paying me anything for it, either. Sending you a bill is not part of my offer. Let's look down the road here: if whoever did this is caught, and if they have any money at all, your son will be set for life. Even if that doesn't happen you and I both know that once a loved one is gone, well, that's about as final as it ever gets. You can't go back at that point and play coulda- shoulda-woulda. Andy's still here, and we're gonna do our best to keep him here."

"You're right, Joe. Andy will go to your house. Thanks."

The three of them looked up when they heard the door to the patient area open and saw one of the Doctors coming out. The Doctor approached Kathy and said, "Mrs. Barry, can I see you for a moment?"

Kathy looked the Doctor in the eye and said softly, yet matter-of-factly, "Doctor, these two are family friends. They're here for Andy tonight. Whatever you've got to say, you can tell us all. Please."

"Very well. We've found that in addition to everything else, your son also has a ruptured spleen. It's a Grade I rupture which while thankfully the least severe is nonetheless serious. The good news is it probably won't require surgery, but it does explain some of his blood loss, which was not explainable by his superficial wounds alone. His vital signs are OK right now and we don't see this as something to be excessively concerned about at this time, but we wanted to make you aware of it. It should not lengthen his stay in the hospital unless there are unforeseen complications. Also, you should know that when we release him his movement will be restricted for a few weeks.

"Thank you, Doctor," Kathy said.

"Doctor, can I come and see him tomorrow?" Sean asked.

"He should be able to have visitors any time during regular visiting hours, and he'll need it, young man. As for now, I know it's late, and this might not seem like the best bedside manner for a Doctor to have, but you all look tired. It's best for you to go home and get some rest. There isn't anything you can do for Andy right now. He's in good hands. We already have the specialists lined up to see him in the morning. Once he's released, Andy will need you to be at your best because he will need extra care. That's the best favor you can do for him."

"Thank you, Doctor." Sean said. "Dad, I think the Doctor's right. When I see Andy tomorrow, I'm gonna need to be rested in case there's any new surprises."

"I agree," Kathy said. "Sean, you and I probably should plan to talk at some point."

END CHAPTER EIGHT