Ring in Mine
Kim Terry
I hope the occasional change of voice in this and other chapters isn't too confusing. It is useful to know what is happening away from Bobby. I am still combining logical chapters to post the story faster.
I am told I should feel guilty about what I am putting Bobby through. Like all things in life things get worse before they get better.
If you enjoy the stories on Nifty, please send a little something. Help support the cause. If you like Nifty donate. If you are nervous about using a credit card they accept PayPal. http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html
I would appreciate a short email if you are still reading my story. ringinmine@yahoo.com
All rights are reserved to the author except those given to Nifty to publish and archive this work. Please do not repost without permission of the author.
(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 25
It was late January 2nd; Professor Johnson being the oldest child was exhausted from dealing with the aftermath of his father's unexpected death. It amazed him how the possibility of a little money could bring out the worst in siblings.
Wanting a few days at home he decided to stop by the college and pick up his files for the upcoming quarter to review. He was looking forward to having Bobby as his teaching assistant. The call from the department chairman with the news had been the highlight of his holiday season.
Using his key he let himself into the library complex. He walked past the main posting board giving it only a glance. He pressed the up button on the elevator of the classroom annex; he stepped into the elevator and stopped the closing door with his arm.
Backtracking to the posting board, he stared with disbelief at the missing person flyer. His new teaching assistant was missing and had been since Christmas. He was last seen on campus near the library.
Hit with an inspiration, it was late but the first floor motion sensors in the library proper wouldn't activate until 10. That left him half an hour. He was the one that had shown Bobby where the spare key for the fourth floor conference room was kept. Bobby often needed a place for his study group to meet.
Not wanting to scare Bobby away he refrained from turning on the lights. The security lights would be enough illumination. He checked behind the staff room fridge and as he expected the key was missing.
The professor tried to insert his key into the lock as quietly as possible. The other keys jangled as he turned the lock. In the silence it was deafening. There was no longer a reason for stealth. He stepped into the room disappointed to find it empty. He turned to leave and heard a whimpering sound from under the table. There in a blood soaked oversized t shirt, curled into the smallest size possible was his new teaching assistant. With his cast and visible wounds it looked like Bobby had been through hell
"Don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me." Bobby's cries tore at the professor's heart. Who could do this to such an innocent young man?
Gently touching Bobby's arm, the Professor nearly pulled it back. Bobby was burning up. Pulling the unkempt and injured boy into his lap with no care for his own clothes, teacher and student rocked back and forth as the professor promised no one was going to hurt him.
"I need to call the police and let them know I found you." Professor Johnson explained.
"No they will take me back and they will hurt me again." Bobby's anguish tore into the man's soul.
"I won't call the police, but I will need to take you to the hospital."
"No, No, they will just call the police." Bobby in his weakened condition tried to stand and flee. The closed door gave Professor Johnson just enough time to scoop Bobby in his arms, much as he remembered carrying his own son. The memory was strong, his strong arms carrying his cancer ridden son from his bed to his wheelchair. He missed the young man desperately. He wasn't going to lose this young soul too.
"I'm going to take you home and get you cleaned up. No police, no hospital. You will be safe at my house. We don't have to tell anyone where you are." He hoped he could keep that promise.
Wrapped in the staff room blanket, Professor Johnson carried his burden to the elevator and out the door. He listened for the click of the crash bar on the main library door locking behind him.
Buckling Bobby into the passenger seat, Professor Johnson thought for just a moment what his wife would say bringing home a stray boy, much like his son would bring home any stray animal he ran across. He chuckled at the thought, `I wonder if she will let me keep him if I promise to feed and water him.'
Bobby was delirious in the car. He often cried out, "Please don't hit me again!" and "Jerry please help me."
The professor wasn't sure where to lay him. He needed his wife to check him over. It was convenient to have an inhouse pediatrician. The dining room table was clear so he laid him there. That would be a good height and not ruin any sheets.
"Doc, grab your bag; I have a patient for you." The professor called out.
Dr. Johnson gasped as she noticed the condition of her patient. "This boy needs to go to the hospital. He's been beaten. The police need to be notified."
"This is not the way I planned for you to meet my new teaching assistant. The police are looking for him. He's been missing since Christmas and he is scared that whoever did this to him is going to do it again." The professor pleaded. "I promised, there would be no police or hospital; at least until I find out more about what is going on. He's a good kid." He continued telling of finding him hiding under a conference table in the Library.
Cutting the boy's bloody shirt from his body she gasped at the festering wounds; many times pulling them open as she removed the fabric. With the initial tug Bobby passed out. She pulled the bandage off his abdomen exposing his surgery stitches. At least it looked good. His breathing was regular and his heartbeat strong. She was grateful he wasn't conscious to feel her working on his wounds.
"If someone had done this to me, I would probably hide under a table too." She took the time to administer a strong antibiotic injection. "We need to fight this fever. If it hasn't gone down tomorrow morning he will have to go to the hospital."
Slowly she cleaned and treated each wound on Bobby's good arm and torso. The cuts on his face would leave scars if not treated by a plastic surgeon but that could wait a day or two more.
Striping off the track pants was nearly as bad. Bobby's injured leg was angry and swollen looking. An empty pill bottle fell from the pocket. "I never liked these dirty pain killers. They are strong but there are too many possible side effects. When she finally finished she administered a shot of Demerol.
"Put him in the guest room. I can wash the sheets tomorrow. This boy needs love and rest."
Professor Johnson couldn't clear his mind of the Bobby's pathetic plea. "Jerry help me."
He pulled Bobby's file from his briefcase. He was grasping at straws. He looked up Bobby's home phone number. It rang. A gruff voice answered.
"This is about Bobby.I am trying to reach Jerry." The Professor asked.
"That no good for nothing faggot. Him and my son can rot in hell. If I get a chance I will send them there myself."
Quite shaken by the response of the man on the phone the Professor decided to try a different direction. Looking at Bobby's local address he decided to call the number for his dorm building.
"This is Morrell Hall. How may I help you." The male voice on the other end answered.
"This call is about Bobby. I am trying to find Jerry. Is he one of his roommates?" Professor Johnson asked.
"Do you know where Bobby is?" The voice asked.
"I promised him I wouldn't tell where he is, but he is asking for Jerry." The professor explained.
"Jerry is his brother. He is staying here in the dorm while we are searching for Bobby." The voice answered.
"I know Bobby from the university. I think Jerry may be the only one Bobby is willing to talk to. May I swing by the dorm and pick him up?" I do need you to promise not to tell the police until Jerry gets a chance to talk to Bobby. He is really confused."
"Jerry get dressed. Someone knows where Bobby is and heneeds to talk with you." The voice shouted.
"My name is Brad. Bobby is my nephew as well as living in my dorm. I care for him deeply. Has he been with you all this time?"
"Brad, I found him hiding in the library tonight. He is frightened about someone hurting him again. Until I know who is hurting this boy I am not telling anyone where he is. He was hysterical when the police were mentioned. I can't imagine why he is so afraid of the police but physically he has really been messed up." Professor Johnson said goodbye and headed for the dorm.
Jerry was waiting at the curb. "Thank you for finding Bobby. First his dad and aunt beat him and them my sister attacked him. She's even had him kicked out of the church dorms because he might be gay. Bobby's been my best friend forever. I only found out he was my half brother just before Christmas. Then my sister beat him and chased him away." Jeff was rambling in his excitement over seeing his brother again.
"She did a number on him. He looks like hamburger. Try not to flinch when you see his face. Bobby has a fever and his wounds are infected. My wife is a doctor and is treating him. If he doesn't show improvement we'll take him to the hospital tomorrow. Hopefully with you here he will let us get him some help." Professor johnson explained.
The Johnson's lived in a nice home above the campus. Jerry was met at the door by Dr. Johnson. "We need to be careful. The pain meds he was on have a lot of side effects. Paranoia, hallucinations and confusion are not unheard of. I'm now using a different pain killer. Things should get better. He is sleeping."
"Can I see him?" Jerry asked. The hope was evident in his eyes.
The Professor led him to a guest room. In the middle was Bobby's scrubs clad body curled into a tight ball. Jerry kicked off his shoes and climbed into bed next to Bobby. Spooned up behind his brother he carefully pulled Bobby into his chest.
"Bobby I will never let them hurt you again. I love you Bobby; brothers forever." Jerry's tender whisper must have found its way through the pain induced stupor. Bobby's body relaxed back into his brother's arms.
Tears filled the couple's eyes as they dimmed the lights leaving the brothers to share their dreams.
"Marie, Bobby's been found. I don't know where he is. A professor from the college found him in the library." There was a pause as Brad listened to Marie's questions.
"Bobby is afraid to let anyone know where he is. According to the doctor that is treating him he's deathly afraid of being beaten again or arrested." Brad informed Marie over the phone.
"He went into hysterics when they wanted to take him to the hospital." Brad listened intently.
"Jerry is with him. He promised to give you a call when he can." Brad tried to reassure the fretful mother.
"Yes, Do you mind sleeping in Bobby's old apartment?"
"We will see you when you get here." Brad hung up the phone.
"Sue I'm going to make sure Bobby's room is ready for guests. We can expect Bruce and Marie in a couple of hours."
During the night Bobby cried out in despair. Professor Johnson and his wife quickly appeared at the bedroom door. Most of Jerry's clothes lay in a heap on the floor.
They could hear the soft lullaby Jerry was singing to comfort his brother.
"Do you think they are gay?" The Professor asked his wife.
She gave her husband a sideward hug. "Does it really matter?"
Tears filled their eyes. It had taken two years of a strained relationship to accept that their only child was gay. When he came home with only six months to live was when they realized that life is too short to be judgemental.
I opened my eyes. Where was I? This wasn't Papa's. The pain brought the memories of the past week back. Where could I hide? I didn't remember ever wearing scrubs. Filled with anxiety I looked for my shoes. Maybe they were in the closet.
Just as I opened the closet I heard sounds outside the bedroom. The flight instinct kicked in. I closed myself in the closet. Snuggling behind the hanging clothes.
"Professor, Bobby's gone." Jerry called out in panic. He couldn't handle losing his brother again.
"He must still be in the house. The alarm is still set. We would have known if a door or window had opened." Dr. Johnson answered entering the room. "Is he in the bathroom?"
"I was just in the bathroom." Jerry said looking behind and under the bed.
Bobby recognized Jerry's voice, but who was the woman? His week of feeling hunted still haunted him. Could it all just be a trick?
Dr. Johnson pointed to the closet door that hadn't completely closed. "Jerry, Bobby must not be in here I am going to look upstairs." She said as she left the room.
Jerry sat on the floor just outside the closet door. "I cuddled with my forever brother all night. I just can't lose him again." Jerry's tears were real as he released all his emotions of the past week.
His brother's tears overcame Bobby's fears. "Is it safe? No police?"
"This is your Professor Johnson's house. It is a safe place. If he were going to call the police he could have last night." Jerry tried to help Bobby set his fears aside. "Did you know his wife is a doctor? She is really worried about you. There is only so much she can do outside of her clinic. The hospital would be best."
"No hospitals! The police will find me. I don't want to go to jail!" Bobby whimpered.
"You're not going to jail. They are just helping us find you. I'm sorry Jan did what she did. I will never let her near you again. I promise, my forever brother." Jerry took the second ring from his pocket. Laying it in the palm of his hand he put it through the partially open door and waited.
A tentative touch and then Jerry felt Bobby take the ring. "Really? My brother forever? Jan said if I didn't go away she would ruin your life."
"Nothing she could do could make my life worse than living without my best friend and brother." Jerry confessed.
"Really?"
Jerry decided if Bobby wasn't ready to come out of the closet, he would join his brother in the semi-dark. The brothers sat side by side. Bobby leaned into Jerry and placed his still warm head on Jerry's chest. Jerry sang his lullaby from the night before and soon the pair relaxed and fell asleep in the safety of the closet away from the outside world. That is where the Professor found and left them.
Mid morning they finally joined the real world. Professor Johnson was sitting in an over stuffed wing chair in the corner of the bedroom. "How is my new teaching assistant doing this morning?"
"You would still want me after all of this?" Bobby asked as he looked at the floor. He couldn't bring himself to look at his professor.
"I am not looking forward to starting the quarter without you." He replied. "We still have a couple of weeks to get you healthy.
Dr. Johnson had rounds at the hospital that evening, but was still on bereavement leave. She greeted the pair with a cheerful good morning. The first thing on the agenda was giving Bobby a quick once over.
"Bobby I know you don't want to go to the hospital, but I am worried about your fever." Dr. Johnson explained. "If you don't want scars on your face I need a colleague to look at some restorative work."
It was Jerry that finally convinced Bobby to go to the hospital. Jerry promised to hold his hand throughout the procedures.
Before they left the house, the Professor gave Brad a call. "Jerry is getting Bobby to come out of his shell. He has finally agreed to go to the hospital." The professor listened to Brad's answer.
"I'm glad she is here. They will need her signature to authorize any procedures. Just Give us an hour head start before trying to see him. We don't want to scare Bobby back into his shell."
Dr. Johnson had called ahead. She was going to skip the emergency room and had an observation room waiting. Bobby hadn't been in the hospital long before blood had been drawn, an IV inserted and was on his way for a CAT scan. It took some arm twisting on Dr. Johnson's part but except for the scan Jerry kept his promise to hold Bobby's hand.
Professor Johnson had the foresight to grab a pair of his deceased son's cotton gym shorts. These would give the Doctors access to Bobby's wounds but give him a sense of modesty.
"Bobby, I have a couple of people that want to talk with you. Are you up to it?" Dr. Johnson asked.
Bobby looked at Jerry. Jerry nodded in the affirmative. "Who is it?"
"It's your mom and dad." The frightened look on Bobby's face told stories. "Not the dad who beat you."
Bobby relaxed and nodded yes but squeezed Jerry's hand even tighter.
"How could you scare us like that?" were the first words out of Marie's mouth.
Bobby tensed up and slipped into a full anxiety attack. Jerry was holding the arm with the cast. Bobby pulled the sheet over his head and once again curled into a ball.
"Dad I need both of you to leave." Jerry commanded. He pushed the nurse's call button.
"He is my son; you can't tell me to leave." Marie was irate.
"No but I can." Dr. Johnson announced as she stepped into the room. "I will not allow you to undo all the progress Jerry has made to make Bobby feel safe again."
Dr. Johnson felt badly that she hadn't had the time to set some ground rules with the couple. Herding his parents into the hallway and into a consultation room she remedied that oversight. The hospital had taken Polaroids of Bobby's injuries. Marie buried her head into Bruce's chest finally understanding the full significance of the bloody steel yardstick.
When the doctor checked on Bobby, Jerry dressed in only his boxers was under the sheet spooned up behind his brother, skin to skin; once again singing softly into his ear. She knew she had to put off the police as long as possible. Because of the nature of Bobby's injuries the hospital was required to notify them. Maybe the police would be willing to just interview the parents.
When Bobby fell asleep Dr. Johnson borrowed Jerry for a moment to talk to the couple.
Bobby woke to find himself alone. A no nonsense nurse had stepped in to take his vitals. Her way of dealing with uncooperative patients was heavy handed at best; brutal might be a better description.
Jerry had finally convinced Marie and Bruce that this needed to be all about Bobby and not them.
When he returned to Bobby's room it was empty. He knew they hadn't taken him anywhere the IV stand with the antibiotic was still in the room. He followed the tube. Behind the bed once again curled into a ball he found Bobby. Jerry grabbed the pillow and light blanket and curled up against the shivering patient. That is where Dr. Johnson found them later with the same nurse foiled in her attempt to forcibly put Bobby back in the bed by a very protective brother.
"I think that is enough! I will handle this." Dr. Johnson dismissing the disgruntled nurse.
She picked up the phone. "Brett, are you able to come pick up Bobby? The test results are back." There is nothing we can't do in the safety of our home and my clinic."
She finished the discharge paperwork. Marie lovingly helped Bobby into a set of scrubs. The deal was no talking just be with her son, much like Jerry had been.
----------- I would appreciate hearing from you. ringinmine@yahoo.com