Chapter 15 Book 2

Chapter 15

Blind Trust

Part 1

I wish I could have said nothing more happened, but that would be a lie. My parents didn't give up so easily after having to return several times during the week. It just made them angrier when they found I wasn't home, and they weren't allowed to see me. Fearing that the Rothwells were lying to them in regards to the Downing's, that the real truth was they had let them take me when they had fled to parts unknown.

I remember it clearly, it was Saturday, and I was out mowing the front lawn when they pulled into our driveway. I froze in total fear seeing them get out of the car. My mother screamed, "Get him!" To my father. Dad told me to run, but I just stood there frozen in complete terror, watching my dreams come true right before my eyes. My father growled angrily taking off his belt in one fluid motion. I screamed as he and my mother came closer. While I backed away and fell over, tripping over my own feet. They smiled as the leather belt snapped in the air.

My mother holding a rope and the cattle prod under her arms, I crawled backward repeating over and over. "It's not real! It's real!"

I felt the belt sting as it wrapped tightly around my leg, Dad yelled for me to run, and he quickly shielded me when the belt came down again hitting him across the back. I watched his back arch as it came down again. I froze hearing my father tell him to get out of his way, my mother sidestepping them, trying to get behind me so she could tie me up.

It was Shane and Kerry that came to my rescue. Shane quickly grabbed me and put me over his shoulders. He screamed as my mother jabbed him in the ribs with the cattle prod, falling to his knees the second time, releasing me as I fell to the ground rolling off his shoulders. My mother was about to do it again when Kerry slugged her in her stomach. My mother doubled over and dropped the cattle prod, Kerry yelling at me. "It's real! Eric, it's real! Now Run!

Dad was still fighting with my father. Seeing him covered in blood as my father kept swinging the belt buckle across his chest and darting away as Dad lunged for him. Shane grabbed the cattle prod and threw it as far as he could as my mother decked him, seeing his head roll to the side from the force, and with the other hand used the rope as a whip. While I watched it come down across his right shoulder, I ran, screaming in absolute terror, towards the road. Only to be stopped, feeling the belt come across my back and the back of my legs over and over. Dad yelled to me to get up and run seeing Scott running towards us. I could hear my father groan as he fell with Dad on top of him. Mom yelled, saying the police were on the way. Dad was still wrestling with my father on the ground.

Scott yelled to me to drop to the ground, feeling the air where the rope would have wrapped around my neck as I felt it sliding limp across my torn back. I screamed feeling the gravel and the road dig deep across my chest, legs, and arms as I slid as if I was sliding across the bases. My mother cursed telling my father I was getting away, kicking Dad hard in the ribs making him rollover off my father.

Scott grabbed me and threw me over his shoulders and ran towards his house, hearing sirens in the distance. My mother and father quickly jumped into the car trying to run me and Scott down as they made their getaway, but Scott leaped out of the way as we both rolled onto his lawn. The sirens were getting closer while I watched my parents turn the corner at top speed. It was ten minutes later when the police arrived, knowing that my parents had gotten away again. Dad and Mom informed them what had happened while they took their statements. Even with our injuries, it would never stand up in court. It would be our word against theirs.

The Police called the paramedics to attend to our injuries. Mine were the worst having to ride in the ambulance with Mom holding my hand while I lay on my stomach all the way to the hospital and Dad sitting next to me. His bare chest and back were covered in blood. While they wrapped him up like a mummy, he would wince, and I would scream in pain every time we turned a corner or felt a bump in the road.

I could feel the warm blood trailing down my fingers from the scratches on my arms. Mom was crying and worried for both of us holding both our hands, seeing the blood soak our bandages. When we arrived Scott was helping Shane, Shane looked like he'd had been in a prize fight and lost, but he did look better than us as they rolled me in first with Dad lying on another gurney beside me. Kerry arrived with everyone else with a black eye and a split lip curtsy of my mother.

The doctor wasn't happy to see me back so soon, even less happy seeing I had brought with me casualties consisting of half the family. He didn't waste time when he saw me and my chest, gasped seeing my back, ordering the nurse to sedate me. If he thought I was in no condition to put up a fight, he was wrong, but he surprised me as he inspected my back and jabbed me with a needle so quick. I didn't have time to react. Except to say ouch, and feel my body give way as he laid me down on the gurney.

When I woke, Dad and I were sharing a room, the same suite I was in last time. With my friend old I.V. right next to me with two bags and a needle stuck in my right arm. Just five inches from a long scratch where the grovel and the road had won, with seven stitches underneath and fifteen more on the left side. I also took ten stitches across my chest and six more across my forehead above my left eye.

My back was plastered with bandages, having my back torn to pieces again where the belt struck. All my other wounds or scrapes were superficial, but they did hurt just as much. Mom stated that there wasn't enough skin left to stitch up and not to move unless I had to while I lay on my stomach seeing how everyone else fared.

Shane had a huge bruise over his right jaw and fifteen stitches across his left shoulder and down his left side. Kerry was nursing her injuries with an ice pack. It looked worse than it actually was. Dad too had an I.V. friend, but he wasn't hooked to any machines as I listened to my heartbeat, unable to feel the wires on my chest, nor could I turn my head without pain, Mom repeating for me to lie still taking the seat in the middle between both of us. Everyone else was left waiting in the waiting room, keeping the little ones from seeing the aftermath. That it would surely give them nightmares for a very long time. I wish I was that fortunate, but when you have parents like mine that was never going to happen.

It wasn't long before the nurse came in to give me and Dad something for the pain. Telling Mom it would make us both a little drowsy. Dad was out like a light as I waited for mine to kick in, but it never came close to the drowsy. Listening to the doctor telling her that Dad I had earned a few nights stay like we were at some fancy hotel. I was seriously beginning to hate hospitals.

Dad managed to crack three ribs and bruise several more. He ended up with thirty-two stitches total across his chest and back, and three more across his forehead, and five more on his left cheek compliments of my parents. It wasn't long maybe an hour before Scott came in with Bishop Lanwall. Scott had just finished telling him how bad our injuries were before he gasped seeing everyone in the room.

Mom didn't move as she wiped fresh tears. I watched Bishop Lanwall hug her letting her cry on his shoulder. Telling her everything will be alright when it will never be alright again. It seemed no matter where I went the monsters were around every corner. He asked if it was alright to give us all a blessing. Mom nodded saying that would set her mind at ease.

Scott and Bishop Lanwall set a chair in the middle of the room for Kerry, Shane, and Mom giving them the strength to endure and other things, that he felt they needed. I was next and Dad was last as he slept his way through it. I envied him hear him resting peaceably. Bishop and Scott told Mom that if she needed anything that all she had to do was ask. Mom couldn't think of anything as she wiped away her tears.

Mom asked Kerry after the blessing was given to all of us that if she and Shane could take everyone home instead of waiting around for no reason. Kerry nodded that she would, Shane declined saying someone needed to stay with Mom. Mom nodded that it would be fine she could use the company. I hated to see everyone go, but Mom was right there was no reason to hold everyone hostage, it wasn't like we were dying, even though it felt like it.

Kerry kissed my left cheek. The only place I didn't have serious wounds just a scrape from the asphalt and gravel where I slid, thinking it could have been a lot worse if my parents succeeded. I had no doubt that if they would have, they would have killed me. Scott came back telling Mom that he'd be back to look after us as soon he made sure everyone was alright and would be taken care of. Mom thanked him as she hugged him and watched him leave and began crying again. Seeing the aftermath is what my parents are capable of doing.

It was two hours before Scott came back with my backpack and some fresh clothes for him, and Shane. Considering his shorts were still covered in blood, he wasn't wearing a shirt at the time. None of us boys were, considering it was over one hundred degrees. I hated the quiet as everyone stayed within their own thoughts. Out of fear of saying what was really on everyone's mind. It was Shane that made the first move clicking on the TV searching for some game, then clicking it off finding nothing worth watching, and asking Mom if she would like to get some fresh air.

I told Mom we weren't going anywhere. She smiled squeezed my hand and leaned over and kissed Dad, sleeping soundly. Shane took her by the arm and walked out of the room. I felt bad for her seeing firsthand what my parents are capable of, and it made it worse knowing they'd get away with it. Scott took up his post taking Mom's seat and asking if I was really alright. Telling him it looks worse than really looked. He replied stating hamburger looked better than I did. I knew the next question as I whispered. "No, my grandmother doesn't need to know." He nodded as he watched Mom and Shane come back and offered her a seat back taking his place in the corner, removing his shoes, making himself comfortable, and opening up a novel he was reading.

Dad woke just before dinner had arrived seeing Mom, Shane, and Scott still there. Mom quickly went to his side. Mom asked how he was doing. He tried to laugh but it hurt too much holding his arms over his ribs said. "Did anyone get the license plate of that truck that ran over us?" Groaning trying to sit up as Mom forced him back down not hard, the pain he was in stopped him. Mom pushed the button so he could sit up and placed the tray in front of him. Dad asked if she and Shane had anything. Mom said Shane her would stop somewhere on the way home.

Dad nodded and cringed realizing that his entire family would be missing church because half of them looked like they'd been in a prize fight and two of them were lying in a hospital bed. He groaned not liking the idea, but there wasn't a whole lot he could do about it stuck in a hospital bed.

Mom must have read his thoughts saying everything will be fine. Squeezing his hand he realized there wasn't a tray for me, just Dad. She was about to ask when two nurses came in to draw blood from Dad and me. Mom tried to warn them, but the nurse, smiled taking the needle, and slipped something in my I.V. sedating me while I watched them take Dad's feeling my eyes close.

When I woke, I was lying on my back listening to the game. Shane and Mom were gone, and Scott had made himself comfortable on the roll-away bed that wasn't there when Dad's dinner arrived. The first thing I noticed was the band-aid where that sneaky nurse drilled me. Dad was complaining that the nurse stripped him of his dignity only wearing a flower hospital gown. I groaned, "Dad, join the crowd." Scott laughed watching Dad yank the thing off and toss it onto the floor. Telling us he rather go naked than wear it.

It hurt to laugh but I did it anyway. Scott asked me if I was hungry after my very short nap. I nodded that I could eat a horse and a horse is what I got. Considering the last meal I had was breakfast. He didn't have to tell me twice my stomach was already growling.

Dad told me that I better eat every bite, or the nurses would force-feed me, saying she's a mean one when it comes to sponge baths, instead of letting him climb into the shower all on his own. I smiled and took big bites and cleaned up every last crumb. I grinned seeing that I had managed to slop it all over my gown. Apparently, they were a matching set adding mine to Dad's by the time the nurse came back to take my tray. She didn't say a word just picked them up and threw them in the hamper by the door. I asked Dad who was winning making myself comfortable.