Ring in Mine
Kim Terry
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I promise Bobby's sex life is soon to pick up. A little more drama first.
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(If there are errors I do apologize up front. I am used to getting things as clean as possible and then the editor takes care of the rest.)
Kim
Ring in Mine: Chapter 18
I must have passed out in the ambulance. Maybe it was a small mercy. I don't remember anything until I was head first in an MRI machine. I wish I had waited until the test was over. Waking up strapped onto a table head first in a dim white tube is very disconcerting.
I must have fallen asleep during the test. My next memory was lying in bed, an IV in my arm and Mom holding my hand. Next to her was Officer Bruce with his hand on her shoulder.
"Did they lock him up and throw away the key?" I asked Bruce.
"We arrested him and are looking for your Aunt June. She was the one with the baseball bat. Your quick thinking with the cassette tape gave them enough rope to hang and convict themselves." Bruce answered.
I liked Bruce. I knew he wouldn't believe the lies my father would tell. His son, Jerry and I had been friends since forever. I had spent a lot of time sleeping over at their house. We looked a lot alike. Often we were mistaken for brothers. He was always what I wish my dad was. He took us camping on weekends. I can't remember a swim meet that he didn't attend. Jerry and his dad were always in the stands cheering me on to victory.
I hadn't seen Jerry since college started. He was going into law. The University in Salt Lake was the best school for that.
Their family life had been on the sad side recently. Jerry's mother had died our junior year in high school. Jerry missed his mom. Dad wouldn't let Jerry anywhere near our house. When Dad was out of town on business trips Jerry would stay at my house. Mom treated him like he was her own son.
"Mom I just realized that Dad's paycheck paid most of the bills. I really messed things up." I began crying. Why was I so selfish?
"I should be grateful. I was afraid to take the big step and divorce the vicious bastard. You made me take the big step. Bruce's brother is an attorney. He has already filed restraining orders on my soon to be ex-husband." She answered kissing my hand. It was probably the only thing that didn't hurt.
"What you did was brave but really stupid. He could have killed you. If I hadn't arrived when I did you probably would be lying at the bottom of an abandoned mine shaft in the west desert." Bruce chastised me. "They talked about doing just that with your body on the tape. It was the blood that scared them the most and that was probably the least of your injuries. I hate to tell you that your nipple ring got ripped out in the struggle. There was blood all over you."
The nurse came and took my vitals. "It's time Bobby gets some rest." She said as she picked up a syringe and stuck it into the IV tube. It seems I had just woken up and my eyes were once again closing in sleep.
The next time I woke, Mom was gone but Officer Bruce was holding my hand.
"Bobby, what you did was incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. I have one question. You goaded your dad into attacking you, didn't you?" Bruce accused.
"I couldn't let him keep beating her and Mom would never involve the police. I have every intention of pressing charges and having him safely removed from her life." I responded. "I just worry about her finances."
"I wouldn't worry too much. Your mom paid most of the household bills. It turns out your dad invested most of his money and was even paying rent on an apartment in Salt Lake where his female `life coach' lived. That's an expense that will no longer be covered. Her attorney has seen to that.
We talked about how Jerry was doing in school. A father's pride was evident in his deep blue eyes. I hadn't noticed how much Bruce looked like my dorm dad, Brad. Unlike many of the officers in our city, Bruce must have hit the gym often. Where so many of the officers had bulges over their belt Bruce's arm's stretched the sleeves of his polo shirt. My mind wandered and I found myself trying to picture the body under the polo and slacks.
My mind switched back to the here and now when I realized I had been asked a question. `Afternoon...afternoon, what about this afternoon.' I tried to figure out what I had been asked and gave up.
"Sorry Bruce, my mind wandered. What did you ask?"
He repeated the question. Of course my answer was yes.
It wasn't long before Bruce had to head for work and was replaced by Papa.
"You sure stirred up a hornet's nest Bobby." Papa accused.
"And it's about time!" Grams added as she entered the room. "We've tried to get your mother out of that bad situation for years."
"This was a time when listening to the advice of religious leaders wasn't a good idea." Papa's anger was showing through. Papa believed in the church, but not necessarily in the people in leadership positions. "Bruce's younger brother is a great attorney. I hope he takes him for everything that bastard has."
"Am I contagious or something?" I asked. It surprised me that Grams didn't give me a hug.
"The doctor told us to be very careful not to hurt you. You are really banged up." Gram's explained.
"Does everybody know my condition but me? Am I dying?" I was a little puzzled that no one had explained my injuries.
"Let me find a doctor." Papa offered.
Grams explained that Mom had moved into the guest room, leaving the attic room for me. Dad was being held without bail. June had left the house right after the police left. It wasn't until they listened to the whole tape and checked the baseball bat for fingerprints they discovered June was just as bad as my dad.
"Good Morning Bobby, you seem a little more alert than the last time we had this conversation. I am going pretend we haven't talked twice already and start at the beginning." The doctor began.
"Why would I forget our conversations before? I don't remember meeting you. Will I remember it this time?" I asked a little puzzled
"Your head took quite a beating on top of the earlier injury and you are on pretty stiff pain relievers in your IV." The doctor explained. "A little memory loss is normal. What do you remember about the incident.?"
"I remember setting up the cassette recorder in my backpack. I remember being careful what I said to Dad to make sure he would attack me and it not be my fault." I recalled what I could member. "I remember hitting my head and nothing after that until the paramedic had his flashlight in my eyes. I know that my mom held my hand. I remember Bruce being with her and I remember Bruce this morning."
"How many days have you been in the hospital?" He asked.
"Last night and this morning?" I answered now unsure of my answer.
"This is your third day in the hospital and you've been talking with us a little each day. Today is the first day you really seem totally with us." The doctor explained. "You have a severe concussion and we had to relieve the pressure on your brain. We had to take out your spleen and a small part of your pancreas. You are more bruised than not. Your left arm is broken and your right leg is pretty banged up. It is going to be a painful holiday but you should be able to make it back to school in time for your new job. You might be using crutches for a while."
The doctor took an extended breath. "I think that answers all the questions you have asked in the past. Except where did all the blood come from. Your nipple ring got ripped out. It will be fine but it bled a lot."
"What about...?" I started to ask.
"It's back in place. Luckily it was small enough to not interfere with the catheter." The doctor finished. I appreciated his discretion with Papa and Grams in the room.
I wondered what else I had a forgotten over the last few days. I needed to remember something important. At least it's not like school with a test at the end. I hoped!
This was the first chapter beyond the original story. Due to input from my readers we will learning more about Bobby. I would appreciate hearing from you. ringinmine@yahoo.com