Chapter 13: Downtime

Mary, Shelby and Jonathan were spending a rainy day out shopping at one of the areas large galleria malls. Just for the fun of it. Though it seems awkward for two older teens to window shop with one of their mothers, Shelby is close to her mom and up until recently had few girlfriends to hang out with. Jonathan for his part enjoys the company of Mary. He feels more like a normal kid when she is around. In his mind being emancipated isn't fun at all. He'd rather have parents.

He had fallen behind looking at a window display and the girls busy talking, haven't even noticed his absence. It’s also when they are taunted by a snide rude voice from in front of them.
It’s Jason, “Well if it isn't the class tranny-fag. Who's that with you? Probably your tranny-fag dad! Like father like son they ….” his voice cuts off as he sees Jonathan charging between the girls and straight for him. The look on his face tells the bully all he needs to know, Jonathan’s pissed... and he is about to bear the brunt of it. Without slowing down Jonathan grabs him with both hands. Bodily driving him backwards at full speed down a side hall and slamming the bully up against a wall. He pins him with one hand, his other fist raised for a blow. Jason squeezes his eyes tight.

“NO!” Mary is just in time.

The boy stops at her command. Jason is left recoiling against the wall in anticipation.

“This has got to end Mrs. Curtis. It's time he was taught you have to treat women with respect. All women!” He raises his fist higher.

Shelby quickly attempts to reason with her boyfriend. “Jonny you've got to listen. Nothing you do to him will change how he thinks or what he says. You taught me to not care what his kind say or think. I care what you think!”

Mary steps close and quietly speaks to him. “Let him go Jonathan. Please.”

Jonathan looks at the cowering bully. He leans in close. “There's only one way you walk away unhurt. Get to it!”

“I’m SORRY! Shelby! I’ll never bother you again!”

Jonathan let's the other boy loose. His voice menacing. ”Go.”

Once Jason has gone Mary breathes easier, “Thank you Jonathan.”

”For?”

“For being a better man. The kind of man I want for Shelby.”

The boy blushes as Shelby hugs his arm to her. “That's right you’ze my-man!”

Mary looks around at the kids, “Well I'm about shopped out. What's say we go find a nice restaurant?”

Jonathan makes it to the car before the stress of going after Jason catches up and the coughing fit hits him. This one’s worse than others, it takes him to his knees for several minutes before passing. Shelby having experienced it before is on the ground holding him, rubbing his back, his face covered in beads of sweat. She notes this time he has even greater trouble catching his breath. Shelby thinks he even feels warm. Ten minutes later, the cough subsides leaving him flushed and damp with sweat.

Mary’s parental instinct of concern kicks in “Jonathan, what was that? Are you ok?”

“It's nothing. It happens sometimes when I do too much. I just need to get my stamina back. The physical therapy is supposed to help.”

Mary says nothing, but makes a mental note to talk to Robert about it.

...

Two days later Shelby bursts into the house in search of her mother, “Mom...Mom! I need your help!”

“What is it Bee?”

“It’s Jonathan, he’s sick, bad sick. Can you look at him?”

“Where is he?”

“He’s out in his car. He was going home to take care of himself but I took his keys. I think you should look at him.”

Out in the car Mary assesses him, he’s pale, drawn, and wheezing. Mary feels his forehead. “Damn he’s burning up. Let’s get him inside Bee.” The two women practically have to carry him to the spare bedroom.

“Mrs. Curtis… I’m fine you don’t need to…”

“Now you be quiet and do as I say. You are in no shape to take care of yourself. Lay down here until Robert gets home and can take a look at you.” Five minutes later, he is passed out with Shelby at his side, a cool cloth for his head.

“Stay with him Bee, I’m calling your father.”

“Mary, It sounds like pneumonia to me but we can’t be sure until I listen to his chest. Get him in bed and start working on his fever. I’ll bring some fluids home. We can prescribe something once I confirm his symptoms... Yeah Ok. One more thing, give him some Tylenol and get him undressed, we need to get the fever under control.”

Mary hangs up the phone and looks to her daughter. “Bee I need you to be an adult here. Your father says to undress him.”

“Do you think we should Mom? He’s gonna freak when he wakes up.”

“We’ll tell him we kept our eyes closed”

“Yeah right!” She pulls his shoes and socks off. “Wow mom! Even his feet are hot.”

“It’s the fever. He's definitely fighting something. OK. I'll hold him up while you get his shirt off.”

Shelby unbuttons his dress shirt. Removes it then pulls the t-shirt over his head. It’s soaked in sweat. Hearing her mother gasp she looks at her boyfriend. “Oh my God! M-mom? Are you seeing this?”

Jonathan's left side from his collarbone to below his hip is a series of scars. Most are from surgical incisions, staples and sutures. The two biggest ones obviously are not, they are ragged, ugly and extend around to his back.

“Oh Shelby! I had no idea.”

“Neither did I mom. He said he’d been hurt, just not how much. Do you think this is all from the accident?”

“It must be honey. See how they all have about the same degree of healing and the pinkness…”

“...means they are not very old. Maybe a year. Oh mom! I'm not sure I want to think about what happened to him.” Shelby's angry tone fails to mask the signs that her heart aches, remembering what Jonathan said about waking up in the hospital.

“Oh Bee, I’m so sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing to me? He's the one who's been filleted like a trout.” her tears show she's upset and angry. “how could someone do this to him!?”

Mary puts her arm around her daughter. “Oh Shelby. I know it's not fair honey. But I'm sure they only did what they had to,... to save his life.”

“I know mom. It’s just... I’ll be fine. Let's get the rest of his clothes off and make him comfortable.”

“That's my girl!” She turns back to Jonathan. From behind her she hears Shelby mumble,

“He’s gonna get better treatment here than those butchers who did this, gave him.”

“Help me with his pants,... Jesus he’s sweating. Underwear too Shelby... On second thought you go change out of your school clothes. I’ll finish.”

Hearing her mother's order, Shelby recovers some of her humor, “Really mom? That’s kinda pervy.”

“What’s pervy is letting my adolescent, horny daughter, get into her boyfriend’s skivvies while he’s unconscious. Now scat!”

“Okay, Okay. I’ll go but you better keep your eyes closed. He’s mine, woman!”

Mary finishes undressing their patient and gets him under the covers. Despite his fever, he has chills, a sure sign he’s fighting an infection. She speaks to the sleeping young man, “Shelby and I are gonna take care of you Jonathan. We’re gonna get some fluids into you and some good meds that’ll fix you right up. You rest now.” Softly, more asleep than awake, the boy responds…

When Shelby has changed into her favorite 'house bum' clothes, boy-shorts and tank top, she heads back to her patient’s room with a fresh cool compress and bowl of water. She finds her mother sitting on the edge of the bed bathing Jonathan’s face. At her approach Mary quickly turns to Shelby and passes off the cloth. One glance and the girl knows her mother is crying. “Here Bee you take over.” She rushes from the room. Shelby follows.

“Mom, mom! What is it?”

“It’s nothing sweetie.”

“Mom…!”

“OK. It's just that for a moment, he thought I was his mother.” Sniff, “He said he’s sorry and… and that he misses me. Between that and the scars…” The younger Curtis embraces her mother. “Oh mom!” They are both still hugging and crying when Robert walks in.

“Hey...hey, what’s wrong with my girls?” Suddenly he’s worried and serious. “Is Jonathan ok?”

“Were fine daddy. Just girl stuff. My patient is in the spare bedroom. Can I get a consult?”

30 minutes later Robert and Shelby are done with the examination. He even supervised his daughter as she started an I.V. “OK Shelby, tell me what you think.”

“Ok Daddy. Based on the sounds of his chest, the rapid pulse and elevated B.P., the fever over 102, and his raspy respiration…” She looks up at him questioning, “A lung infection? Perhaps pneumonia?”

“Very good young Padawan! One doesn’t need an X-ray to diagnose this one. Of course an x-ray is one of the best ways to confirm it, but I think it's a safe bet. I'll have the blood we drew tested and we will know even more. He’s lucky you kept him here.” He scribbles out a prescription and gives her his keys. “Shelby, I need you to run to the pharmacy. Tell David to make it quick! Hell. I’ll call it in while you head over.”

“Daddy, I don’t have my full permit yet.”

“So don’t get caught.” He goes for the phone. “Then over his shoulder, “And for Christ's sake! Put some clothes on before you go! … Damn kid is gonna get herself assaulted dressed like that…”

“Geesh Okay! … Dad? What about his coughing? I realize that it’s the infection, but he really seems to be in a lot of pain when the fits hit him.”

“Shelby, right now he needs to cough, to break up the infection. Discomfort is normal with Pneumonia associated coughs. And with his previous injuries coughing is likely going to hurt more.”

While waiting for the pharmacist, he starts contemplating what he has seen, as a surgeon he is intrigued by all the damage this young man has. Mary interrupts his thoughts with a warm embrace. “Thank you honey. This is a good kid… Besides, your daughter is very taken with him.”

“She sure seems it. She did everything three times. And when she started the I.V., it was textbook perfect. Better than I could have done it.” He shifts gears, “Hello David? Robert Curtis here, I need some scripts filled stat…”

Mary finds him back in the spare room re-examining Jonathan, this time he’s looking at the boys left side.

Without looking up, “What do you know about these Mary?”

“Nothing really. Based on what he said at Dr. Michaels, they are from the accident. I’d say he was pretty banged up, and they did the best they could to put him back together.”

“I wish I could agree,... perhaps you’re right.”

“Ok Rob. You’re thinking something. Spill it.”

Robert stands up, closes his eyes, then pinches the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger. Mary thinks, ‘Shit, he's stressed.’ She knows it will be a minute before he answers.

“I'm sure it's nothing Mary, but…”

“But?”

“In my mind, two, maybe three of those scars look like mistakes, as if whoever cut on him opened him up in the wrong place.”

“Oh Jesus, Robert… How sure are you?”

“Maybe 90 percent. I'd need more scans, the accident records, and a couple consults to confirm, before I’m sure-sure.”

“So what do we do?”

“For now? Nothing. Just get him well and I'll do some digging. If anything turns up we can talk to him about some scans. You said he’s holding something back on the accident?”

“Yeah, Sheila thinks so. After today, so do I.” She explains to Robert why she and Shelby were crying when he came home.

“Well I'm no Psychiatrist, but I know a pretty cute one and I’d bet she'd want to get his head and heart straight before tinkering too much with what messed him up in the first place.”

“That's my boy! C’mere and give the doctor a kiss.”

This was one of the chapters I most worried about getting right. I'm still not certain it invokes the response I envisioned.

v/r
JM