by Pizzi, Jenna
“To me, yes. For everyone else, it’s about angels. You inspired me with your painting of him.”
“I think it’s incredible. Do you want me to draw out some sketches?”
“Sure, if you don’t mind.”
He ran out to his car and came back with an artist’s pack.
“You never know when you need it,” he teased.
The rest of the morning passed quickly and they had come up with a first draft of Brian’s book. Rebecca looked at the clock and realized she still needed to make macaroni salad. She got out of her chair and looked over at Ethan.
“Why don’t you see if Ryan and Christine want to come over today?”
He looked up from his sketch.
“Really?”
“Well, if we are a couple now, then you should have your friends here, too. It shouldn’t be just about my little group.”
He hugged her.
“I love you, Becca.”
“I love you, too.” She liked the sounds of saying it to him.
Emily and James came into the kitchen. James shook hands with Ethan as Ethan offered him a beer. Emily smiled and kissed him on the cheek. Layla squirmed in her arms, so Rebecca grabbed her. She leaned down and kissed Andrew as he headed out the door to the trucks in the yard. Tasha and Micah entered the kitchen and greeted everyone. Ryan and Christine knocked gently as Tasha opened the door with a big smile.
“We don’t knock here, we just enter.” They walked in and immediately walked to Rebecca and Ethan. Ethan greeted them and introduced them to the others. Christine handed her a box filled with all different flavored cupcakes.
“These are unreal. Did you make these?” Rebecca asked.
I sell them out of my kitchen,” Christine told her.
“You need to open a little shop.”
“At some point I would love to, but not yet. I just enjoy the small scale cooking right now. I take special orders for parties and things. It’s good for now.”
They set up outside and everyone was getting along great. Riley and Ashlee came out on the patio with a little Yorkie puppy. Tasha shot up and shook her head.
“Where the hell did that thing come from?”
Ashlee giggled.
“Dad got her for me.”
“Great! Where is it going to live?” She asked sarcastically.
“Mom…”
“Oh, alright Ashlee, but you are on sole poop patrol.”
The girls went over to the swing set and let the puppy run around the yard. Rebecca walked into the kitchen to grab all the condiments for the burgers. Ethan started up the grill. Christine followed Rebecca into the kitchen to help.
“Thank you for inviting us, Becca.”
“You don’t have to thank me. You just need to get used to it, though, because this crazy group gets together often. We are as close to family as family can get.”
“Well, I’m honored that you include us then. I have to admit that I never thought I’d see Ethan domesticated like this. He was always been a free spirit ever since Lena died.”
Rebecca stopped short.
“Who is Lena?”
Christine realized she touched upon something Rebecca and Ethan hadn’t discussed yet.
“Oh God, Becca. I’m sorry. I should have kept my mouth shut. I probably should leave the story to Ethan. I don’t want him upset with me.”
“Can you just tell me who she is?”
Christine looked uncomfortable.
“They were high school sweethearts. She died in a car accident. He was driving. He always felt responsible and he left after that. He travelled the world and didn’t look at another woman until you.”
The side door opened and Adam came in. Rebecca still had a stunned look on her face and a ton more questions to ask, but her thoughts were cut off by her son coming home. Adam walked right past her and looked out the door. He looked around then ran up the stairs to his room and slammed the door shut. Jack walked in and handed her his bag.
“Did something happen?” Rebecca asked.
“No. I don’t know how to explain it, but he gets these bursts of moods. I’m starting to get concerned that maybe we should talk to someone about it.”
“What does that mean, Jack?”
Christine excused herself and walked outside. Jack saw Ethan grilling in the backyard. He slowly closed his eyes and looked down at the floor.
“We’ll talk about it when you don’t have a house full of people. I am just concerned that maybe he has depression. He seems angry and withdrawn. He had no interest in doing anything anymore.”
“How come this is the first time you have mentioned it to me? I’ve told you about the way he was treating me and you told me not to worry about it, that it was a just a boy thing.”
“I thought it was. Only now I see him getting worse. I saw some marks on his leg. When I asked him what it was he told me he just scratched himself. It didn’t look right to me.”
“What are you saying? He cut himself? Do I have to worry that my baby is going to harm himself?”
“I’m just saying that I think we should call someone about it.”
“OK. I’ll call the pediatrician in the morning.”
Jack kissed her on her cheek and returned to his truck. Rebecca stood in the kitchen feeling like she had just been handed a bomb. She didn’t hear much of the conversation at the table. She had too much rattling around in her mind.
Tasha yelled out, “Earth to Becca!”
Rebecca looked over at her and had no reaction on her face.
“What’s up, chica?” Tasha asked. “You look like someone kicked your puppy.” She looked over at Ashlee. “No offense.”
“Mom…”
Rebecca shook her head.
“Nothing, Tasha. I guess I’m just not feeling well.” She got up and walked into the kitchen. Adam still hadn’t come out of his room since he got home. She was putting together a plate of food for him when Ethan walked in.
“What’s going on, Becca?”
She looked at him, but didn’t know what to say. She wanted to know about Lena. She wanted to tell him about Adam.
“I’m just going to bring Adam a plate of food.”
He watched her walk out the room and he stood there feeling helpless. Christine walked into the kitchen with an arm full of dishes. She looked at Ethan and felt guilty.
“Oh Ethan, I’m sorry.”
“What for, Christine?”
“I opened up my mouth and may have mentioned Lena.”
Ethan grumbled.
“Why would you bring her up?”
“I didn’t know that you hadn’t told her.”
“Why would I want to? That was so long ago. It’s not one of those things you just mention.”
“Ethan, you still blame yourself, and it wasn’t your fault. It’s OK to talk about her.”
“It’s something that I buried in my past. That’s where it belongs.”
He stormed off into the driveway and leaned against the side of his car.
Rebecca knocked on Adam’s door, but he didn’t answer. She waited a minute before she opened the door. The room was empty.
“Adam?” She called out. No answer. She looked through the rest of the upstairs but there was no sign of him. She hurried down the back stairs and ran into the backyard.
“Has anyone seen Adam? He’s not in his room.”
Everyone looked at one another and shrugged their shoulders. Riley ran up to her from out in the yard.
“What’s going on, Mom?”
“Your brother isn’t in his room. I can’t find him.”
“He came home?”
“Your dad dropped him off a while ago and he stormed off to his room. His lights are on, but he’s not here.”
“I’ll go look. Maybe he’s hiding somewhere and fell asleep.”
Riley ran off and Rebecca stood frantic. She hurried back into the house and began yelling out for Adam. She ran out into the driveway and saw Ethan sitting
on the back of his car. He saw the panicked look on her face and hopped down.
“What happened?”
“Adam is gone.”
She pulled out her phone and called Jack. He answered on the first ring.
“Hey, Becky. What’s up?”
“Jack, is Adam with you?”
The line went quiet.
“I dropped him off with you. Why would he be with me?”
“His room is empty. He’s not here.”
“I’m on my way back.”
They hung up the phone and Ethan got in his car.
“I’ll drive around the neighborhood. Maybe he’s just out walking around.”
“I’ll call his friend down the street and ask if they have seen him.”
She hurried back off into the house and Ethan drove off around the block. The neighbors hadn’t seen him, but they would look around. Emily suggested that they call the police, but James spoke against it until they had to. James, Micah, and Ryan decided to try the trails in the woods.
“Kids love the woods. I know I did. Sometimes when I just needed to get away I would spend hours playing in the woods,” James said.
The guys took off and Rebecca collapsed on a bench and started to cry.
“I should have checked on him earlier. This is my fault.”
Tasha sat next to her.
“Don’t you dare say that. He’s almost eleven. He knows what he’s doing.”
She looked at her friend.
“That scares me even more because I think he’s trying to hurt himself.”
Her friends gasped. Emily spoke out.
“What does that mean? Why would a little boy want to hurt himself?”
“Jack told me he thinks Adam was cutting himself. He’s been very moody lately and short tempered. We thought it was just the divorce and a normal kid going through puberty stuff. I never thought it was a problem.”
“Oh good lord, we need to find that boy,” Tasha exclaimed.
Christine felt out of place, so she quietly began to clean up the mess. She figured it was her way of helping out. Ethan pulled in the driveway and ran to the back yard.
“I didn’t see him anywhere.”
Rebecca hung her head in her hands and cried even harder. They heard shouting from the pond area. Ethan wasted no time. He bolted off into the woods as fast as he could. Riley ran out the back door and looked at her mother.
Rebecca stood up and yelled out to Riley, “Look out for you father, he’s on his way here.”
They ran into the woods and didn’t stop until they came to the side of the pond. The view was nothing that Rebecca would ever forget. She saw all four men soaking wet and James and Ethan lying over a little limp body. James began performing CPR on her son. She ran over and collapsed on the ground.
“Adam, no.”
Ethan grabbed hold of her and held her tight. Tasha pulled out her phone and called 911. Jack ran into the clearing and watched the scene unfold. Rebecca didn’t look up at him. She kept her eyes locked on Adam.
“Please, baby, don’t leave me,” she yelled out. James kept working on Adam. Jack fell to his knees and buried his head in his hands.
The sound of sirens in the background grew louder and louder. Riley showed the paramedics where to go. James put pressure on Adam’s chest and water was finally forced out of Adam’s mouth. The paramedic dropped his bag and rolled Adam on his side to get the fluid out of his mouth.
“Give us a little room here, please.”
Everyone stepped back and let the EMTs do their job. Adam finally began coughing and Rebecca let out a cry of relief. She clung to Ethan and cried into his shoulder. Riley ran to her father and he wrapped his arm around her.
Two paramedics strapped Adam to a gurney and carried him to the ambulance. Jack and Rebecca went to get in when the EMT stopped them.
“We can only take one.” Jack stood aside and Rebecca climbed in. The sirens turned on and they were off to Jordan Hospital.
Adam was wheeled into the emergency room. He hadn’t regained consciousness while they were in the ambulance. Rebecca tried to go with Adam, but she was stopped by the EMT. She watched the metal doors close and she prayed she wouldn’t lose another child.
Jack rushed through the door with Riley beside him. They ran to Rebecca and embraced each other. Rebecca was hysterical and Riley was crying. This was bringing back far too fragile feelings from a year ago when Brian was brought in. Ethan hurried through the door and stopped when he saw Rebecca with her arm around her family. Micah walked over to him and put his hand on Ethan’s shoulder.
“That will always be her extended family, but that also includes you. Go to her, she needs you, too.”
He thanked his friend and slowly made his way over to her as she spotted him. Through her veil of tearsm she looked at him with blood shot eyes. Jack released his grip on her and she hurried into Ethan’s arms. Jack nodded to Ethan and hugged his daughter with both of his arms.
The hours seemed to drag on. A nurse brought them into a private lounge since they were taking up most of the waiting room chairs. Andrew began asking questions about where they were and why. Emily didn’t know quite how to answer him. Tasha huddled Ashlee in her arms. Both of them had stopped crying, but they sat silent. Rebecca couldn’t pace anymore, so she sat closest to the doors. Ethan held her hand to comfort her. Micah sat quietly with his eyes closed. Rebecca couldn’t tell if he was chanting or if he was praying, but she didn’t care which as long as her son pulled through.
The door to the waiting room opened and a doctor walked in with a woman standing behind her.
“Mr. and Mrs. Davis,” the doctor called out.
Jack and Rebecca stood up and approached the doctor.
“I am Dr. Ambrose. I am the one who is treating your son. If you could come with me, I’d like to speak with you.”
Jack put his arm around her lower back and helped her out the door and down the hallway. The doctor led them into the PICU and into a small conference room. He closed the door behind them.
“Please take a seat.” They did as they were told. The woman pulled out a file with some paper work. Rebecca watched her with caution.
“Mr. and Mrs. Davis this is Carol Woods. She is a social worker with the Child Protection Service.”
“Why?” Rebecca interrupted.
“If you’ll allow me to finish, Mrs. Davis, I’d appreciate it. I know how hard all of this must be on you. I assure you that it is just procedure.”
He pulled out a file and put his reading glasses on.
“Your son, Adam, is ten and three quarters, correct?”
“Yes,” Jack responded.
“How is he, doctor?” Rebecca demanded to know.
“He is on a ventilator right now. We are administering oxygen to him. He has not regained consciousness yet. We were able to aspirate most of the fluid from his lungs, but now we need to monitor him for any lung injury. Until he gains consciousness, we won’t know if there is any neurological injury.”
Rebecca gasped.
“Will he wake up?”
“There is no reason to indicate otherwise. We are treating him with Dexamethasone, Gentamicin, Ampicillin, and Morphine. We are hoping pneumonia will not set in, but we should know within the first twelve hours. We brought you in here because we noticed some marks on Adam’s body.”
Jack flinched and grabbed Rebecca’s knee. She looked over at him and held his hand, too.
“Are you aware that your son has cut marks on his upper and inner thighs?”
Rebecca thought she was going to be sick.
“Judging by your face, I take that as a no,” he continued. “He has some faded marks on his inner arms, too. Has your son tried to commit suicide before?”
Rebecca felt as if she had been punched in the chest.
“No!” She yelled. “He’s just a boy. Why would he even try?”
“We called over to his pediatrician for his records and it says here that you s
uffered a loss in your family not too long ago.”
“And?” Jack said.
“When someone witnesses a traumatic event such as a sibling dying, it can cause emotional issues.”
“Wouldn’t we have noticed it before now?” Rebecca asked. “What has this got to do with today?” She asked.
“Today was not an accident. He has rope burn around his stomach which indicates that he tied a rope around himself. I believe he tried to drown himself. You have to understand that when someone tries to hurt themselves or someone else I have to get Child Protective Services involved.”
Rebecca could feel blood drain from her face. Her world was turning black around her and she fainted.
When she came to she was lying on a bed in a private room. Ethan was sitting beside her with his head down.
“Ethan?” She said groggily.
He raised his head and gave her a small smile.
“You gave us a scare.”
“Where is Jack? How is Adam?”
“He is in Adam’s room. There is no change yet.”
She sat up and placed her legs on the floor.
“I’m not admitted, am I?”
He made a small sound of amusement.
“No, sweetie. You just fainted.”
“I want to see Adam.”
He took her hand and helped her up. Her head spun a little, but she closed her eyes and shook it off. Ethan put his arm around her shoulder and she leaned into him for support.
“They think he tried to kill himself. He’s not even eleven and they think he tried to commit suicide.”
Ethan didn’t say anything. He felt it wasn’t his place. He just comforted her and walked with her to Adam’s room. He let her go and gave her a gentle kiss on her cheek.
“You go on and spend some time with your family. I will go and get all of you something to eat. I have a feeling it is going to be a long night.”
She thanked him and walked into the room. Riley ran to her and grabbed hold. “I’m so scared mom. This is Brian all over again.”
“Shhh sweetie, no it’s not. Adam will be alright.” She took a seat on the opposite side of Jack so that Adam was surrounded by his family. She took hold of his hand and prayed for him.
Ethan entered the waiting room. Emily was holding Layla in her hands. “Thank god is she alright?”