Part 12

Dwayne and Phil were clearly surprised when Tony and Jimmy entered the room.

"Hey guys," Tony greeted them. "Man, I thought you two took some awesome hits on the football field, but I think you went a little bit overboard on this one. You make me hurt just looking at you."

The bit of humor made both boys smile. They missed Tony and Jimmy's sense of humor.

"Yeah, we did," Phil sheepishly smiled. "But did you see the tree I hit? It took a beating!"

"It may have taken a beating," Jimmy snickered. "But I heard it had you out in LIMB-o for a while."

Dwayne and Tony moaned as they knew what was coming.

"Well, I did have to BRANCH out a bit," Phil admitted. "But the tree just wouldn't LEAF me alone."

"I don't know why it WOOD do that," Jimmy retorted. "But then again, you can be a real SAP at times."

"Yeah, I let it come be-TWIG-st me and Dwayne," Phil sighed. "Then they couldn't find me. I had to call out to them for help TREE times!"

"Wow, I guess you couldn't just LUMBER off on your own," Jimmy retorted.

"No, I couldn't," Phil nodded. "But when they finally got me down I did say PLANKS a lot."

"You were polite," Jimmy exclaimed. "You really must have gotten BOARD while you were hanging around waiting for them to get you down!"

"Well, I was hurting too much to BARK up a storm like I normally do," Phil admitted. "I can't imagine the world of hurt I would have been in if I hadn't been so TRUNK."

"Yeah, I guess I can understand how you were ROOT-ing for them to take care of you," Jimmy smiled.

"Yeah, I was just PINE-ing away," Phil sighed.

"I bet," Jimmy responded. "I guess you didn't NEEDLE them while they were working on you."

"No, the were busy LOG-ing my vitals," Phil declared.

"All right already," Tony chuckled. "Enough with the bad OAK-s."

They all laughed. The comradery they enjoyed in the past had been restored.

"It's really good to see you guys," Dwayne said once they settled down. "What are they saying about us at school?"

"Most of the bad stuff is about Freddy and Barney," Tony replied. "Mostly they worry about you guys. They think you were victims, being used by the older guys as go-fers and lackeys. To be honest, most think you were like dogs scrambling for treats from your masters."

"That's harsh," Phil said. "Unfortunately it's mostly true. We did a lot of stupid things with them. It was fun at the time but it was bad fun. They did use us. They'd get us drunk on purpose so they could make fools of us. Damn, we were so stupid."

"Yeah, you were," Jimmy agreed. "But the big question is what are you going to do now?"

"There's not much we can do now," Dwayne frowned. "We're both pretty well beat up."

"Yeah, but you're here for rehab," Tony stated. "To recover you've got to work at it. If you don't, you'll never recuperate. The girls told us you need Jimmy and I back as your friends. They're right. We miss you guys."

Dwayne was a bit surprised. "Krista and Jaz sent you here to be our friends again?"

"They sure did," Jimmy smiled. "They came with us and are in the waiting room. They'd like to be friends too."

Dwayne was confused. "After all the hassles we gave Krista, why would she be concerned about us?"

"Because she's a good person," Tony replied. "Krista showed me I can be a tough guy and care about others. I'll be honest with you, she changed my life."

"Yeah, she killed your old man," Dwayne stated still obviously put off by Krista.

"Yeah, but it came down to him or us," Tony said. "Jimmy was there when we met. I was calling her all sorts of nasty stuff and she just fired right back. Before her I never confronted anyone who didn’t at least flinch a bit when I got in their face. You know she's a lot shorter than me, yet she calmly pushed my buttons and I attacked her. She didn't even break a sweat and had me down on the ground pushing my face in the grass every time I said something nasty. It was only when I gave in that she let me up. Dr. Harris came out and was going to nail me but Krista stood up for me and said we were only fooling around. That confused the hell out of me at first, but I’ve since learned she honestly cares about people, including you guys."

"You missed what happened after the dance," Jimmy added. "James Ewell broke down and went to Krista's dad for help. His dad was abusing his mom and him. Deputy Scott called in to get a protection from abuse order for James. When Mr. Ewell showed up after the dance to get James and found out about the protection order, he flipped, smacking his wife. Then when Deputy Scott tried to cuff him he fought back. They were wrestling on the ground. Mr. Ewell is so big and strong he was starting to get the upper hand. Krista charged into the brawl and put a choke hold on Mr. Ewell and literally choked him out. Tony caught the whole thing on tape and somehow it got on the news."

"I know Mr. Ewell," Dwayne said in amazement. "Krista really choked him out... like unconscious?"

"Yeah, like unconscious," Tony answered. "Krista is a gentle person until she sees someone who needs help. Then you better help her or get out of the way."

"It sounds like you're already henpecked," Phil declared. "How do you stand being around her?"

"It's easy," Tony smiled. "Just ask Jimmy, he likes being around Jaz. But we're not henpecked. We've just realized the girls are usually right and we’ve learned to trust their judgement. What they say is true, ‘Behind every good man there is a good woman.’"

"Yeah, the girls don't boss us around at all," Jimmy added. "You know how in cartoons you sometimes see an angel and a devil sitting on a guys shoulders urging him what to do. Well, they girls are just bigger angels. I mean, heck, when we used to get in trouble, most times we KNEW what we were doing was wrong but we did it anyway. Sure we'd laugh and joke about what we did, but it was never really satisfying. It was a temporary satisfaction at best and it never made us feel good. The girls help us have REAL fun and do things that feel good."

"Just look at the whole idea of holding the Halloween dance in the barn," Tony picked up. "The dance was awesome and everyone had a good time. On top of that, we raised $9100.00 for Toys For Tots. That was a fun activity that we can always be proud of. The girls keep us pointed in the right direction and make sure we stay out of trouble."

"Well, I guess I can see that," Dwayne admitted. "But Tony, I don't want to start a fight or nothing because right now you can whip my ass without trying. But I just don't understand how you can have a boy for a girlfriend.

"It's hard to explain," Tony sighed. "Jimmy knows I said some really nasty things about Krista being a fag and stuff when we first met. I was just being a bigoted ass. Krista is a girl with a birth defect. You've seen her, does she ever act like a guy?"

"No, but she gets into fights," Dwayne responded. "That's not very girl-like."

"Yeah it is," Tony answered. "For one, she only gets into a fight when there is no other choice. She's like a momma bear protecting her cubs. But then as soon as they fight's over, she's checking to see if you're okay and how she can help you. A guy would never do that."

"I know I wouldn't," Dwayne huffed.

"I used to say the same thing," Tony agreed. "But not anymore. Now I avoid fighting, but look out if I have to fight. Look, in her head and soul Krista is a girl. She KNOWS she's a girl just like you know you're a boy. But having a pecker between your legs is not the only thing that makes you a boy. In fact, think about everything you do. Very little has to do with your pecker. You think and behave like a boy, that's what makes you who you are."

"But what about making out with her," Dwayne persisted. "What you're doing is gay."

"There you're wrong," Tony answered. "In the first place, we're too young to do more than hold hands, hug, and kiss. The idea of touching her down there makes me ill and she doesn't want me to go anywhere near it. She hates having it. But she's more than girly enough to make a great girlfriend. When she's old enough, she'll have her birth defect corrected. Then we can get into physical boy/girl stuff. Until then, she's worth the wait."

Phil was trying to wrap his head around the idea of a birth defect. "But don't you want any action?"

"I'd be lying if I said no," Tony replied. "But Krista has taught me there is a big difference between sex and love. Sex is just getting your rocks off. You can do that by yourself. It feels good but without love it's empty. Love on the other hand makes you feel good almost all the time. I believe that when you have sex with someone you love, it's better. Look, sex is all about satisfying your needs and pleasing yourself. Love is all about satisfying your partner's needs and pleasing her. Your release is just a delightful reward for making your partner happy."

"That sounds weird," Phil stated.

"Yeah, it does," Jimmy added. "But think about this. "You've been doing things for old Mrs. Delp like taking out the garbage and helping tend her yard. You're doing things to help her which make you feel good. That's why you keep doing it."

Dwayne and Phil both nodded their heads. Neither had ever given any deep thought to what made them feel good. They's always lived in the moment. Now their eyes were opened and they would have plenty of time to think.

"Well, we know we screwed up big-time," Dwayne admitted. "It will be months before we're healed up. Phil and I have been talking and we realize we created most of our own problems. We thought we were being tough drinking and smoking pot. We were lucky to escape with only the injuries we have. Freddy lost his legs and Barney lost his arm, plus both are still in comas. We've learned our lesson the hard way. We know we need to change but have no idea how. If you and the girls will help us, we may be able to successfully change and we may as well start now. Call the girls in."

Jimmy stepped out to fetch the girls. In a few moments, Krista and Jaz entered the room. Jaz was hesitant but smiling. Krista was beaming.

"I won't ask you how you're doing," Krista smiled. "But I will ask you if we can be friends."

"We'll try," Dwayne answered with a forced smile.

"First thing you've got to do is stop considering me a freak," Krista grinned. "I am what I am just as you are what you are. It took me a long time and several real tough weeks until I finally realized I was girl. You need to think about who you are. Forget about what other people think. Think about what you are inside, what you want to be. But it has to be something real, something you can accomplish, not some vague image. You know you'll never be NBA stars so don't even think about something like that. Try to decide what you like and go for it. Be true to yourself."

Phil nodded. "How do we do that?"

"I'm still trying to figure that out," Jaz stated. "When I came out of my coma, everything had changed. I lost two and a half years of my life. With Krista's help, we talked about what we liked and what we didn't like, about what made us feel good and what made us feel bad. What I'm trying to do now is concentrate on the things I like and what makes me feel good while avoiding things I dislike and make feel bad."

"The key is you have to be almost brutally honest with yourself," Krista added. "I was so busy trying to be a tough guy I buried my good side. When we were on our odyssey, I tried getting small jobs to earn a bit of money but everyone rejected me. We were broke and hungry. I felt terrible because I wasn't taking care of my sisters. My tough guy persona was pretty well licked. When I went into a bakery to ask for work, I was desperate and simply acted and spoke from my heart. The guy thought I was a girl and gave us a job. After that, I figured out being an honest, open person was better than being a gruff macho guy. I had to disguise my boy self as a girl to survive with my sisters. Once I stopped being so damn macho, I felt better about myself and people treated me better. But the hardest thing was for me to accept that pretending to be a girl named Krista wasn't pretending. The pretending had been trying to be a tough guy named Kristopher. It took a while for me to understand which was real and which was fake, but since I finally understood where my heart was, I've been Krista. You don't have to make as drastic a change as I did, but you will need to be honest with yourselves."

Dwayne nodded his head. "So how do we start?"

"Start with what you were doing with Freddy and Barney," Krista said. "Did you like shooting stuff up with the paint ball guns? Did you like the beer? Did you like the pot? Did you like the police chase? Things like that, then figure out why you liked or disliked it."

"Well the pot was weird," Phil said. "It made you feel real good while you were smoking it, but afterward it was a real bummer coming back down, depressing in fact. Now that I think about it, the highs weren't enough to make the lows worth while."

"That's just what you need to do," Jaz encouraged.

"The same goes for the beer," Dwayne added. "The hang-overs were not worth the highs, heck, we couldn't even remember some of the stuff we did."

"See guys, this is what I was talking about," Tony smiled. "The girls make us think about what we're doing like that little angel sitting on your shoulder. After a while, you'll start doing it on your own. We had fun when we used to hang out, but it was never long term fun and certainly not much satisfaction. Now I have more fun than ever and it is a lot more satisfying."

"So we need girlfriends," Phil said. "Can you set us up?"

"Perhaps," Krista said. "But you've got to make headway on discovering who you really are. Also you need to realize the girl that might be best for you may not be a beauty queen. You'll need to look at the person inside the body. I'm a perfect example of that. Inside I'm a girl, my physical body doesn't agree. But it's what's inside that really counts."

The conversation turned to serious matters as the guys began describing their doomed adventure that night. The big question both guys had was why Freddy tried to go to the dance. They knew there would be a check point and they were high on beer, pot, and amphetamines. They were sure to get nailed so why go there? They also admitted they were too spaced out to think of the possible consequences and assumed the same lack of fore-thought applied to Freddy.

Then they moved on to discussing school. Krista and Jaz volunteered their services as tutors to help the guys stay up with their schoolwork. They gratefully accepted.

"Just watch out for Phil," Tony warned. "He loves getting into ridiculous pun conversations. You should have heard him and Jimmy going at it earlier with tree jokes."

"I can imagine," Krista said. "It's a good thing they didn't hit a power line. That might have been ELECTRIC-fying."

Dwayne, Tony, and Jaz moaned.

"Yeah," Jimmy promptly piped up. "That wreckage would have been re-VOLT-ing."

"Come on guys," Phil joined right in. "WIRE you doing this to us?"

"Because we want to SOCKET to you," Krista replied.

"Yeah," Jimmy added. "We just need and OUTLET for our energy."

"OHM my," Phil chuckled.

"RESISTANCE is futile," Krista answered.

"Krista, I didn't know you could pun," Jimmy declared. "It's quite a SHOCKING revelation."

"Well, considering the CURRENT state of things, she's doing quite well," Phil added.

"A girl always likes a compliment," Krista smiled. "Why don't you AMP-lify that."

"Oh Krista," Jimmy pined melodramatically. "How could we ever re-FUSE!"

"Well, at least I can't be CHARGE-d with starting this round," Phil chuckled.

"Oh really," Krista fake huffed. "Are POSITIVE about that?"

"Come on Krista," Jimmy retorted. "Don't be so darn NEGATIVE."

"Yeah," Phil agreed. "I thought you were better GROUND-ed than that."

"Just for the re-CORD," Krista smiled. "I can be silly at times."

"So I guess by EXTENSION, we can all be silly," Jimmy nodded.

"Punning isn't a matter to be taken LIGHT-ly," Phil declared.

"I know punning isn't something you can just SWITCH off and on," Krista agreed.

"Well, we're sure getting quite a punning CIRCUIT going on here," Jimmy nodded.

"Tony, I think you've got a wild one on your hands," Phil intoned. "I don't think you'll ever BREAKER."

"Yes, but with my gift of gab I might someday be elected a senator and wind up in DC," Krista affirmed smugly.

"It's starting to get hot in here," Jimmy made as if to wipe perspiration from his brow. "We need to turn on the AC."

"That's from all the hot air you're GENERATING," Phil quipped.

"Well, I learned to stop spouting off during my odyssey," Krista declared. "The entire experience was quite TRANSFORMER-tive."

“Say Krista, while you were on your odyssey, did you pass through Groton, Connecticut," Jimmy asked. "You know where I mean, it's a SUB-STATION."

"I bet your trek was a POWER-ful experience," Phil jumped in.

"It certainly proved WATT I can do when I set my mind to it," Krista answered.

"You certainly proved to be quite CABLE-ble," Jimmy praised.

"Plus since you've arrived here you've become quite a FIXTURE," Phil said.

"I can tell by their grimaces that the others don't care to be RECEPTICLE-s of our wit," Krista sniffed.

"Especially now that were in a 3-WAY punning race," Jimmy chuckled.

"I think their patience is starting to run SHORT," Phil laughed.

"As long as they don't get HOT under the collar we should be okay," Krista added.

"I guess it's hard for listeners to remain NEUTRAL," Jimmy conceded.

"Yes, but to we afficionados, punning is the SPLICE of life," Phil exclaimed.

"You said it, but I think they may be about to OVERLOAD," Krista observed.

"Well, at least it's not my FAULT," Jimmy defended.

"Besides, it's fun to be so OPEN," Phil expounded

"Apparently we have punning in COMMON," Krista declared.

"Yes, and it's often a TERMINAL condition," Jimmy sighed.

"Our PANEL of judges think we've gone overboard," Phil replied.

"I guess we've reached a JUNCTION where we need to be emb-ARCING on a new line of conversation," Krista agreed.

"Enough already," Jaz exclaimed. "God, You guys were really stretching for terminology there."

"Yeah, but it was kind of fun," Dwayne added. "I really missed Jimmy and Phil going at it like that. Krista, if you can keep up with those two like you did, I'd really like to be your friend."

"I'd be delighted to be your friend," Krista smiled.

"I want to apologize for all the bad stuff I said about you," Dwayne declared. "Tony was right, I was being a bigot."

"The key word you used is WAS," Krista grinned. "I accept your apology."

At that point there was a knock on the open door. Pat came into the room with Maureen Abott and Norma Harper who were delighted with the visitors. They'd been listening outside, wincing at the puns, waiting for the kids to reach a point where their entry wouldn't be breaking up any conversations. They welcomed the foursome as genuine friends fro their injured sons.

*****

Thursday, November 1 was the day of Buffy’s, Sandi’s mother, sentencing. Previously Buffy had plead guilty before Judge Watkins to neglect and child endangerment. It was the first case of the morning. Without protest Buffy willingly accepted her sentence of ten years in prison. She also waived her rights to parental custody but did ask the court’s permission to be allowed supervised visitation once she was released. Since she was genuinely remorseful for her actions and vowed to use her time in prison to get clean and complete her education, Judge Watkins tentatively approved pending Buffy’s good conduct while in prison. Krista sat in the court room during the sentencing and once it was completed, Judge Watkins looked at Krista who nodded her head. Judge Watkins then ordered the deputies to sit Buffy off to the side instead of removing her from the courtroom. They and Buffy were confused by the strange order but did so.

"The next case is the adoption of Sandra Herr by Patricia and Leroy Scott," the bailiff called the next case.

Buffy promptly stiffened and sat bolt upright. She realized she was being given a gift, and although she kept silent, she could not stop the tears.

Leroy, in uniform, entered and smiled when he saw Buffy. Krista rose from her seat and stepped to the doorway and held out her hand. Sandi took the hand and Krista led her forward to face the judge as the rest of the Clan Wells Point entered, filling the courtroom.

Judge Watkins smiled and spoke softly. "Sandi, do you know why you're here today?"

Sandi timidly nodded her head.

Krista knelt down by her and whispered in her ear. "You need to say your answers."

Sandi nodded then looked at Judge Watkins behind her imposing desk and whispered "Yes Ma'am."

"Very good, Sandi," Judge Watkins smiled. "Do you want to be adopted by Mr and Mrs Scott?"

"Yes ma'am," Sandi declared enthusiastically as she nodded her head.

Judge Watkins looked over to the County representative. "Does the Talbot County Children's Services object to this adoption?"

"No, your honor," the representative from Children's Services replied.

Judge Watkins looked about the now crowded courtroom, particularly Buffy. "Does anyone in the courtroom object to this adoption?"

Buffy shook her head no as her tears continued to fall.

"Then by the order of this court, the adoption of Sandra Herr is hereby approved," Judge Watkins declared as she softly banged her gavel. "Sandra, you are now officially the daughter of the Scotts. The Scotts have asked that you decide whether or not you want to change your last name from Herr to Scott. It won't make any difference to the Scotts or the court, but it is an option available upon adoption."

"I'd like to be a Scott," Sandi softly replied after a moment of hesitation.

"Very well, young lady," Judge Watkins smiled. "Before I order the change of name from Sandra Herr to Sandra Scott, does anyone object?"

Everyone turned to look at Buffy. Again she shook her head no.

"Very well, hearing no objections, I hereby order the name change to Sandra Scott," Judge Watkins smiled as she once more gently banged the gavel. "There is one last piece of business. Sandi, your mommy realizes what she allowed to happen to you was very bad and she is extremely sorry. Because she loves you she has plead guilty to allowing you to be hurt and is willingly accepting her punishment. She also knows that it is in your best interest to be adopted by a loving family. Just before you came in, I sentenced your mommy to ten years in prison. Your mommy is still here and has approved your adoption and name change by the Scotts. If you'd like, you can say goodbye to her before she is taken to prison."

At that point Leroy, who had been blocking Sandi from seeing her mother, stepped aside.

Krista knelt by Sandi to once more whisper in her ear. "It's okay if you want to give her a goodbye hug. It's also okay if you don't. The choice is yours."

Sandi looked at Krista through teary eyes. "Will you come with me?"

"Of course," Krista smiled as she stood and took Sandi's hand.

Together they slowly walked toward Buffy.

"Deputy, please temporarily remove the prisoner's handcuffs," Judge Watkins ordered.

With the cuffs off, Buffy knelt on the floor and reached out for Sandi.

Sandi stopped just short of her mother. "Mommy, I love you," Sandi softly spoke. "But I can't be your little girl anymore. This is my big sister Krista. She's the one who saved me after I ran away."

Buffy dropped her arms and nodded her understanding as she sobbed.

"Sandi, it's okay to hug your mommy goodbye," Krista urged.

That was all Sandi needed to throw herself into her mother who spontaneously caught her and hugged her. Through her tears Buffy looked up at Krista and nodded her appreciation. She now knew without a doubt this family would take better care of Sandi than she could ever do.

Pat and Krista returned to the St. Michaels Middle/Senior High School arriving just as lunch period ended. Jane drove Sandi Scott to the Tilgham Elementary School where she had Sandra’s records updated while Sandi entered her class room just after lunch.

*****

Starting on Thursday November 1, Maureen Abott and Norma Harper waited outside St. Michaels Middle/High School every day at the end of classes to pick up Krista and Jaz to take them to Easton so they could tutor Dwayne and Phil. The girls brought the news that Freddy had lost his left leg. Dwayne and Phil were clearly stunned. They vowed to never again drink and drive or use illegal drugs and to turn their lives around.

The mothers were amazed the spunky girls were so effective in teaching the guys. They set right to work and didn't give the guys a chance to stray from the subject. This isn't to say they didn't joke and gossip, but they did so while staying on topic.

By this time Jaz was able to walk short distances. The school provided a manual wheelchair for her to use to navigate the halls during school hours. When they arrived at the hospital, she used one of the hospital provided wheelchairs to move about. Seeing her in the wheelchair went a long way in easing the boys' concerns about being looked down upon as cripples. They knew Jaz was getting stronger and would soon no longer need a wheelchair. They also knew the same would eventually be true for them. It was merely a short term solution. With that realization, they cooperated with the rehab staff as they were fitted with manual wheelchairs to meet their specific needs.

Krista did most of the teaching as Jaz was still playing catch-up, but Jaz was smart and picked up most of the lessons in school so the tutoring just reinforced her learning. As Krista taught, Jaz watched the guys for comprehension, when she noted they were getting lost, she let Krista know. Krista would then take another track to get the lesson across.

They'd get to the hospital about 3:30 and teach until 5:30 when Leroy would stop by to pick them up to take them home. The girls steadfastly refused to take any money, telling the mothers they were just doing what they could to help friends and that they could best pay them back by passing on the good deed.

*****