Gregory A. Patrick 11/01/2020
Jaiden - Chapter 72-73
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Greg Patrick
"Jaiden, I don't know that we have had a better day than yesterday except for the day we all got married." "I don't either, Dale. Yesterday was such a positive, emotional day."
"After everything was over, I was totally drained. I thought I would call Jay tonight and see how Jeremy is doing. Yesterday had to be a whirlwind for his young mind, especially since everything was a total surprise to him. Until then, it is time for us to head out to school. I hope you and Charley have a good day." "We will, Jaiden. Enjoy your day. Maybe they'll have your favorite meal for lunch today." "That would be good, but I would probably eat too much and not be able to eat dinner tonight, and that would upset Ginny, and I don't want to do that." Dale started laughing as he said, "I totally understand."
When Peyton and Jaiden got to LECOM, they thanked their classmates and Andy for supporting Jeremy and them in court yesterday. After class, several classmates approached Jaiden and Peyton and said how much they appreciated what the two had done for Jeremy. They couldn't believe how much better he looked and how happy he appeared to be.
"Peyton, may I talk to you and Jaiden for a few minutes?" "Sure, Richard. You look upset, what's wrong?" "Peyton, I have been dealing with an issue involving my little brother, Seth. My parents found out he was gay when mother entered his room without knocking. She caught him kissing his boyfriend David. None of us knew Seth was gay, so that kind of threw my parents for a loop."
"Seth disappeared for 4 months and I didn't know where he was, and my parents wouldn't tell me. I found out the other day that Mom and Dad sent him to a hospital that supposedly counsels young teens until they are cured' of being gay. I hit the roof and raised mortal hell with my Dad for doing that and plainly told him that there is no cure' for being gay, that it is something that happens in the brain long before a baby is ever born."
"Dad was furious and told me that Seth could be straight like the rest of us or he could get the hell out of his house. That is when Dad jumped on Seth and started pummeling him. The pictures we saw of Jeremy a couple of weeks back stuck in my head, and before I knew it, I kicked my Dad in the face to knock him off of Seth."
"Before Dad could get up, I jumped on him and beat him the way he had just beaten my little brother. I might not have done that had I not met and learned to love you and Jaiden the way all of us have. Then I thought of Jeremy and my blood began to boil. I could tell my Dad was horribly angry at Seth, so I grabbed him and ran from my parent's house. I brought him to the dorms here and have been hiding him out ever since."
When I got him out of the hell hole he was in, he finally calmed down enough to let me know what had been going on and what had happened to him as a result of getting caught kissing his boyfriend."
"Mom and Dad had some people go to their house and get my brother and take him to some kind of mental facility where they intended to counsel him out of being gay. We all know that kind of `therapy' was debunked years ago and that it has been outlawed in many states. It simply doesn't work. When they got Seth into the facility, he was subjected to intense sessions of screaming, yelling, and exorcism. The worst thing my poor brother endured was when they put electrodes all over his body and gave him electro-shock therapy to his brain. He said it took weeks for him to get over the pain of that procedure."
"Even worse than that, they stripped him naked and put electrodes on his penis and attached them around his testicles after they bound them tightly in his scrotum. Every night since I have hidden him out here, he has awakened after having night terrors. I don't want to impose on you, but I was hoping you two could talk to my brother and see if he would open up more with you than he has me. I think a lot more has happened to him than he has admitted to me." "Richard, hold tight for a minute and let me make a phone call."
"Ginny, this is Jaiden. Are you cooking dinner for tonight or is Dale?" "Jaiden, Granny and I are about to start preparing dinner for you boys. Ezra and the Reverend are going to eat with us tonight." "Ginny, I have had a situation come up with a friend of mine here at LECOM and I would like to have him come over for dinner tonight with his little brother. Would it be too much trouble to add two more to the dinner list? I know this is short notice, but the situation for Richard's younger brother is pretty bad and Peyton and I want to talk to Seth privately on the deck." "Jaiden, is it that bad?"
"Ginny, it is worse in ways than with Jeremy. I may need your and Granny's help, and especially the help of Gampy and the Reverend. I trust you four to do the right thing and I know you understand how Seth is hurting. He is a lot like Jeremy in the respect that he needs someone to love him and support him; he deserves at least that out of his young life."
"Jaiden, there is plenty of food, you bring those two home with you. We'll help you however we can. I'll let Gampy and the Reverend know what is going on." "Thanks, Ginny!" "You're welcome, son."
"Richard, can you and Seth come to my and Peyton's home tonight at 6 for dinner?" "Sure, Jaiden, but I don't want to impose." "Richard, you aren't imposing, I talked to Ginny and she said she had plenty of food for all of us, and believe me, Ginny can cook! Here is the address. We'll talk to Seth on the deck after dinner." "Thanks, guys. I owe you for this." "You don't owe us anything, we are glad to help you with this, Richard."
At 6 pm, Richard and Seth arrived at Peyton's and Jaiden's for dinner. Jaiden answered the door and invited the two inside. Richard took a look around and told Jaiden and Peyton that the house was gorgeous. He asked how they could go to med school and afford to live in such a nice home. Jaiden smiled and told Richard and Seth that the house was a gift from several people, mostly his and Peyton's parents, and that it was paid for. We live here with our two brothers and our ten children." Seth said, "ten children?" "Peyton said, "Yes, Seth, ten children and they are all 6 months old." Seth looked at Jaiden and Peyton and said, "WOW!"
Ginny prepared roast beef, and several vegetables and the aroma in the house made everybody hungry. As Richard and Seth walked into the den, Ginny and Granny were putting dinner on the dining room table. "Richard, Seth, this is Gampy and the Reverend. When my Dad died in the plane crash, Gampy became a Dad to me and he has never left my side when I needed him or he needed to correct me. His wife, who I call Ginny, raised me from birth until I went to high school. Ginny got Granny to help her when the children came along. I call her husband Reverend since he is the Pastor of Ginny's church. If we need fatherly advice, we can also call him. We have been blessed to be a part of their family and having them be a part of ours."
Ginny and Granny walked into the den and Ginny looked at Richard and said, "I'm Ginny, the person who raised Jaiden, and this is Granny who is helping to raise Charley's and Dale's children. I am getting to raise my grandchildren, Jaiden's and Peyton's children. The four are my boys and when I call them to dinner, I say dinner, boys. Since you and Seth are now one of my boys, dinner boys!" Everybody was laughing as they headed to the dining room. When they sat down, the Reverend blessed the food as he always does. Even though the Reverend offers a Christian prayer and the brothers are Jewish, they are always respectful of the Reverend's practice of his faith.
The food was passed around the table and Seth got a little of everything that went by. Ginny noticed he didn't get very much of what he had put on his plate, so she said, "Seth, don't be shy or worried about getting enough food to satisfy yourself, we have plenty. If you want some more of something, speak up and ask for it, OK." "Yes, mam, thank you. I have to be careful about what I get at home." You could see Ginny's and Granny's faces turning red with anger at Seth's statement. Gampy and the reverend weren't too pleased either. "Seth, nobody in this house is going to get upset with you if you want more food to eat. Son, get whatever you want." "Yes, mam, thank you." "You're welcome, Seth, now eat what you want and enjoy it."
"Ginny, what kind of rolls are those?" "Seth, those are buttermilk biscuits. Down south, everybody has those almost every day at dinner, and sometimes they have them for breakfast with fruit jam. Do you like peach or strawberry jam?" "I like strawberry, but I've never had peach jam." "Peyton, would you please get the peach jam in the refrigerator and show Seth how we fix our biscuits in the south?" "Yes, mam." Peyton got the jam out of the fridge, got a hot biscuit, and the butter.
"Seth, the way we eat biscuits in the south is to get a hot biscuit and cut it open in the middle like this. Then we put a pat of butter on it and close the biscuit until the butter melts. It only takes a second or two for the butter to melt. Then we put the jam on the biscuit." He handed the buttered biscuit with the jam on it to Seth.
Seth took a bite of the biscuit, looked at his brother and asked, "Richard, did you try a biscuit like this." "Not yet, Seth, is it good?" "Richard, this is better than good. We've never had anything even close to this at home. These are way better than the biscuits out of the can." Granny and Ginny were smiling from ear to ear. That Seth was enjoying their food put them on cloud nine.
"Seth, fix you another biscuit if you want to. Something else we do in the south is to open up the biscuit on our plate and put the gravy from the roast beef on it. Try that. Seth got a biscuit, opened it up and put a spoon full of gravy on it. Granny looked at Jaiden and said, "Jaiden, put some gravy on that boy's biscuit and show him how we do it." Jaiden looked at Granny and Ginny, smiled, and got a ladle full of gravy and drown Seth's biscuit with it. Seth's eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw Jaiden give him that much gravy. He took one bite and then scarfed down the biscuit. Ginny and Granny were laughing at how he was enjoying his food.
Dale had left the table to go into the kitchen and make a pot of coffee. Richard asked Jaiden where Dale disappeared to and Jaiden said he was in the kitchen making what they called dessert. "What would that be, Jaiden?" "Richard, Dale makes the best coffee you have ever put in your mouth. He used to prepare Maui Coffee from Maui, Hawaii but we ran out. Ginny stopped at the Erie Coffee Shop two weeks ago and bought some India Monsoonal Malabar coffee and as soon as we tasted it, it became our new favorite; and it is much cheaper than Maui Coffee."
Dale said, "OK, everybody, bring your dishes into the kitchen so Charley and I can put them in the dishwasher and clean off the dining table and head to the den for coffee."
As everyone got in the den to talk and have a cup of coffee, Jaiden looked at Seth and said, "Seth, would you please come outside on the deck and talk with me and Peyton for a minute?" The boy stood up and walked outside and sat with Jaiden and Peyton at the deck table.
"Seth, Richard told us what happened to you and he thinks there is something else wrong that you may be too embarrassed to tell him, so Peyton and I want you to tell us everything that happened without anything left out. We will help you with whatever it is and Dale and Charley are awesome at helping young people with stress they may be having."
"Mr. Jaiden, it is really embarrassing to me and I didn't want to upset Richard." "Seth, Richard may get upset because he loves you, but he won't be upset with you, he will be upset with your Dad. So, tell us what happened so we can get you the help you need. If you have to be examined at the hospital, Peyton or I, or both of us, can do that exam at the hospital since we are Physician's Assistants there and work in the Emergency room."
Jaiden looked at Seth and said, "Seth, talk to us. Tell us what happened. We have to know what happened so we can help you." Tears started falling from Seth's eyes as he looked at Jaiden and Peyton and said, "Mr. Jaiden, Dad made me take off all my clothes and when I got them off, he started beating me with a belt. I still have the whelps where he hit me so hard. I showed Richard some of them, but I didn't show him all of them. Dad beat me on my privates and did other things there." "Seth, what do you mean by "other things?" Seth cried even harder as he said, "Dad grabbed me by my balls and yanked them up really hard and said `does the little queer like this, huh?' Does this feel good to the little queer?' I was so scared I didn't know what to do. I couldn't get away from him. After he hurt me doing that, he pushed me over the bed on my stomach and said he bet I would like what he was fixing to do. He took the broom and shoved the handle up my butt and pushed it in and out and it hurt so bad."
Dale and Charley were looking out the French doors and keeping an eye on the three when Charley stood up and said, "Oh hell, Jaiden's about to lose it. You can see the veins popping out on his neck from here. This can't be good." Granny wanted to say something about what Charley said, but the Reverend motioned to her to let it go. Ginny and Gampy didn't say anything either because they knew it had to be really bad to make Charley say what he did. They watched as Jaiden took out his phone and made a phone call. When he hung up, he stuck his head inside the door and told Dale and Charley that Roger Betterman and Bobby Standridge would be at the house in a few minutes and to please show them to the deck.
Ginny knew who Roger and Bobby are and tears started streaming down her face. Richard got a worried look on his face when he asked, "Who are Roger Betterman and Bobby Standridge?" Dale looked at Richard, and said, "Rick, I don't want to alarm you, but Roger and Bobby are Police officers, and they are Jaiden's and Judge Stanislauski's cousins. Jaiden is about to ream somebody a new one." Jaiden stuck his head back in the door and said Don was on his way as well. This time tears started falling from Charley's eyes as he said, "oh god, this is not going to be good at all."
Roger and Bobby arrived and interviewed Seth. As they were talking to him, Don arrived and went out on the deck. Dale looked out the windows and said, "Oh, no! Don is losing it!"
"Dale, isn't Don Judge Stanislauski?" "He is, Rick. This is something bad for him to be here."
Jaiden came into the den and asked, "Ginny, Granny, can you, Gampy, and the Reverend stay here and help watch the boys? Peyton and I are taking Seth to the hospital. I have already called Dr. Brannen and he is going to meet us at the emergency room. Richard, leave your things here, you will be staying with us tonight. Andy is also going to meet us at the hospital. I'll call you guys as soon as I know something."
When they got to the hospital, Roger, Bobby, and Don met them there. Peyton took them into an interview room where he started getting medical information, and personal info on Seth. Peyton got a call and said, "I am on my way." "Richard, I have to go scrub up for surgery. When they examined Seth, they found some internal damage and it has to be repaired. As soon as we know something a nurse will call you. Stay here in this room."
"Roger, do you have an arrest warrant in your brief case?" "Judge, I surely do." "Get the damned thing and bring it to me." With that directive from the judge, Roger headed out to his patrol car to get the blank warrant.
As soon as he got back to the interview room, he handed the judge the warrant. Judge Stanislauski promptly filled it out, signed it, and handed the warrant to Roger and said, "I want at least four patrol cars to meet you here at the hospital and I want all of you to go out and find that son-of-a-bitch and I want him in jail tonight. If he is not there, find him. If he has left the state to avoid prosecution, call the FBI and get them involved. Wherever he is I want him in jail and I want him in jail tonight!" "Yes, sir." "NO BOND! Call me as soon as he is in jail."
About an hour later while Seth was still in surgery, Don's phone rang. "Judge, this is Major Schwartz at the jail. The man is in custody and they are on the way to the jail with him." "Great. Where did they find him?" "They caught him at home as he was getting in his car to leave. He put up quite a fight when they went to arrest him." "So, he put up a big fight, did he? Is Big Richard still in jail?" "Yes, Sir he is and we will." "Thank you much, Major!" "Your welcome, Judge. I'll call you in the morning and let you know how his reception goes." "Major, that is one call I will be looking for. I want him in court for arraignment at 9:00 am. I will arraign him and then recuse myself and have the case assigned to Bob's Court. I am going to be a witness in this case." "Judge, I can't wait." "Neither can I, Major. Thanks for your hard work in this case." "Yes, Sir. Talk with you in the morning."
"Richard, they have your Dad in custody and they are on the way to the jail with him. He will be put in a cell with a guy we know as Big Richard. He won't hurt your Dad, but he will get your Dad so scared he will shit himself; however, if he tries to man-up at Big Richard, he is going to get an ass whooping like he has never had before. He won't ever hurt your brother again."
"I issued the warrant for Aggravated Assault of a Minor, Sexual Assault of a Minor, Child Molestation, and Aggravated Battery of a Child by an Adult. If he is sentenced on all of those offenses, and he should be, he is looking at 125 years in prison."
Seth had been in surgery for nearly six hours when Dr. Brannen and Andy got to the interview room. "Richard, your Dad did a lot of damage to your brother. When I examined him before going into surgery, he had multiple tears in his anus, and he had three punctures in his colon. He also had a tear in his bladder and was leaking urine into his abdominal cavity. If that wasn't bad enough, he had damage to his right kidney that was repaired. We called in a Urologist to do that repair."
"Do you have any idea what kind of weapon your Dad may have used when he started hurting Seth?" "Dr. Brannen, it could have been anything: a ball bat, nun-chucks, and axe handle, there is no telling what he used when he lost his temper." "I would ask you to try and find out, but we don't want you going anywhere near that house. Don, do you think you could get Bob to issue a search warrant to find that weapon and the broom he used so it can be used as evidence?" "Dr. Brannen, consider it done. Roger, you know what you need to do. Get a Child Abuse Detective on this case now and tell him to bring me a search warrant for every nook and cranny on that property and to be very specific so there won't be any appeal issues. I am staying here at the hospital until I am satisfied Seth is going to be ok, so you know where to find me."
A few minutes after Roger left to assist the detective in preparing the search warrant, Jaiden and Peyton walked into the interview room. "Richard, Peyton and I got the surgical incisions closed and got Seth into recovery. Once he starts to wake up, he will go to the Intensive Care Unit. Your brother was seriously injured, and if you hadn't come to the house so we could interview him, he may well have died. As it stands right now, Seth is in very critical condition and he will be in the hospital for quite a while until his body starts healing and we are sure no infection surfaces."
"Andy, are you going to cancel classes for a couple of days and make them up on successive Saturdays or Sundays?" "Jaiden, that is my intent. Richard, whatever happens, I do not want you in class for the next couple of days. I'll make sure you aren't counted absent in any of your classes. I want you to stay with your brother. Peyton and Jaiden will be checking on him several times a day while he is in the hospital, and I can assure you he couldn't be in better hands. Don't worry about treatment costs, your parent's health insurance should cover most of the treatment and what it doesn't cover, we'll get that taken care of one way or another."
"I have already talked to Jaiden and Peyton and I want you to move out of the dorm and stay with them for the rest of the semester and longer if they think it is necessary. They can get you where you need to be when you need to be there, and you will be able to rest better at their home."
"You met Ginny and Grampy and there is nobody better to help Seth when he gets out of the hospital, that and the fact that Jaiden and Peyton will be there and Dr. Brannen lives just around the corner from them. Are you OK with these arrangements?" "Yes, Sir. Thank you so much for your help." "Son, that is what I am here for. I am like Jaiden's mother, who is an old friend of mine; if I find out you need help with something and you don't let me know, I won't be a happy camper." "Yes, Sir, thank you!"
"Ginny, this is Jaiden. I am sorry I couldn't call you before now, Jeremy was in surgery for six hours. There was a lot of internal damage. It is going to be a couple of hours before we can leave the hospital. We need to make sure Seth wakes up ok from the anesthesia. The anesthesiologist will manage his pain which is going to be pretty bad for a while. Classes have been canceled for several days since Andy helped with all the surgical procedures. Richard will be moving out of the dorms at LECOM and staying with me and Peyton so he can get the rest he needs. Seth is going to be in the hospital for at least 3 weeks, maybe 4, until his body is healing OK. I just wanted to let you know Richard will be moving in sometime tomorrow. I'll get him a key. We're making sure he can stay in med school and finish up at the end of next year."
"I appreciate you helping with the babies while all of this has been going on. Please stay in one of the rooms downstairs, or even better yet, put clean linens in our rooms and stay upstairs near the babies. I'll make sure you are compensated for this."
"Jaiden, we'll put clean linens on the beds upstairs and stay near the children. Don't you or Peyton worry about anything. We'll take care of things here at the house, you and Peyton do what you need to do to help Seth. We'll get the new room downstairs ready for Richard in the morning."
"Ginny, thank you and Granny so much for being so understanding. I know this was sudden, but when I found out what Seth's Dad had done to him, I knew what had to be done. Don and Dr. Brannen are talking to Richard right now, and he isn't in very good psychological shape. Don is about to sign a search warrant for Seth's home to try and determine the weapons he used to hurt Seth. One of the things he used was a broom handle that ruptured three places in Seth's colon and punctured his bladder."
"Jaiden, please tell me his Dad didn't do that." "Ginny, I wish I could, but I can't. I'm so upset and mad right now that I can't describe it." "Jaiden, don't worry about the children, we'll take care of them." "Thank you, Ginny, I love you so much." "I love you too, Jaiden. By the way, your Mom called and said to call her as soon as you can, that she didn't care what time it was." "OK, thanks Ginny, I'll call her right now."
"Mom, Ginny said you wanted me to call you. I am sorry it is so late, Peyton and I have been in surgery with Dr. Brannen and Andy for the last 6 hours." "Jaiden, I know you talked to a young boy and his brother at your house, that you got the police involved, and that you rushed out to the hospital. What happened?"
"Mom, you met my friend and classmate, Richard, when you were at LECOM two weeks ago. He pulled me and Peyton aside today and told us he needed to talk to us. We had him and his brother come to the house tonight for dinner and then talked to his brother on the deck. Long story short, his Mom caught Seth kissing his boyfriend and his Dad flew off the handle, lifted him off the floor by his testicles, used a broom stick on him and ruptured three places in his colon, tore his anal tissue all to hell and back, ruptured his bladder, and damaged his right kidney. Don has been here at the hospital and he made sure the man was promptly arrested and jailed with no bond."
"I am so upset right now that I don't know what to do. Ginny and Gampy are staying in my and Peyton's room to watch and take care of the boys. Granny and the Reverend are staying in the new room down stairs. I am going to stay at the hospital tonight and Peyton is going home in about an hour."
"Andy helped Dr. Brannen with the surgery and then cancelled classes for the rest of the week. We'll make up the classes on a Saturday or Sunday, whatever Andy gets worked out. I want to make sure Seth is OK during the night and that his pain is managed as well as possible. Richard will be moving into our house tomorrow and will be there at least until the end of next semester when Peyton and I graduate; that is something Andy wanted and we agreed to it. Richard needs to be in a place that is as calm as possible, and so does Seth."
"Jaiden, I will be there Friday night. I want to see Seth and I want to see Richard. I'll talk to Jim and Phyllis and we'll work out something to help that boy. He doesn't need to stay around Erie after what happened to him. I'll talk to you about it when I get there Friday evening."
"Thanks, Mom. I didn't mean to get you or Dad involved with this, Ginny just told me you knew something was wrong and that you wanted to talk to me. I am so sorry I got you upset with this." "Son, I am not upset. I am concerned about you and Peyton and I am concerned about Seth and Richard, and I want to help with this. You have made me so proud as my son, and so has Peyton. You are jewels in Hashem's crown as you like to say." "Mom, thank you for saying that. I just want to be like you and Dad and be the most compassionate doctor I can be." "I know that, Jaiden, and that is what makes me so proud of you and Peyton." "As soon as I know my arrival time, I'll call you." "OK, thanks, Mom." "You're welcome, Son, I'll see you Friday."
Jaiden walked back to the interview room and told Don, Dr. Brannen, and Andy that his Mom would be in Erie Friday, that she wanted to help with Seth's aftercare. He told them Ginny had talked to her about meeting Seth at the house and told her what was going on. "Don, Mom said she thinks Seth needs to get away from Erie and she said she would talk to Dad Riley and see what they could work out. It may be that he can go to Orange Beach and live on the farm."
"Mom Riley will spoil him rotten if he goes down there, and Dad will help him from the standpoint of a real, loving and compassionate Dad. Who knows, he may even train him the way he trained Peyton, and Seth may become a great physician. She is going to call Dad Riley in the morning." "Jaiden, that will be so awesome if it happens."
"If you and Jay would like to, we could meet for dinner and then you can talk to Mom at the house. As soon as I know when she will be here, I will call you." "That works for me, Jaiden. I will make sure we can do whatever is necessary to help this boy. Don, Andy, does that sound ok to you?" Doctor Brannen told Don he thought it was a great idea and Andy concurred.
"I'm going up to recovery and I'll sit with Seth until he is awake, and when we get him into ICU, I will stay with him until morning. Then Peyton will come in and sit with him. Ginny and Gampy are at the house taking care of the boys so we can take care of Seth." "Thank you, Jaiden, I think that is a great idea. Thank you for doing that." "Dr. Brannen, I want to be like you and Dad. If I am not compassionate with my patients, I am no good to them." "Jaiden, somehow I knew you were going to say that. I'll check on Seth and you in the morning. Try to get some sleep." "Yes, Sir."
"Jaiden, if you are awake in the morning around 8, call me and let me know how things are going for Seth. His Dad is going to be arraigned in the morning at 9. After that, I am going to recuse myself and send the case to Bob's office and let him handle it. Rest assured, though, I will be in the background." "Thanks, Don, I'll call you in the morning."
As Jaiden left the interview room headed for the recovery room, Dr. Brannen turned to Don and said, "Don, I am more impressed with Jaiden and Peyton every day that passes. I am going to hate to see them leave for Tennessee in June." "Don, what do you mean by them leaving for Tennessee in June?"
"Jaiden and Peyton have passed all the exams they need to pass and proven their efficiency in medical procedures and they are graduating a year early. They start their residency at St. Jude's Children's Hospital the first of July. They got a sweetheart of a deal and it is in the field they want to practice in. If they accomplish everything they want to, we will have a world class children's cancer treatment center here in Erie within ten years. I can't wait to see them make that happen. It is not a question of if, it is a question of when." "Damn, they are awesome guys." "They surely are Don."
"Becky will you please reschedule my cases for Friday and Monday and even them out over the next two weeks. Tell them I will be tied up with a child injury case in Erie." "Yes, mam, I'll get started on that in a few minutes. What is up that you need to go to Erie?"
"A classmate of Jaiden's and Peyton's pulled them aside and said he needed to talk to them. They had him and his brother come to their house for dinner that evening so they could talk to the classmate's brother in private. Jaiden and Peyton talked to the boy and wound up taking him to the hospital for a sexual and physical abuse exam. Had they not done that, the boy would have been dead by this morning. After Don Brannen examined him, they rushed the boy in to surgery and he was in surgery for six hours. His Dad had anally sodomized him with a broom handle and ruptured his colon in three places, punctured his bladder, and damaged his right kidney. If you would, please get Dr. Jim Riley on the telephone and let me know when you get him on the phone." "I'll have Dr. Riley on the phone by the time you get to your office."
"Orange Beach Veterinary Clinic, this is Phyllis, how may I help you?" "Mrs. Riley, this is Becky in Dr. Reynolds' office. She asked me to call and get Dr. Riley on the phone, she said it's extremely urgent." "Becky, call me Phyllis, not Mrs. Riley. Hold on a minute and let me get Jim on the phone."
"Dr. Riley, Dr. Reynolds on line 2. It is urgent, please take the call now."
"Dr. Riley." "Jim, this is Peggy. Jaiden and Peyton have another child abuse case and this time it involves the 14-year-old brother of their classmate, Richard, who we met while we were in Erie a few weeks back. I am flying up Friday morning and will come back to Abingdon on Monday."
"Peggy, what happened?" "Jim, Richard's Mom caught his little brother, Seth, kissing his boyfriend. They didn't know he was gay and his Dad flipped out, made him strip naked and then beat him with a belt and then picked him up off the floor by his testicles and asked him if his queer buddy had touched him there. That was bad enough but what he did afterward is deserving of the death penalty. He took a broom stick and sodomized Seth and ripped several fissures in his anus, ruptured his bladder, tore his colon in three places, and damaged his right kidney. If Jaiden had not had him at his and Peyton's home last night, the boy would be dead this morning."
"He was in surgery six hours last night. Peyton and Jaiden helped with the surgery that was done by Don Brannen and Andy. It was so bad Andy cancelled classes for the week and will make the classes up on several successive Saturdays and Sundays."
"OH, HELL NO! Are you kidding me?" "No, Jim, I'm not." "Peggy, Phyllis and I will meet you there by noon Friday." "I thought you would say that, I'll see you Friday. The boys know we are coming, so there is no need to call them."
"Peyton got home around 4 am this morning and Ginny has him in the bed asleep. Jaiden has been at the hospital all night sitting with and taking care of Seth. They have Richard moving into the house today to get him into a calmer environment."
"Good! I'll see you Friday. I'd like to bring the boy to Alabama with me and Phyllis and let him grow up on the farm." That is a great idea, Jim. Talk to Phyllis and I will see you Friday." "Will do, Peggy. I hope your day goes better."
"Phyllis, were you listening in on that call?" "Not this time, Jim; I didn't know if I needed to." "Then I need to see you in the office now."
"Jim, I have never seen you so shaken. What is going on?" "Phyllis, do you remember meeting Peyton's and Jaiden's friend and classmate, Richard, when we were in Erie several weeks back?" "Yes, why?" "Richard's mother caught his 14-year-old brother kissing his boyfriend. They didn't know he was gay and his Dad flipped out. If that son-of-a-bitch wasn't in jail, I'd kill him with my bare hands." "Jim!!!"
"Phyllis, the boy's Dad stripped him naked, beat him mercilessly with a belt, lifted him off the floor by his testicles, and them sodomized him with a broom stick causing several tears in his anus, ruptured his bladder, tore his colon in three places, and damaged his right kidney. That is what Peggy wanted to talk to me about. She is flying to Erie Friday morning to check on Seth and our boys."
"Peyton didn't get home until 4 this morning and Jaiden has stayed with the boy all night and is still at the hospital. Peyton and Jaiden helped with the surgery. It was so bad Andy did parts of the surgery while Don Brannen did his part." "Jim, was it so bad that Andy had to do part of the surgery?" "That is what Peggy told me after she talked with Jaiden and Ginny. The boy was in surgery for six hours." "Oh god, please tell me it didn't happen."
"Phyllis, Peggy said the same thing. I told her we would be there Friday morning. Would you please get us a flight out Thursday night or as early as possible on Friday morning?" "I'll do it right now."
"Delta Airlines, this is Darryl, how may I assist you?" "Darryl, I am calling for Dr. Jim Riley. There is an urgent medical situation we need to attend to and we need two round-trip tickets to Erie, Pennsylvania, for Thursday night or as early as possible on Friday morning."
"I have a flight leaving out of Mobile at 8 Thursday night. It is an hour and a half direct flight and the cost is $165.00 each, round-trip. I discounted the price for you."
"We'll take that flight."
"Great, is the Orange Beach address we have on file correct?" "It is, and the credit card information is the same."
"I have your flight booked at 8:00 Thursday night, returning Monday afternoon leaving Erie at 5 pm. Is there anything else I may assist you with?" "No, Darryl, you are a jewel for getting us the Thursday flight."
"Mrs. Riley, you can pick your tickets up Thursday afternoon at the airport. Please try to be at the airport two hours before the flight to clear TSA. If you get to Erie and decide you need to extend your stay, I have annotated your account that there will be no charge for the change." "Thank you so much, Darryl, we'll see you Thursday around 4." "Thank you, Mrs. Riley, I hope the rest of your day goes better."
"Jim, we are booked out of Mobile at 8 pm Thursday evening and returning Monday at 5 pm. The flight is a direct flight that should last an hour and a half." "Great. Call Peggy's office and leave Peggy a message with Becky." "Done, sweetheart." "Thank you, my dear."
"Dr. Reynolds' office, this is Becky, how may I help you?" "Becky, this is Phyllis. Please let Dr. Reynolds know we fly out of Mobile at 8 Thursday evening and should be in Erie by 9:45 at the latest." "She is with a patient. As soon as she is free, I will let her know." "Thanks, Becky." "You're welcome. I hope your day goes better." "Thank you, Becky, so do I."
"Ginny, this is Phyllis. Please get Peyton to call me when he wakes up and isn't too busy with the children." "He is up and the babies are asleep, so let me get him on the phone."
"Hi, Mom, how are you today." "I'm doing well, son. The question is, how are you?" "Mom, I am tired and extremely upset and mad." "Peyton, I know everything already so you don't have to go into it." "Thank goodness, Mom. I don't think I could talk about it right now. I am so tired I am going to eat something and then go back to bed."
"Good idea, Peyton. I wanted to let you know we will be in Erie Thursday night around 9:30." "OK, thanks. I'll be at the airport to pick you up at 9:30." "Peyton, please don't worry about Seth. Your Dad and I have talked about the situation and we would like to bring Seth and let him stay at the farm with us. Your Dad and I will love him as much as we do Jaiden."
"Thank you so much, Mom. Seth is an awesome young man like Jeremy. I'll let Jaiden and Richard know. Richard is here now moving into one of the downstairs bedrooms. Andy thought it was a good idea so he would rest the way he and Seth need to and Jaiden and I agreed. We'll get it all ironed out when you and Dad get here." "OK, Son, that will work."
"Peggy will be there sometime Friday morning. It she can get a flight out Thursday night, we should get there about the same time. She'll call and let Jaiden know. Son, eat a snack and try to get some more sleep. Your Dad and I love you to Mars and back." "Jaiden and I love you the same, Mom. See you Thursday night."
"Hey sweetheart, I wanted to let you know I am on the way home. Seth is still critical but improving. Dr. Brannen came by a few minutes ago and checked him and told me we had done a good job, to go home and get some rest. So, I am on the way." "Jaiden, I was going back to bed, but I'll wait on you to get here." "Peyton go back to bed. I'll snuggle up to you when I get there." "I will, Jaiden, see you when you get home. I love you!" "I love you too, Babe!"
When Jaiden got home, Peyton was sleeping soundly, so Jaiden quietly undressed, snuggled up to Peyton in the bed, and kissed him on the cheek. Ten minutes later, they were both sound asleep.