She yelled, “You SOB get out of here! I never want to see you again.”
A nurse yelled, “Call for security! Get the police.”
Two security guards arrived, asked the guy to leave and the woman to calm down or be thrown out of the hospital. She cursed the guards and was immediately escorted out of the hospital. This took several minutes and there was still yelling coming from a room in front of them.
Mary asked where room 222 was and was told, “Just follow the sound.” They cautiously walked towards the room with the yelling and saw a young blonde haired boy yelling at two ladies who were unsuccessfully trying to calm him down.
They walked into the room and the boy saw Grumpy and threw a water bottle at him.
Grumpy ducked and said, “Why are you mad at me?”
The boy said, “Because you are the pervert that was feeling me up after the wreck!”
The two women looked alarmed.
Grumpy was astonished and said, “You're a girl?”
The blonde haired girl answered, “Well duh, I am a girl and you are a pervert.”
Grumpy and his wife looked at each other and were speechless.
The two ladies were from CHFS.
One spoke up and said, “Mr. Jones, don’t worry about the pervert charges. Your pastor told us the whole story and this ungrateful young girl owes you her life.”
Grumpy said, “Thank God for a pastor being in the right place at the right time. We were worried about her and came to check and see how she is doing.”
The girl said, “Thanks for saving my life and all, but no more free boob grazes!”
The lady who spoke up earlier told the girl to be quiet and thank this nice couple for helping her survive the wreck.
Sam calmed down and said, “I am sorry, but these two old hags are trying to put me in foster care since my mom is a crappy mother and none of my family wants me.”
Grumpy walked up to the bedside and said, “Perhaps if you treated people with a little respect and were nice to people, they would be nice to you. Have you prayed to God since we talked at the wreck?”
“I told you that I don’t believe in God.”
Grumpy said, “It’s a free country and you can believe whatever you want but since Child Welfare is involved, you have to get along with whoever is your guardian for a couple of more years. If you don’t straighten up you will end up like your mom and with a loser like that jerk in the hallway.”
Sam spoke up and asked, “What happened to my dog, Sammy? He is my dog and I am worried about him. Who has him? Is he okay?”
Mary spoke up and said, “That poor dog was starving and why didn’t you take better care of him? You don’t deserve such a great dog.”
She broke down cried and then said, “I had to eat something. I shared most of my food with him but there wasn’t much food at the house. Mom was drugged out most of the time and wasn’t worried about eating.”
Mary replied, “I’m sorry for that comment, I did not know the whole story. We have Sammy and he is just the sweetest dog I have ever seen. He is being well fed and Bill is playing with him.”
Grumpy said, “You need to try to straighten up your act and then you can start making your own way in life. Until then, it is the adult’s duty to protect you and make sure you get an education and learn about God, even if you don’t believe in him.”
One of the CHFS ladies said, “That is no way to talk with a young girl.”
She then ran them out of the room before they could reply.
Mary drug Grumpy from the room and said, “Well, that went rather well didn’t it, Mr. Grumpy?”
They both broke out laughing for no one called him Grumpy to his face.
As they exited the room, a man in a suit stopped them and said, “I overheard what you said Mr. Jones and I couldn’t agree with you more. How would you two like to become foster parents to that young lady while we figure out what to do with her?”
Mary said, “You don’t know us, how can you make such an offer?”
He replied, “Your husband has been in the news every day since the wreck. The whole town knows about Bill Jones! I am Greg Hope and I am in charge of the CHFS department for this end of the state. It’s tough to place older children in good homes. That girl has almost zero chance of being adopted and needs strong parents to get her out of this wild phase that she is stuck in due to her poor real parents.”
They both told him that they would have to go home, pray, and think this over.
It was close to lunchtime, so Mary drove them over to Bill’s favorite fast food restaurant, Bennie’s. He ordered his usual chicken sandwich, fries and a large chocolate shake. She ordered a salad.
The manager whispered in the clerk’s ear, then said, “Mr. Jones, the meal is on Bennie’s today and thank you for being such a role model for our town.”
They ate their lunch and discussed how their life would change if they took the girl into their home.
Mary asked, “What if something had happened to us and Ann needed foster parents who could help her turn her life around? Wouldn’t we want someone to step up to the plate and give their time to our baby?”
That brought tears to Grumpy’s eyes and choked him up.
He said, “I won’t say yes, but I won’t say no. I’m just saying that we need to know what we are getting into with this wild child.”
They finished their meal and as they were leaving, several of the people in the restaurant came over and shook Grumpy’s hand and a few asked for his autograph. On the drive home Grumpy complained to Mary about the people making a big deal about him, but Mary knew that he really got a kick out of being famous.
She looked over at him and said, “Your fifteen minutes of fame are going into overtime.”
He laughed and lightly punched her on the arm. She broke out laughing.
She drove for a while and said, “That little girl sure is a feisty one, isn’t she? I’ll bet she is Irish, that one.”
Grumpy knew that was not an idle comment but was having similar thoughts. He just didn’t think they had any business trying to look after a wild young girl at their age with all of this retirement fun just starting and the truck to build.
✼ ✼ ✼
✼
Chapter 8
They arrived back at the house, opened the door and Sammy immediately greeted them with a wagging tail and smiling face. He jumped into Grumpy’s arms, licked his face then begged Mary to pick him up. He then ran up the stairs, came back with the torn underwear in his mouth and expected Grumpy to play tug of war with him. Grumpy grabbed one end of the underwear and they played tug of war for over thirty minutes. Mary watched for a few minutes and then started supper. Grumpy told Mary that he was going to take the dog for a walk before he went out to the garage.
Grumpy put a leash on Sammy, led him out the front gate and down the road. They walked for about a mile and stopped to look at the old Benton place when a car pulled up and stopped.
The driver said, “Hey Bill, where did you get the dog? What’s his name?”
Grumpy looked into the car and saw one of his friends from work.
He replied, “It’s not mine, I’m just doggie sitting. How are you doing?”
The driver was doing well, they talked for a few minutes and he drove off.
Grumpy looked around and said, “If I let you off this leash, will you stay close by me?”
Sammy looked back at him and sat down with his paws up in the air begging Grumpy to let him off the leash. Grumpy imagined hearing, “Let me off the leash and I’ll be good.”
They continued walking for a few minutes when a squirrel ran right in front of them. Sammy stopped and looked up at Grumpy.
Grumpy said, “Get him!”
Sammy took off after the squirrel and finally chased him up a tree. He kept trying to climb the tree but only slid back down after a couple of feet. After a few minutes he sat down and watched the squirrel taunt him from the safety of a limb abou
t twenty feet up the tree.
Grumpy had followed, patted Sammy on the head and said, “Good dog, you treed a squirrel. Now, what are you going to do with it?”
Sammy looked at Grumpy, then the squirrel and back again.
Grumpy finally caught on and said, “No, no way! I’m not climbing the tree. You have to get the squirrel yourself.”
Sammy looked at him, stood on his hind legs and begged for Grumpy to pick him up. Grumpy picked him up, Sammy looked up at the squirrel and jumped to the tree and tried to climb it to no avail. He fell to the ground, stood up on his hind legs and again begged for Grumpy to pick him up.
Grumpy laughed, walked away and said, “Sammy, let’s go. Let’s let the squirrel have a peaceful day.”
Sammy looked at him, then the squirrel and then ran up to Grumpy and continued walking with him.
Grumpy thought about Sam back in the hospital and wondered if she would fit into his family. While they walked, he said a short prayer for God to help him do the right thing. Grumpy then had the same negative thoughts that he had since his son had been killed.
He said to God, “Why couldn’t you help my children? I miss them so much. Why were both of them killed? You have almost killed my wife, she doesn’t deserve this.”
Sammy slowly walked up to him, rubbed against his legs and then begged to be picked up. Grumpy bent over to pick Sammy up and Sammy started licking his face and barking.
Grumpy asked, “Sammy, why doesn’t your girl believe in God? I don’t want Sam to be like me.”
Sammy heard his girl’s name and wagged his tail then looked Grumpy straight in the eye as if to say, “Where is Sam? I miss her.”
They walked for another mile or so when another car drove up and stopped. It was one of the press operators from work. Grumpy greeted him and asked how he was doing.
The guy replied, “Well, it’s not going very well. We all miss you and the place is starting to fall apart. The new GM means well but just does not take the time to get to know us and what we need.”
Grumpy replied, “Have you told him about your concerns?”
The reply was, “No, but he should find out by himself.”
Grumpy said, “Has he asked?”
“Well, yes, but we are kind of scared of him. We don’t know him and you know what the last GM did if we complained.”
Sammy interrupted them several times begging to be picked up and finally Grumpy picked him up.
Grumpy replied, “Don’t judge the new guy by what the last GM did wrong. Give him a chance. What would Jesus do?”
The guy looked at him and said, “Now that you put it that way, I’ll try to talk to him, and by the way, when did you get religious? I like it.”
Sammy licked Grumpy on the face and lay in his arms.
The guy said, “Bill, I didn’t know you had a dog.”
Again the reply was, “I don’t have a dog. I’m doggie sitting this Shih Tzu for a friend.”
“Well he sure likes you and looks like he thinks he’s your dog.”
Sammy jumped from his arms, looked back at Grumpy, took a few steps towards home and looked back as if to say, “Let’s go.” Grumpy laughed and followed Sammy. After a couple of minutes, Sammy stopped and picked up a stick and brought it to Grumpy. He then backed off, looked at Grumpy and whined.
Grumpy said, “It’s a nice stick Sammy, but there are thousands like it in the woods.”
Sammy ran over, gently took the stick from Grumpy and brought it back to him. He did this three times before Grumpy caught on and threw the stick. Sammy started wagging his tail, retrieved the stick and returned it to Grumpy. They did this all of the way back to the house. When they got to the house Grumpy changed the game to him not turning loose of the stick. Now they were playing tug of war, Sammy’s favorite game.
Mary was watching from the porch and said, “Grumpy, are you actually having fun? Did Sammy teach you how to play again?”
Grumpy stopped and picked Sammy up. He said, “I think you are right; this dog is teaching me how to play.”
He told Mary about their walk over supper. He had Mary laughing at Sammy’s antics.
“This is the first time in years that we have talked to each other so much. This was fun and we have to do it at every suppertime, especially when we get Sam to move in with us.”
“Now, Mary, that hasn’t been decided, has it?”
“Bill, we also need to say grace before meals. I always do, but you just start eating while I pray.”
“You didn’t answer the question.”
“Don’t you know me by now? I don’t want much, but what I want, I really want.”
Grumpy knew it was a lost cause, but that didn’t mean he had to roll over. He would resist enough that she would have to give something to get what she wanted. He would settle for her not getting after him for spending so much on the old truck.
✼ ✼ ✼
✼
Chapter 9
The man was skulking along the hallway of the hospital with his hoodie up to hide his face. He kept his face away from the security cameras and quickly broke into the employee’s locker room. It was four in the morning and there were no visitors and little staff at this time. He quickly found some dirty scrubs and got dressed. He saw a cleaning cart and knew he could pull this off. He had posed as a flower shop deliveryman to get his little darling’s room number and pushed the cart straight towards the room. His pulse quickened when a nurse stopped him.
The nurse asked, “Are you new here? I don’t remember seeing you before.”
Jack replied, “Ma’am, I just hired in yesterday.”
The nurse said, “Good; we are short-handed. Please go to room 238, there is a mess.”
Jack replied, “I’m glad to be here. I have to go to 220 first, but will get 238 next.”
The nurse told him that was okay and went on about her business. Jack was proud of himself and headed straight to his target. He found her room and slowly opened the door to find her sound asleep. He entered and closed the door behind him. She looked so peaceful laying there and was very beautiful. He stood there watching her for a long time. He had started seeing her mom just to be around Sam. He knew he had to have her and dreamed about her every night. He thought about her while making love to her mom. He did not care that she was only fifteen. She was going to be his and she would love him because he could buy her things and give her a nicer life. He stroked her hair for several minutes before trying to touch her. He put his hand on her hip and then thought that there would be time for that later, and he did not want to wake her up.
Jack knew he had to have her and had brought an injection needle with something to keep her asleep while he got her out of the hospital. He knew that if she woke up, she would not understand and would make a fuss. His plan was to inject the knockout drug and then get her out of the building without being noticed. He would get a wheelchair and take her out of the building right under their eyes.
Jack had been up all night injecting heroine and partying but thought that he was on top of his game. He was riding a high and felt invincible. He left the room, found a wheelchair and pushed it back towards the room. He was about halfway there when a real orderly stopped him.
The orderly said, “What are you doing with the wheelchair?"
He stopped and looked Jack over, then said, “Hey, you don’t work here. I’m calling security.”
Jack pulled his knife, grabbed the orderly by the neck, stabbed him repeatedly and shoved him into an empty room. He quickly rushed back to Sam’s room and picked her up just when a nurse yelled at him from behind.
"What are you doing to that girl? Get out of here. I’m calling security.”
He then heard an alarm go off. He slapped the nurse, knocked her down and placed Sam back on the bed. He ran out of the room and made it to the door without being stopped. He was just opening the outside door that led to his car when a security guard caught him from behind. Jack again pulled his knife and stab
bed the guard to get away.
***
Mary was fixing breakfast when the Sheriff called. Grumpy answered the phone.
The Sheriff said, “Bill, we had a situation at the hospital last night. The mom’s boyfriend, Jack Collins, tried to kidnap the kid last night. He was not successful but killed an orderly and stabbed a guard while making his escape.”
Grumpy asked, “My God, is Sam okay?
“Yes, she never woke up and we are keeping this from her for a while.”
Grumpy asked, “Sheriff, should we be worried about taking this girl into our house?”
“Bill, I heard that you were going to take care of the girl for a while. Do you still have that 1911 Colt? I’d dust it off and be ready for anything. You have a concealed carry license. Keep the gun on you at all times. The guy apparently was on drugs and had no concern for his own safety. He would kill you and Mary without a second thought if you got in his way.”
Grumpy replied, “Sheriff, we haven’t decided on foster parenting yet. I always have my pistol nearby and stay ready for trouble. I do have a concealed carry permit so we will be protected everywhere but bars and banks and Mary won’t let me go in a bar anymore. Thanks for the heads up.”
Grumpy filled Mary in on the conversation and told her that the guy may try to bother them if they take the girl.
Mary said, “This just makes me want to help her even more than before. Why would this guy try to kidnap this poor child unless he had very bad intentions?”
Grumpy had to stop and think for a few minutes before talking. He agreed with her about the guy’s intentions, but still wasn’t wild about becoming a foster parent. He did not even want to think about what this guy had already done to this girl.
Grumpy, Sam and Sammy: A Murder Mystery and Thriller Page 4