Without a trace part 4: No longer a stranger

JR slowly walked back to the house as his mother and sister fussed over the small body that was on the sidewalk, Mother and Joanie were huddled over the small body. JR slumped down in the lounge and put his head in his hands and moaned. It was easier when it was someone he did not know but this turn of events put everything on his doorstep literally. The small body that had been thrown from the van was one of the track team and JR knew him well, the last time JR had seen him was yesterday when they both trained together. Richard was a good kid small for his age but dedicated to his sport, he put himself out for others too. He wasn’t the sort of boy that fit the target for the kidnappers or whatever they are. It was easy to think of it being an intellectual exercise but now it was on a personal level and to be honest JR was scared. It really shook him to the core on what these disappearances meant to him now.
Without a trace part 4: No longer a stranger

After a short while the wail of the emergency services echoed from the street outside and mom and Joanie walked back through the door, they saw JR sat on the sofa deep in thought. They sat down next to him and without a word Joanie laid an arm over his shoulder. She felt his body start to be wracked with quiet sobs and she pulled him into a proper embrace and let him relax into her arms. JR seemed to melt into the embrace and he looked at his sister, as she looked at him he no longer appeared to be the teenage boy she knew but a girl who was younger who needed the support of her older sister.

You knew him JR?” She asked softly

“Yes he was on the track team and I guess you could call him a nerd like me” JR replied

Joanie looked a bit shocked as JR called himself a nerd, she never saw him in that way. She thought to herself maybe he did not match the typical view of a nerd but he was intelligent as well as athletic. As they cuddled the clock ticked and all three ignored it until it came to about 9AM and then they looked up. Mother swore and went to grab the phone from the table and made a couple of quick calls. Joanie looked at her brother dressed the way he was and wondered to herself, even after all the explanations what was really going on in his head. She found it hard to comprehend why he would want to be a girl or dress as one; she wasn’t a head doctor like her mother she dealt with cold hard facts. She could not help herself as she thought he really did look cute dressed like that and seemed to need protecting.

After half an hour Mother cleared her throat as no one had spoken for a while, she looked at her children and seemed to come to a decision.
“JR why don’t you go and get dressed, and Joanie you need to get to the precinct to file a full report on what has happened.” They both nodded and JR headed back to his room, he went to his wardrobe and grabbed a set of jeans and tee shirt and dressed quickly. Walking back down he, saw his mom with her purse and car keys. Mom looked at JR when she noticed the androgenised look he had selected, she realised that he had always dressed that way he always avoided any form of defined gender clothing unless he was forced to look very boyish. Slowly things seemed to click in moms head and she looked deeply into her son’s eyes.

She seemed to really see him for the first time and what she sae surprised her. Her son in mannerisms and facial features and well everything was very girlish. She finally took a step back and almost shook herself like a dog coming out of water. She grabbed the keys nodded at JR and followed him out to the car. As they both settled into the car she looked at her child and realised there is so much she did not know about him/her as she had become distant from him with her work. She considered the problem and keeping her eyes on the road turned to JR.
“JR honey I think we should talk and now seems the best time” She said quietly

“What do you want to talk about mom?”

“How about we talk about you”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean things have changed over the years, I feel I don’t know you any more” Her voice was tinged with sadness.

So as they weaved their way through the traffic JR started to talk slowly at first. As he continued he got more confident as he talked and explained more about the split in his soul. He talked about the fact it had always been there, his fears and the thought on what it meant. Mom listened, a small tear dropped from her cheek as she heard her child talk as though they feared her. She sighed and pulled over to the side walk and turned off the engine. She then took her child in her arms and hugged hard. With tears in her eyes and a catch in her voice she explained that the fears were unfounded as far as she and Josie were concerned. She promised to talk things through and help her child the best way she could. She explained that even if JR felt like a girl it did not mean that they had to change the things they did or wanted to do.

As JR listened to her he nodded his fears receding and his mother saw that as to her question if he wanted to be a girl full time he knew he could not answer that yet. He was glad that his family would support him whatever he decided, he had one concern as to the way those disappearances were increasing and he was determined to help get to the bottom of them the best he could do. After their talk and hug they travelled in silence to the hospital

End of part 4

Cont in part 5: questions and more questions