“You promise?”
“Yes, I promise. Once we tell the police, you will never be hurt by her again.”
“Can I go play now?” Jeff asked sincerely.
“Yes, Jeff, you can go. Thank you for telling me. And if you want to talk more, you know where to find me.”
***
“She what?” Cody’s voice shook with anger and disgust.
“Yeah. Jeff pointed out where and how. I have to report this to the authorities. We have to make sure she gets help, and—more importantly—doesn’t get near any other children.”
Parker shook his head. “This is heavy. What about Jeff?”
“I’ll continue to talk with him, and you, too, should monitor the situation. Opening up about something like this is never easy. He’s very brave to have told us. Initially, he might react by shunning you even more, because I’ve told him that it’s not okay for anyone to touch him against his will. When he takes his bath, you may need to tell him to wash his private parts himself. Be mindful and respect his personal space. Don’t hug him unless he clearly indicates that he wants it, but also don’t be super cautious. I’d hate for the kid to lose that last physical contact he has with his surroundings. He needs to rediscover touch in a positive way. That’s going to take time. But I’m sure he’ll get there.
“There’s one thing I don’t understand,” Parker said. “I always thought pedophiles were dirty old men, not young women.”
“Well,” Adam began cautiously, “research is still sketchy, and you’re right. Most reported cases are of men, young and old. And with the way society still looks at sexuality, men are more sexualized than women. They’re allowed and even expected to be more sexually active, more proactive, taking the initiative. Therefore, men seem more likely to cross the line, both in terms of sexual assault, rape, and child molestation.
“Having said that, there are lots of cases involving women, and with women still being the primary caretakers of children—especially babies, toddlers, and preschoolers—people don’t even look twice when a woman changes a diaper, whereas they look twice when a guy does it.
“Men are per definition suspicious, women aren’t. It’s this bias that got Jeff hurt, because when a woman fondles a boy’s penis or fingers a girl’s vagina, it’s for medical reasons, or to clean the child. When a man does it, it’s for sexual reasons. That’s how society ticks. Therefore, most child molestation by women goes unseen, unreported.
“Biologically, there’s no reason to assume that men and women have different sex drives, or that pedophilia should be more prevalent in men than women. It’s how we’re socialized that determines some of our behavior, and you know that men and women are still raised and treated differently.”
Cody was shaking his head. “This is heavy stuff. Poor Jeff. How can we help?”
“The best way to help Jeff is to act as you always do. Treat him like the normal boy he is underneath all the hurt and pain. Just make sure you respect his need for physical privacy, and ask for permission before you touch him. He must feel that he is in control of his own body. So no spontaneous hugs for a while.”
“But don’t children need affection and physical affirmation?” Parker asked.
“They do, and so does Jeff. But we have to give it to him on his terms. Does that make sense?”
“I guess. I just feel so awful for the little kid. What a horrible thing to experience.”
“Hey guys, are you cooking anything?” Cody asked.
“At this time of day?”
“Something smells weird, as if it’s burning.”
“Burning? You sure? I don’t smell anything.” Parker got up and walked over to the stove, but everything was turned off and the oven was empty, as was the microwave. “You know what? I smell something, too, now, very faint.”
Adam shook his head. “Well, I can’t help you guys. My olfactory senses are worthless.”
Cody got up and walked to the door leading into the kitchen. “It’s not from in here. It’s coming from outside.”
Parker followed him, and so did Adam. They left the kitchen and walked down the hallway after Cody, who was following his nose. “It seems to be coming from the east wing. Maybe the builders are welding something.”
“I haven’t seen them today, actually.”
They turned a corner, and the smell became more intense. Even Adam picked it up now. “Maybe it’s in our new kitchen. I just hope it’s not a fire.” He ran ahead and opened the door to their new apartment. Inside, there was a lot of smoke, and they couldn’t see anything.
“Oh my god!” Adam gasped. “Call 9-1-1. There’s a fire in here. We need to get the kids out. Who’s at home?”
Parker shouted, “There’s a fire extinguisher in the main hallway. Let me go get it.” He ran off while Cody picked up his vid-phone and instructed it to call 9-1-1.
“Operator? Yes, this is Cody Thomas calling. We have a fire in the house.” He talked to the operator on the other side of the phone, giving the address.
Meanwhile, Parker came running back with the fire extinguisher. “Adam, can you get everyone out of the house? Let me see if I can get this under control myself.”
“Sure.” Adam ran ahead over to the west wing, where the kids’ rooms were. It was a school day, so all of the kids were out, except for Jeff, who didn’t have any lessons that morning. Adam ran upstairs to the bedrooms, calling out for him.
“Jeff, where are you?” He got to his room and opened it without knocking. The boy was lying on his bed, reading a book.
“Jeff, come on, grab a jacket and let’s go. There’s a fire on the other side of the house. We need to get you out of here.” Adam pointed over at the other side of the building, where flames were already shooting out from under the roof. There was no way Parker would get it under control.
Jeff was frightened and completely immobilized. Adam simply grabbed the boy and ran back downstairs, with Jeff in his arms, clinging to him like a wet cloth. They left the building, where Cody was still on the phone with the operator.
“Are they coming?”
“Yeah, they are, but there’s a large industrial fire, and they don’t have enough fire engines in the area. They might be another few minutes.”
“Here,” Adam shouted. “Look after Jeff. I’m going back inside to get Parker. The fire’s already in the roof. He won’t be able to do anything about it. Are you sure the other kids are in school?”
“I think so. Did you check?”
“No, I just grabbed Jeff. I’ll go back to check.”
Inside the house, the smoke was spreading rapidly, and Adam ran as fast as he could. He heard the cracking noise of the fire above him. It was spreading rapidly and had already reached the main wing of building. Upstairs in the west wing, he called out, opened all the doors to the kids’ rooms, but no one was there. He also double-checked the bathrooms, but they were empty, too. The west wing was deserted. He ran back downstairs to get to Parker. But the smoke was too intense for him to get in. Desperate, and afraid that Parker might have gotten hurt, he left the house. In the distance, he could hear the sirens approaching, and within seconds, the first fire truck pulled up to the property. Cody, Adam, and Jeff had retreated to the little lawn in the middle of the round driveway leading up to the house.
The first fireman jumped out of the truck and approached them. “Is everyone safe?”
“No.” Adam shouted. “One of the owners is still inside. The fire started in the east wing, and he went there to try to extinguish it. I couldn’t see enough to go in there.”
“Okay. You stay here. We’ll go in after him.” He gestured to a couple of his colleagues who had already donned their smoke-protective gear. They went inside the house.
“Okay, sir, can you tell me about the house? Anything that might help us find him. I’m connected to my men through the radio.”
“The house is under renovation. It must’ve started in the kitchen on the ground floor, on the far end of the
east wing, but it’s spreading quickly. The house is quite old, and much of the structure is wooden.”
“Okay. I’ve pulled up the drawings from the city grid.” The man pointed to a diagram on his vid-screen. “Can you tell us where the kitchen is?”
Adam indicated on the vid-screen, and the man began to relay a set of quick commands to his two smoke divers. Adam heard them acknowledge through the radio. The noise of the fire was now overshadowing much of the other environmental noise. The wood cracked and crackled as it caught alight, and Jeff was terrified. Even Cody and Adam were shocked to see the flames consume their home so quickly. The entire roof was on fire, and it was still spreading, despite the efforts of the other firefighters who were hosing water onto the roof.
Seconds passed, and to Adam they felt like an eternity. A second fire truck arrived, with five more firefighters immediately jumping into action, connecting their equipment to the hydrants and beginning to hose down the building. The fire had already begun to spread to the west wing.
Suddenly, the front door sprang open, and the two smoke divers emerged, carrying Parker’s limp body. They carried him to the little lawn and laid him on the grass.
“Is he alive?” Cody’s voice barely carried.
“Yes, for now. We need an ambulance here, pronto. Go get the oxygen from the truck.” The chief was barking orders. Parker’s face was burned, and some of his hair was singed off. Jeff was crying hysterically at the sight, and Cody found it difficult to focus on consoling the little boy when all he wanted to do was rush to Parker’s side. Adam offered to take Jeff so that Cody could be with Parker.
One of the smoke divers returned with a small oxygen tank and gently attached the breathing mask to Parker’s burned face. Cody couldn’t see, but the smell of burned flesh and hair was enough to give him a good idea of how bad the damage was.
Minutes later, an ambulance pulled into the driveway and the paramedics rushing over with a gurney. They attached an IV and loaded Parker into the ambulance. Cody climbed into the ambulance, too, and they rushed off again, sirens sounding loudly as they sped into the distance.
Adam and Jeff were left behind on the lawn, watching the house burn. The fire department worked hard to extinguish the fire and make sure that it didn’t spread to the many trees in the vicinity and thus potentially to neighboring properties. Adam called Marc and informed him of the fire, then asked him to inform Parker’s parents. Someone would have to look after the kids, pick them up from school. And they needed a place to stay…
* * * * *
Chapter 14 - After the Fire
Parker survived. He was badly burned, with second and third degree burns across much of his body, face, and scalp. He needed extensive surgery, including skin transplants, but the doctors were hopeful that he would make a full recovery. He may not look the way he did before the fire, and the part of his head where the hair had been burned off would not grow again, but he’d be healthy again, in time.
Cody stayed at Parker’s side as much as he could, and once Parker woke up after the initial surgeries, they briefly discussed what to do. The house was too badly damaged to be salvaged. Everything they owned, everything they cherished, was gone, consumed by the flames or damaged by smoke or the water from the fire hoses. The only thing that had survived the fire was the old kitchen table, albeit damaged. The boys made sure that it was salvaged before the remains of their home were torn down.
“We’ll rebuild,” Parker whispered in Cody’s ear. “I want it to look the same as it did before, but new, safe. It was an old house, after all.”
“Hush, Park. Don’t speak. You need to keep your strength. We can talk about this later.”
“Where are the kids?”
“They’re with your mom and dad. All except Kyle. He’s with Uncle Rick and Aunt Rachel. Your mom didn’t have enough space for all four. Susan is in Daniel’s room. Louise is sharing with Amy, and Jeff is with Paul. I’m staying in your old room. But everything’s fine. We’re all eating together every day, making sure the kids stay in close contact. I’m sure your mom will come visit you, now that you’re awake.”
“Seems odd,” Parker whispered, gesturing Cody to give him some water. “Suddenly positions are reversed. I’m in the bed and you’re fine.” Cody brought the glass with a straw to Parker’s lips. Parker began to slowly drink the water. When he was finished, he asked, “How do I look?”
“Park, if only I knew. Much of your face is bandaged, so is your body. You got really badly burned.”
“We really have our fair share of better or worse, don’t we?”
Cody smiled. “As long as we love each other, we’re fine.”
“But will you still love me now that I’m disfigured?”
“Parker Thomas! Don’t you dare to say things like that. You should know better than that. I’m blind, remember, physically and—with regards to you—metaphysically. I love you, and I will be at your side, no matter what. The doctors are confident you’ll make a full recovery. But I won’t lie to you. You will look different, and there will be some scarring, particularly on your head.”
Parker tried to lift his arm to touch his head but was restrained by the bandaging. “I feel like something out of a monster film.”
“You’re still my husband, and that’s all that matters. Now rest. I’ll call your mom, tell her you’re up.”
“Thanks, babe. Oh, before I forget, how are Adam and Marc? And Josh?”
“They’re fine. They’re cramming it in Adam’s apartment right now. It’s not ideal, and Josh has to sleep on the couch. On weekends, I think they spend most of their time out by the cabin. But Josh has been really flexible and hasn’t complained. In fact, all the kids have been amazing. Just last night, Jeff came and gave me a hug, totally out of the blue. He must’ve sensed how down I was.”
“How are they taking it?”
“Surprisingly well. They were sad, of course, missing their clothes and stuff, but your parents took them on a huge shopping spree. They’re mostly worried about you. Once you feel better, we’ll have them come by and visit.”
“Babe?”
“Yes?”
“And social services?”
“Ah, they offered to take the kids off our hands, but I refused. I told them that we’re a family and that we stick together even through difficult times. They haven’t been in touch since. Then again, it’s only been a couple of days.”
“How long was I out?”
“Three days. Don’t worry. You’ll be out of here in no time.” Cody knew, of course, that this wasn’t entirely true. It would be months before Parker fully recovered. Even though medical science had made huge progress in recent decades, and even if it was now possible to grow skin for transplants, that process took time, and some scarring would always remain. And it would be painful, reminding Cody of his own recovery and the pain he’d endured. But just as Parker had always been there for him, he’d always be there for Parker.
***
Time passed. Parker had to undergo several surgeries, and in a slow and extremely painful process, he had to undergo physical therapy to stretch the newly grafted skin, move his body and muscles as they quickly began to deteriorate and wither due to bed rest. Not to mention the itches, which drove Parker crazy.
Sometimes, he was in so much pain he almost wished he’d never made it out of the fire, but Cody kept reminding him of how much he had to look forward to. His family visited every day, his parents, and the kids. It was the kids he looked forward to seeing the most. It was them he fought for—for Kyle, Susan, Amy, and Jeff. They had been surprisingly brave. Parker had seen their shock, fear, and even disgust in the beginning, when his face was still bandaged and his burns were disfiguring him.
But over time, his family got used to the new Parker. His face healed, he almost looked like he had in the past
Almost. Parker hated his new look, the big bald patch on the right side of his head, where he most likely would never see hair again, and t
he pinkish color of the skin grafts. But thanks to the advances of medical science, the scarring was minimal, and in time, the skin would take the same tone as the rest of his face. The new skin was tighter than the rest, giving his face an odd, taut sensation. Over time, that, too, would subside.
When the pain wasn’t too much for Parker to focus, he spent the hours with Cody, planning the rebuilding of their house. They had retrieved the original drawings of the house from city hall, and together with Marc and Adam, they planned for the reconstruction. They wanted to keep most of the inside the same, but using modern building materials, which would make it both more energy efficient and safer. While they would still use a lot of wood, it was now possible to make wood almost fireproof. The facade would still be made from the old reddish brick typical of Tudor-style buildings. But it would take time, and with permits and other administrative processes, it would be at least a year before the new home would be finished.
Then there were the struggles with the insurance company, trying to get them to pay out. Their insurance company fought them, and Parker and Cody saw no other choice but to take them to court. That, too, was a lengthy process, but they were confident they’d prevail. The insurance company claimed gross negligence and refused to pay, claiming that it was the builder’s insurance company who should pay. The investigation into the cause of the fire had determined that it had been caused by an electrical fault leading to the fire in the renovated kitchen in the east wing. It was now in the hands of the lawyers, and there was nothing Parker and Cody could do.
At least the permit for the reconstruction had come easily, and with the family’s influence, getting the bank loans—pending the settlement with the insurance company—was easy enough. Parker’s parents had offered to lend them the money, but Parker and Cody insisted on doing it their way. The foundation had already been laid, and construction of the ground floor was underway.
In just a couple of weeks, Parker would be discharged from the hospital and move into his old room at his parents’ house. Being independent and not being supervised by his parents had always been important to Parker. It had been the reason why he’d moved in with Jonathan in the first place: to get away from them. Not that Jeanette and Paul were bad parents; quite the contrary. But parenting was what they did, no matter how old Parker was. Recovering from the injuries and being treated like a child again was not something he looked forward to.
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