Chapter 8: Sarah

I didn't expect Dave to really take a nap, but when I checked on him an hour later he was asleep, like a baby. I had some more coffee and started making dinner, I hope Dave likes spaghetti.

I let Dave sleep another hour and then got him up for dinner. After dinner while we were watching a baseball game I asked Dave about his life growing up. He told me, it made me want to go strangle his parents. Now I think I understand why he is letting me treat him like this. I don't believe anyone ever really showed him any affection as a kid.

After the game I asked Dave, "Well are you having fun? Because remember if you aren't you can end this and go home."

"Actually, surprisingly I am," came back the reply.

"Good, now is there anything you want to do tomorrow?"

"Ummm, yeah there is. Could we go back to the mall?"

"Why?" I looked at him and he was squirming around like he was embarrassed.

"Well, you remember that dress I tried on?"

"Which one, you tried on several?"

"The, ummm, I think you called it a sundress."

"Yes, I remember it."

"Well, could we go and buy it?"

"Let me see if I understand this, you want me to go and buy you a dress?"

"Ummm, I'll pay for it."

"Okay, but if you recall this morning you didn't want to be seen in a dress."

"Yes, but I want this one for a reason."

"What do you want it for?" He was squirming around even more now.

"I, kind of, ummm, want to get my..."

"Go on. You want what."

"I want my picture taken in it."

He had stopped squirming around, and looked like he was going to start crying. "Why do you want your picture taken in it?"

"I want to send it to my father. I'll sign it `Your Loving Son, Dave.' He'll hate that, if he can read it and figure out that it really is me."

"You really don't like your father, do you?"

"If he hadn't been so lazy he probably would've beaten me every night. I hate him."

"Okay, we can go and buy the dress. Then we can go to one of the store photo departments and have the portraits done. How about if we get your hair done by a professional first?"

"Nothing permanent right?"

"No, nothing permanent. Well if we're going to have another big day you should get some sleep." With that I picked him up and carried him to the nursery, where I changed his diaper and put him to bed.

Sunday turned out to be a bit of a let down. We went and bought the dress, had his hair done and got the pictures taken. They turned out great. We finished up by having dinner in a park where Dave played on the swing sets. It was definitely weird watching a grown man on a swing in a dress and a diaper.

Dave went home Sunday night, after giving me a big hug, and telling me that no one ever treated him like I had that weekend. My first thought at that was I hoped not, then I realized that he meant like a child that was actually loved. After I shut the door, I had to wipe a tear from my eye. Then I went and erased all of the videotapes I had made of him. I'd still have a copy of the portraits, but I couldn't keep those tapes I made without his permission.

Monday came and I thought back fondly to the weekend, I wondered if I could get Dave to do it again, and figured that I certainly could.

Early in the afternoon, I heard Thor outside barking. My first thought, was I hope he didn't catch Dave outside again. Then I realized that while Thor was barking, it wasn't his normal friendly bark and woof, but a frenzied, angry barking, snarling and growling. What the hell? I had heard Thor growl before, he was warning a kid for pulling his tail. But nothing like this.

I ran out the door to see what was going on. I saw the backs of three kids, I thought that they were the troublemakers, but I couldn't be sure. Then I saw Thor over by the mailboxes. There was a splash of red on the mailboxes and then Thor nuzzled something on the ground and lay down beside it.

Shit there was someone on the ground over there, and that red was probably blood. I dialed 911 on my cell phone and started running over there. I saw at least two other people doing the same thing. As I got closer, I slowed down. I didn't know what Thor was going to do. He started growling, then looked at me, and woofed once. His tail started wagging and he turned his head back to … Dave.

Damn, it was Dave down there on the ground. I told the 911 operator that we needed an ambulance and probably police here. The operator said they were on the way and that the police should arrive first. I turned and saw Judy running up with a first aid kit; good she was nurse and should know what to do.

Bob came up a few minutes later and I told him to take Thor home. He looked reluctant, but I told him that Thor chased away whoever did this and probably should be watched. He reluctantly took Thor home, as I watched Judy take care of Dave.

The Police showed up a few minutes later. A county deputy pulled in and got out of his cruiser. He looked around and actually gasped at the blood, there was a lot. "What happened to her," he asked looking at Dave.

I couldn't believe it, the deputy thought that Dave was a girl, and he was lying unconscious on face down on the ground. Judy looked up, "He was shoved into the mailboxes, that's what."

"Hi Judy, did you say he? I don't suppose you have a name," he asked, looking around.

I spoke up as Judy turned back to Dave, "His name is Dave Wilson. He lives over in Number Two."

The deputy wrote this in one of those notebooks that they carry around. "Hey I think I know him. I pulled him over twice last month. I thought he was a kid joyriding."

I told him what I had seen and wrote that down also. He got statements from a couple of others before the ambulance arrived.

The paramedics took over for Judy and the cop interviewed her. The paramedics got Dave on a gurney and hauled him off. The deputy finished getting statements and started taking pictures. A small group of us stood aside watching as he and another deputy did cop things.

The first deputy walked up and asked, "Hey is that camera hooked up?"

I'd forgotten about the camera, "Yes it is, come with me the tape is in my office."

We walked over to my office and watched the tape. It showed Dave walking up to his mailbox, as he turned to leave the three boys I'd seen running away walked up demanding money and started shoving him. He finally smashed his head open and crumpled to the ground, once there they started to kick him. A few seconds later Thor ran in barking and snarling and growling. The kids looked at him and took off when he snapped at them. Thor then turned to Dave, nudged him and licked him, then lay down next to him. Then I ran into the picture.

"Damn," the cop said. "That dog may have saved his life. Hold on for a second." He called on his radio to the dispatcher to have the hospital notified about the possibility of wounds do to the kicking.

"I'm going to need this for evidence," he continued.

"I know that, but before you take it can I make a copy to show Dave. He is terrified of that dog."

"All right. Can you identify those kids?"

"Sure," and I gave him their names and addresses. He waited while I made the copy, and then took the original.

I watched as he and the other deputies drove to pick up the suspects. It didn't take long and there they went; all three of them in the back of several cruisers.

I was happy; those three caused almost all of the trouble in the park, now to call my lawyer. This should be enough to get them evicted from the park. Hey I could probably have her start the paperwork for a civil suit on Dave's behalf too.

Other than Dave being unconscious in the hospital it looked like it might be a good day after all. I spent the rest of the afternoon answering questions about what all of the trouble was. Bob came by and I showed him the tape. He was surprised. He had never seen Thor act that way before either.

Chapter 9: Judy

I heard Thor barking up a storm, but it seemed wrong somehow. I looked outside and could see several people running towards the mailboxes. Stepping outside, I looked at the mailboxes and saw what looked like a red stain. Oh shit, I thought and grabbed the first aid kit I kept by the door.

I ran over to the mailboxes, and saw Sarah looking down at Thor and Sissy, oops Dave I corrected myself. Damn, I could see blood coming out of the back of his head as he lay there. As Sarah shooed people off to the side, I put on a pair of gloves and told Thor to move. Thor looked at me and actually got out of the way, although he did stay between Dave and the crowd until Bob came and took him away.

I checked to make sure he was breathing and that there was a pulse. I opened a bandage and covered the wound on his head, wondering where the hell the ambulance was. I was trying to stop the bleeding without moving his head, not an easy task. I had better add a neck brace to my first aid kit.

I heard a siren now, but it was the wrong kind. Probably a county deputy. Sure enough a Cruiser pulled up a minute or two later. I heard footsteps crunching in the gravel. "What happened to her?"

What an idiot, I thought, "He was shoved into the mailboxes, that's what." I looked up at Steve Wildler, not one of the best deputies, but he got the job done.

"Hi Judy, did you say he? I don't suppose you have a name," he asked. I knew all of the local police.

I heard Sarah answer him, so I went back to helping Dave. I heard Steve talking to some of the people watching. But I didn’t pay them any attention, I was still waiting for that damn ambulance. It took a little while, but I finally heard the siren. The ambulance pulled in and two EMTs rushed up. I quickly told them what I knew and they took over, putting a neck brace on and strapping him to a backboard. I stripped off my gloves and tossed them into the biohazard trash in the ambulance.

While they did their work, I quickly answered Steve’s questions. Since I hadn’t seen anything, he was soon done. I turned to the EMTs before they left and asked them to let the ER know I would probably be a little late. They said they’d pass on the message and I turned to get my first aid kit as they pulled out. I saw that one of them had placed a neck brace on the ground next to it. I owed those two something nice.

As I was walking back to my home, I heard Steve ask about a camera. I looked over, apparently Sarah had mounted a security camera over the mailboxes. Good, I hope it got good film of the bastards that had done this.

At home I washed up thoroughly, making sure that I didn’t drip any of Dave’s blood anywhere. It wasn’t that I thought he had any sort of disease, it was just habit. Cleaned up I called the ER and let them know I’d be a little late. They said the EMTs had already passed on the message.

I told my husband and daughter what had happened, hugged them and stopped by Sarah’s. “Sarah can you get me Dave’s wallet. He might need some ID at the hospital. At least to prove he’s an adult.”

“Good thought, he could have a hard time convincing them he’s 21, especially now.” That last line was a bit cryptic, but I let it pass as we went over to Dave’s house. I found his wallet in his bedroom. I couldn’t believe that he actually slept there. A toddler bed, with Power Puff Girls sheets, and pink and white furniture. Sarah came into the room, “I thought he was going to get new furniture?”

AS I left I saw Sarah starting to clean up in the kitchen, Dave had left a couple of dirty dishes in the sink. I guess that Sarah figured Dave didn’t need to come home to mold covered dishes. That whole house was strange, except for those dishes and a couple of books sitting next to his computer everything was neat and orderly. Even the bed was made, what 21 year old bachelor makes his bed every day?

I shook my head thinking about it as I went off to work. At the hospital, the ER was relatively calm for the moment, so I decided to check on Dave. I looked around and didn’t see him in any of the rooms. This worried me, I didn’t think he’d been hurt that badly. One of the other nurses saw me and asked, “Who are you looking for, Judy?”

“Oh Jane, where’s that young man, that came in with the head wound? He’s my neighbor, and I don’t see him.”

“Young man? We haven’t checked in any young men in a while, and the only head wound was that little ...” Her sentence tailed off. She looked at me rather intently, “That little girl is a boy? Come on, I saw her, er him when he came in. Little stud earrings, hair braided. No way that’s a boy, it’s got to be a girl. He didn’t even have any body hair.”

That explains what Sarah said. I didn’t expect her to remove his body hair for their weekend though. I can’t believe that he would let her either. I stood there woolgathering, until Jane said, “Earth to Judy, earth to Judy. I asked you about that boy.”

“What? Oh, that man. Yes he’s a man, not a boy. I have his wallet here. He is not a little girl, not a little boy either. He is...” checking his driver’s license, “... 21, he’ll be 22 next month.”

“No way, let me see that.” She looked at the driver’s license. “I had better get to admitting, I think he’s scheduled to be taken to the pediatric ward and placed in a girl’s room.”

As she turned to leave, “Great you do that, but where is he now?”

“Back in X-ray. Apparently he was kicked after he went unconscious, and they want to check for internal injuries.”

I checked with the ER admittance and found the room where Dave had been treated. His head X-rays were still hanging. I was examining them, when I heard a comment from behind, “A little harder and that little girl would have a cracked skull.”

I turned and saw the ER surgeon standing there, “Doc, take a look at this X-ray, forget about the patient you saw and tell me you can about the patient.”

“What? Why do you want me to do that?”

“Just do it.”

With a puzzled look on his face, he walked over to view the X-ray. He studied it for a few minutes, “Hmmm, the bones are all fused and judging from the size. I would say that the patient is an adult female.” His look got even more puzzled, “There is no way that person was a woman.” He paused for another moment, “But the X-ray is definitely of an adult. That’s a grown man! No way, she can’t be a grown man.”

“Hey the X-ray doesn’t lie. Neither does his driver’s license.”

“Damn, now I have to go fix all of my notes.”

“If that’s the least of your worries, consider yourself lucky. How’s he doing anyway?”

“Oh, well you saw there was no skull fracture, but he does have a concussion, and hopefully will wake up in a few minutes. He has a couple of minor cracks in his ribs, and some deep bruising from the kicks, but nothing dangerous. Why all of the concern?”

“He’s my neighbor, and has had some problems.”

“How long has he been unconscious?”

I looked at my watch, and thought for a moment. “Probably a half hour.”

Damn, that’s too long, if hasn’t woken up by the time he gets back from X-ray; we’ll have to try to wake him. After he’s awake why don’t you watch him, you can do your paperwork in his room. If we need you down here we’ll call you.”

When Dave came down from X-ray, he was still out. When the doctor woke him, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. “Where... am... I?” he asked slowly.

The doctor looked over at me and nodded. I told him, “You’re at the hospital. Do you remember what happened?”

“Ummm. There were some kids. They wanted some money. I told them I didn’t have any. They said to steal it from my mother. I think I laughed at that point. They started pushing me around then, but I don’t remember anything after that.”

“Okay Dave, we’re going to take you up to a room now, and put you to bed. I’ll be up in few minutes.”

“All right, thanks Mrs. Peterson.”

Dave had forgotten that ‘Dave’ has never met me, only ‘Sissy’ has. Dave was moved to a gurney and wheeled out. I went over and got my paperwork, and the reports I should fill out about Dave.

I left the office, and started towards the rest of the hospital when, “Hey Judy.” I turned and there was Steve. He trotted up. “I was thinking, I should probably get any of Mr. Wilson’s clothes that have blood on them. As evidence, you know.”

“Evidence? Okay, whatever. I was just going to his room. Follow me.”

As we made are way through the hospital he kept up a constant stream of conversation, which I mostly ignored. I ignored it until I heard Sarah’s name. “What was that?”

“I said that Ms. Johnson’s security camera caught the whole assault, and we’ve already arrested the suspects.”

“That’s great.”

“Whose dog is that? It looked like it saved his life.”

“Thor? What do you mean Thor saved his life.”

“Well the three perps attacked him. Then when he was on the ground they started to kick him. About this time you could hear barking and growling coming towards them. They turned towards it and kind of laughed, then their eyes got big and they took off. I figured Cujo was about to come on screen. The dog nudged him and licked his face, then lay down next to him like he was guarding him. I’m glad I wasn’t the first one there, I don’t think he would have let me near him.”

“Huh, you know Dave is terrified of that dog?”

“Yeah, that’s what Ms. Johnson said. But I’ll tell you that dog certainly seems to like him. It curled up next to him like he belonged to it.”

We got to the room as the orderlies finished undressing him. I heard one of them exclaim, “It is a boy!”

Dave seemed to not have noticed, but he looked like the movement had disoriented him somewhat. “I’ll take over from here.” The orderlies looked at me and walked out.

“There’s his clothes, take what you want, but leave his keys.” Steve walked over to the clothes, and looked at them. He that ‘I don’t want to touch them they’re all bloody look on his face.’ “There are gloves in the dispenser by the door.” He got a pair, and bagged his ‘evidence’.

“I’ve got to go now. I’ll talk to you later.” He said and walked out the door. Good riddance, I thought. He was better than Barney Fife, but not by much.

“Dave are you awake?”

He looked up at me and whispered, “Yes, why did he take my clothes?”

“He’s a Policeman, he wanted them for evidence. The doctor said you’re not to move much. So, I’m going to put a diaper on you okay?” I looked at him, he seemed to be tearing up. “Don’t worry we do that all of the time here. No one is going to say anything about it.”

I got Dave diapered and settled in bed. I asked him how he felt until the doctor arrived and explained to Dave the medical aspects of what happened to him. Dave lay there and listened. I’m not sure what he understood, but he murmured an agreement.

The doctor finished and we stepped out of the room. I told the doctor that I would go over it again with him later.