Trey Comes Calling
by: E Walk
(© 2010-2011 by the Author)
 

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 12

It’s My Fault

As we were walking home, Trey apologized, “Mr. Parker, I’m sorry that me and my family have caused all this stress for you.  You have enough to worry about with Jordy and his problems.”

“Trey, you don’t need to apologize.  I’m glad that I can help you and your brothers.  I thought you had baseball practice tonight.”

“I do, but with everything that is going on, I thought I should be here to help you take care of my brothers.”

“Trey, go to practice.  Take Jordy’s car; the guys and I’ll be fine.  After the guys have their snacks, I’ll call the hospital and check on Jordy and your Dad.”

I fixed the guys each a slice of bread with peanut butter and jelly and a glass of milk.  While I was at it, I fixed myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to stop my stomach from grumbling.  I was being lazy and I served the sandwiches on paper plates.  Tommy looked at the plate, “This is something like the new mother would do.  We ate almost everything off of  paper plates, especially if she was going to have to do the dishes.”

Talk about a put down.  Tommy certainly put me in my place.  He quickly added, “We’re glad you did, because Trey told us we had to do as much to help you as we could.  Come on guys, let’s clean up and let Mr. Parker rest.”

I watched as the boys were rinsing their glasses and the utensils I had used to make the sandwiches.  I was thinking, ‘I wish I was twenty years younger.  I would be better able to handle the four Richards boys, but I’m too old to be able to handle all this activity, especially in view of what is happening with Jordon.’

I opened my wallet, “Here’s your dollar for getting all of your spelling words correct.  How much homework do you guys have for tomorrow?”

All three boys indicated that they had done everything in school. 

I was a little concerned, “Guys, I haven’t seen any papers other than your spelling tests, today.”

Timmy shook his head, “Mr. Parker, we only bring our other papers on the last day of the week.  Mr. Evans signed our folder last week because we were staying with him while your family was here.  We’ll bring the folders home tomorrow for you to check.  You have to remember to sign them or we get our names on the board if they aren’t signed when we take them back on Monday.”

“I understand, Mr. Richards; I promise I’ll sign them right after school tomorrow.  Why don’t you guys go play while I try to find something for dinner?  Trent, you’re in charge to make sure that you come home by four thirty.”

“How am I going to know when it is four thirty?”

“Easy, my dear Trent, just look at the clock in the window of the school that is visible from the playground.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot about that clock.”

After the guys took off for the playground at school, I was looking in the freezer for something to fix for dinner when the phone rang. 

“This is Ed Parker.”

“Ed, it’s Ken.  I have a dinner meeting with a prospective client tonight.  I’ll go directly to the hospital after the meeting.  Are you going to be okay?”

“Ken, why wouldn’t I be okay?  I’m just not used to having three preteens around.  I don’t have much to keep them occupied.”

“Where’s Trey?”

“I sent him to baseball practice.  He was with me when I picked up his three brothers at school.  We saw their step mother being escorted to the police station.  It seems that her fingerprints were on a gas can that she might have used to torch the Richards' house.  The four boys saw their stepmother being taken away.  The funny part is that they haven’t said anything about it since they’ve been here at the house.”

After I hung up from talking to Jack, I decided that I needed to find out what the three youngest Richards boys liked to eat.  It had been a long time since I had to plan meals for this many people.

I called Jordy’s room and he answered, “This Jordan Parker.”

“Jordy, it’s Dad.  Do you want me to bring anything when I come to see you, tonight?”

 

“Dad, I’ve had so many doctors in here to see me today that all I want to do is go to sleep.  If I have to have another CAT scan, I’m going to scream.  I’m sure they have drained all the blood from my body.”

“Jordy, they’re only trying to find out why your bowels aren’t working.  Do you want me to bring anything?”

“Nah, I probably wouldn’t be able to concentrate between the doctors, nurse and the voices.”

“Jordy, I’ll come see you after dinner.”

“Dad, you don’t need to make another trip.  You’ve got to be tired.  Take care of Trey and his brothers.  I’ll call you if I get bored.”

The three young guys returned from the playground at precisely four thirty. “Guys, tomorrow is trash day.  Would you please collect the trash from all the bedrooms and bathroom?  Just take the white bags out of the trash cans and throw them into the trash bag in the kitchen trash can.  If you need more little white bags to replace them, they’re in the hall closet.”

Trent looked in the hall closet, “Mr. Parker, I don’t see any trash can sized plastic bags.  These are all kitchen trash bags or big brown bags.”

“Trent, let’s hope that there are some unused bags in some of the trash cans.  We’ll have to go to the commissary and get some supplies and food while your off from school on Friday.”

Timmy asked, “What’s the big word you just said, mean?”

I had to stop and think what big word I used. “Timmy, what big word?  All I said was that we would have to go to the commissary “

“That big word what’s a com whatever?”

I started to laugh, “Timmy, the commissary is a grocery store like HyVee or No Frills.  It’s on Offutt Air Force Base.”

Tommy asked, “Why do they need a grocery on an Air Force base?  Planes can’t eat food.  When we went to the air show, we didn’t see any grocery stores.  All we saw was buildings and airplanes.  Why would you want to go there to buy groceries.  We never went there?  Our Mom would buy the groceries at Target.  The new Mom would buy groceries wherever they were the cheapest.  Some days she would go to four stores to find the bargains.”

“Guys, the commissary has some prices that are much better than grocery stores.  Milk is a dollar cheaper per gallon, unless one of the stores is having a special.  Bread is another thing that is much cheaper at the commissary.  That’s why I like to go to the Commissary on a Thursday or Friday after the grocery store ads come out on Wednesday, so I know what specials the stores are having for the week.”

Trent asked, “Why didn’t our parents go to the commissary if it has such good deals?”

“Trent, in order to use the commissary, you have to have a military I. D.  That means you need to be in the air force, army, navy or marines, unless you’re a military family member.”

Trent looked at me, “Mr. Parker, you aren’t in the Air Force.  How come you get to use the commissary?”

“Guys, I was in the Air Force for twenty years before I was a teacher.  That’s why I get to use the commissary.  I retired from the Air Force and started teaching.  You guys better get the trash collected.  Trey should be here soon and we’ll be ready to eat.”

Trey arrived as the guys were finishing their trash collection.  After a non descript dinner, I sent Trey to the hospital while the three young guys and I took care of the dinner dishes.  I had the three boys in bed and it was almost nine o’clock and I hadn’t heard from Jordy, Trey or Jack.  I couldn’t go to bed until Trey arrived.  Jack probably got tied up in his meeting and Jordy is probably in la-la land.  Hopefully he is on his full regimen of medications.

I was just about asleep in my recliner waiting for Trey when I heard him come in.  Jack was with him.  Jack apologized, “I’m sorry we’re so late.  We were making arrangements for Trey’s father to go to a rehabilitation home.  He’s out of ICU and is in a regular room.  His left side is partially paralyzed.  It’s going to take some time for him to get his full mobility back.  In fact, the doctors aren’t sure if he is ever going to have full mobility at this point.  A lot will depend on his desire to get better.  You might take the three boys to the hospital tomorrow to see him.”

Trey spoke up, “Mr. Evans, I'm not sure that Dad wants the other three boys to see him like he was tonight.  He looked so helpless.”

Jack interrupted,  “Maybe it would be good though to take Trent, Tommy and Timmy to see him.  That way, he could see that he has a lot to live for and motivate him to try to get better.”

“Jack and Trey, I’ll visit with Mr. Richards in the morning when I go see Jordy.  How was Jordy tonight?”

Trey laughed, “As long as I could keep his mind away from the hospital starving him, he was fine.  We were doing my geometry when Doctor Reiberg came in to check on Jordy.  She informed Jordy that she was going out of town for two weeks and that a Doctor Scott would be checking on him.”

Jack started to laugh, “Ed,  I don’t know everything you did but the hospital staff is scared to death of you.  The nurse on duty in Jordy’s room told me that they were ordered to handle Jordy with kid gloves. She assured me that Jordy was or will be receiving all the medications that Doctor Gordon had prescribed.  He seemed so much more alert tonight.  When I asked him how he felt, he told me that he was sure the hospital was trying to starve him to death.”

Trey stood, “I need to go to bed.  Mr. Parker, we have a game tomorrow afternoon, in Lincoln.  I probably won’t be home in time for dinner so don’t wait for me.  I’ll see you in the morning.  I want to thank both of you gentlemen for all that you’re doing for me and my family.”

After Trey had gone to his room, I asked, “Jack, are you going to spend the night?”

“I have clothes in the car.  I hoped I would be invited to spend the night.”

“Bring the clothes in before someone steals them.  You can walk the three youngest boys to school in the morning, while I sleep in.”

It felt so good to have Jack’s arms around me during the night, that I had no trouble sleeping.  I awoke before the alarm went off,  Jack wouldn’t have heard it anyway.  I was thinking, ‘If Jack doesn’t have his hearing aids in, how does he wake up each morning?’  I decided that I would have to ask him about that.

When we were eating breakfast, I asked, “Jack,  if you turn your hearing aids off, how do know when to get up.”

“Easy my friends;  there are little fleas who live inside my hearing aides.  When it’s time for me to get up they start buzzing.”

Timmy put down his eating utensils. “Mr. Evans, you’re teasing, aren’t you?  There aren’t fleas living in your hearing aids are there?  If you had fleas, you’d be scratching your head like Hodge does.”

Jack had a funny look, “Who’s Hodge?”

I answered, “Hodge is Jordy’s cat.  He’s having a hard time adjusting to all the strangers who have been around.”

Trent put his pointer finger to his mouth motioning for us to be quiet.  He whispered, “Don’t make any sudden movements.  Hodge is sitting in the doorway watching us.”

Jack started to turn his head but Hodge disappeared before Jack saw him.  Jack turned back to the table, “I think you people are trying to play a game with my mind.”

“Jack, when I was here by myself yesterday, Hodge wouldn’t let me out of his sight.  In fact, sometimes I think he’s trying to trip me because he keeps walking around my feet.”

I looked at the clock, “Guys, you need to brush your teeth and get your things ready for school.  Trey, take Jordy's car and I’ll fix something for dinner that will be good leftover.  Do you need any money?  I’ll take care of the dishes.”

Trey shook his head, “Mr. Parker, I don’t need any money.  Come on, guys; I think Mr. Parker and Mr. Evans want to talk before Mr. Evans walks to school with you.”

While the guys were brushing their teeth, I asked, “Jack, what are we going to do about Mr. Richards’ personal affairs?”

“Ken, you don’t need to worry anything other than taking care of his four sons and worrying about Jordy.  I’ll worry about Bart’s problems.”

I went to the hospital and Jordy wasn’t in his room.  I went to the nurse’s station, fearing the worst.  “Can you tell me where Jordan Parker is?”

The young woman looked up, “I’m Jordan’s nurse, Nancy.  Doctor Scott was in this morning and ordered another CAT scan.  Jordan should be back shortly.”

“Thanks Nancy.  Do you know which room Mr. Bart Richards is in?”

Nancy nodded, “As a matter of fact, Mr. Richards is also one of my patients.  He’s in room 328.”

“Thanks Nancy.”

When I walked into room 328 it was dark and seemed so quiet.  I
looked at the figure lying in the hospital bed and he appeared to be asleep.  I started to leave. 

A distorted voice whispered, “Don’t go, Mr. Parker.  I’m awake.  I don’t want anyone to see how I look.  Please sit down if you have time.”

“Mr. Richards, I have lots of time.  Jordy is having a test.  I’m going to bring your three youngest sons to see you this afternoon.”

“Mr. Parker, please don’t bring them to see me.  I don’t want them to see me like this.”

“Mr. Richards, I think it is important that they see you like this.  That way, when you do go home, they will be more willing to help you.  They haven’t complained about anything and they saw your wife being taken to jail.”

“Mr. Parker, what’s been happening is all my fault.  If I had been able to keep my prick in my pants, Kathy would never have left me and none of this would ever have happened.”

I was getting ready to respond when Nancy knocked  on the opened door and entered.  “Mr. Parker, Jordy is back in his room.  I told him that you were in the building.  Mr. Richards, I’m sorry, but the technicians are here to take you for some more tests.”

“Bart, I’ll talk to you later.”

To be continued...

Editor's Notes:

This story is getting more and more complicated.

Having a cat named Hodge, seems to call for another pet who would be named Podge. 

I certainly hope that Jordy gets better soon.  I am glad that they have finally given him the proper psychotropic medication that he needs.

I definitely know it is no fun being stuck in a hospital.  I am sure that I would be pulling my hair out, or someone else's hair.  It is no fun at all to lose all of your dignity, and being awakened at three in the morning to be given a sleeping pill, makes no sense.

Let's hope that Jordy gets to come home, soon.

Mr. Richards seems to be terribly self conscious about having his kids see him in his condition. I don't think he needs to worry about his boys; they love him and they won't think any less of him, but they need to know that he still loves them.  I'd say the boys are doing remarkably well, considering everything  they have had to go through.

I think if there is going to be any chance of Mr. Richards making a full recovery, he is going to need the will to recover, and seeing the boys just might be the trigger to give him the strength he needs.  He mustn't give up the fight.

Of course, there is the complication of having their house burned to the ground.  I hope he had good insurance.

I am ready for another chapter.

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher

Posted: 04/08/11