ISOLATION: Child Support 911

by Tabitha White

  “Ground down? What the hell does that mean?”

  The contents in Angie’s stomach began to swirl as its acidic substance began inching its way up her esophagus.

  “Multiple fractures; he wasn’t in a motorcycle accident so how’d he receive multiple fractures. How do you get multiple fractures on your face?” Angie questioned as her raised eyebrows spoke volumes about her current frame of mind.

  “How do fingers appear infected; puffy? This makes no sense.” Angie said sounding a bit deluded.

  Images of yellow oozing pus with a foul ammonia smell keep flashing before her eyes, which led to her vertigo settling in again. Her head swayed backward and rested on the headrest. Jaid continued glimpsing at Angie then back at the road.

  “Do you feel okay?”

  Angie cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted, “Pull over I’m going to vomit.”

  Jaid pulled the car over and Angie made it out just in time. Falling to her knees in her skirt Angie spat out her Denver omelet and liquid Vitamin C. This left a stinging feeling in the back of her throat. Midstream she noticed flashing lights reflecting off the shiny outer-skin of the green pepper laying atop the pile of vomit.

  Amid strands of stringy saliva hanging from her bottom lip she snarled, “Get the hell away from me you sick freaks!”

  Angie reached in the car for her water bottle and sloshed water between her powdered cheeks. Then imitating a water fountain spraying the water stream in the direction of the reporter’s feet she spat it out and said, “How’s that for your lack of respect?”

  Glaring at two greenhorns she asked, “Did you enjoy the show?”

  Dusting her skirt off, and regaining composure, she reentered Jaid’s car. Looking straight ahead pointing with her index finger her arm bent at the elbow, Angie said, “Let’s go.”

  “Angelina I’m sorry. I knew the details, however I couldn’t tell you. I needed your genuine and heartfelt reactions before the public eye. Phil called me this morning after I spoke with you. After you see Craig at the hospital they’re going to bring him in for questioning.”

  “You knew about his condition and didn’t tell me!”

  “Yes. I had to let your true emotions reveal to the public that you had nothing to do with this. Your emotions have spoken for themselves. Now, news stations broadcast your genuine shock and dismay to the public as we speak. Trust me, your genuine actions through shock and the body’s natural reaction of vomiting will prove your innocence. You can’t stage something like that. Remember you have the greatest motive.”

  “I know I trust your advice. It’s just the thought of ground down fingertips, who the hell would do that? That’s freaking sickening!” Angie exclaimed.

  “Angie, I’m not going to sugar coat this, they say he’s in bad shape. The infection spread throughout his whole body and he remains unconscious. If and when he wakes, when his vitals stabilize he’s going straight to jail. Mandy held a press conference and turned against Craig, Martin, Candy and Hattie. She talked about how Martin and Hattie hid Craig and Lance’s inheritance money. She cut a deal with the prosecuting attorney. She secured a plea bargain where she’ll testify as states evidence against the four thieves. Mandy told them all the details about their social security fraud and embezzlement ring and did not deny involvement in the criminal activity. In exchange for her testimony she’ll avoid jail.”

  “They stole Lance’s inheritance also! They remain classless vermin. Now I understand why Craig paid for her A.I.D.S. drugs, she could have blackmailed him.”

  “They picked up Candy and continue to hold her on a $125,000 bond. The children, already taken into custody by child protective services, will go to foster care, as no relatives remain to take care of them. Believe me all four of the thieves have landed themselves in a real mess. They face almost certain jail time.”

  “Nothing seems real thoughts keep swimming through my mind.” Angie said with a hollow gaze.

  Angie pulled at the hair on her head and felt the riveting pain, attempting to ground herself. Reality seemed illogical as visions of a Twilight Zone episode sputtered through her mind and paralleled her life.

  When will Rod Sterling announce the characters dilemmas?

  She remained quiet as if listening for someone to yell lights, camera, and action! In a hushed tone Ribbons in the sky by Stevie Wonder played in the background. She imagined colorful ribbons fluttering in the wind like some mystical dragon kite during a Chinese New Year celebration.

  Jaid pulled into the hospital parking lot and stopped at the circular emergency parking area near the emergency entrance. “Go in there and they’ll direct you to the floor he’s on.”

  Dazed, Angie exited the car and lumbered toward the attendant at the information desk. “Craig Freeman.” Angie said with a puzzled look on her face.

  “Let me see here. Oh yes, he’s in critical care. That’s just down this hallway through the first set of double doors. There’s a phone on the wall at the entrance doors. Pick up the phone and tell the nurse you’d like to visit Craig Freeman. They allow one visitor at a time to visit.” said the attendant.

  “Thank you. I go this way?” Angie said pointing toward the emergency entrance door.

  “I’m going to walk you there okay dear.”

  As the attendant and Angie walked the maze of corridors, she could not comprehend his ramblings. Arriving at the critical care unit images of Craig’s fingers resembling hamburger streamed through her head like the ticker of the NYSE. Resembling a whispered tone, she could hear someone mumbling something to her.

  A loud beeping tone whisked Angie back to reality as someone flat-lined in the critical care unit.

  “Here you go dear.” The attendant said to Angie handing her a telephone receiver.

  With hands shaking, Angie grasped the phone.

  “When they answer the phone tell them who you’re here to see and they’ll let you in. You look pale, like you’ve seen…well you look pale. Do you need some water?”

  “No I’m fine. Thank you for getting me here. I’m on the eighth floor, right?”

  “No, the first floor, critical care unit at Mercy General.”

  On the other end of the phone a voice said, “Critical care nurse Allen. How can I help you?”

  “Angelina Steadfast to see Craig Freeman, I’m his ex-wife.”

  “I’ll buzz you through.”

  The wide doors lumbered to an open position. Angie entered this sterile environment with much trepidation. Hanging in front of her eyes, a light blue shielding curtain draped around four different beds in the critical care unit. Monitors echoed a slow and steady pace of metallic tones in the background. The pace of the echo picked up and commotion ensued as nurses rushed to wield crash carts behind a door far off to her left on the other side of the unit.

  “Craig? Failing organs?”

  “Mr. Freeman’s right there in number one.” a nurse said extending her index finger toward the last blue curtain behind Angie.

  Angie approached with hesitation. Walking into the room her eyes focused on the many monitors attached to wire leads affixed to his bruised skin. Three IV’s punctured the surface in one arm along with his hand bandaged like a white cotton puffball. Atop his head sat a white dressing that crisscrossed his cheeks. Angie peered at his closed eyes looking for any sign of life. High atop them, as if they’d escaped injury or insult, his glamorous eyebrows appeared dark brown and thick as ever. Craig’s other arm bore another IV with blood pumping into his veins and an automatic blood pressure cuff attached on it like a tight fitting pedometer.

  “Well he’s alive? Can he move?”

  Dismay set in as Angie noticed the white gauze dressing on his opposing hand circled his thumb and the remaining three fingers beginning with the middle finger. A large gaping hole sat front and center where his index finger should have appeared.

  “Oh hell no!”

  It’s Craig’s bloody finger without a doubt. Shit that’s why I didn’t
want to get involved in any Mob activity. Shit!

  The remainder of his body still implied a mystery covered in a white sheet. The familiar inflation and deflation sounds seemed to cycle at regular intervals but modulate in tone as Angie stood there in disbelief. Tears streamed down her cheek while the pale blue curtain, thrown back, caught Angie off guard.

  “You startled me!” Angie said.

  “Sorry. Hi. I’m Doctor Petrov. He’s in pretty bad shape. I believe we caught him just in time though. As long as these antibiotics do their job killing the infection he’ll make it. You his wife?” The Dr. asked in a subdued tone.

  “No I’m his ex-wife.”

  “What happened to him?” Dr. Petrov asked.

  “I don’t know. I just found out about his condition about forty-five minutes ago. Some tourists found him in the street slumped over this morning.”

  “Time will tell if he’ll lose his fingers or not. They’re marred up pretty bad. With all the flesh removed through debridement clear down to bone, they became infected. If he survives, he’ll want a plastic surgeon to look at that and see if they can do anything.”

  Angie’s stomach began turning and then up it came while speaking to the doctor. Her throat burned as she winced with dry heaves.

  “Nurse we need vomit cleaned up in room one. Perhaps you’d better take some time and sit in the waiting area. There’s nothing you can do for him. It’s up to him. Either he has a strong body composition or he doesn’t. The antibiotics remain the key here. He’s riddled with infections.”

  Taking Angie by the right arm and guiding her into the waiting area the doctor said, “Have a seat in there. You need to allow yourself time. You seem like you’re in a shock right now, you okay?”

  Angie placed her left hand on her neck and applied robust pressure starting at the spine and kneading her hand across the plane of her shoulder toward her arm. “Yes. But it’s surreal.”

  As the doctor led Angie to the waiting room the words cycled through her mind like a child in a revolving door, he has a strong body composition or he does not. Then Angie’s thoughts shifted gears. He must have a strong body composition. How could you not when you turn your back on your son and steal his inheritance! Why do these thoughts invade my mind now? Craig’s injured; however the damage he left in his path of destruction remains just as serious! I’m angry; no I’m livid with this prick and his relatives; paybacks. People get what they deserve!

  “Thank you Dr. Petrov. Please let me know of any developments in his condition.”

  “I will.” said the doctor.

  The pain Craig inflicted on Angie and Lance still stung, allowing a few elusive moments of feeling sorry for him in his present state of infirmity. Why the hell should I feel sorry for him? He had a choice to do the right thing; his whole family did; just as everyone does. Sadly though they chose selfishness each time. It’s not up to me whether he lives or dies, it’s in the Lord’s hands.

  Heeding the doctor’s words Angie decided to find Jaid. While making her way toward the emergency exit where Jaid had left her off, Angie’s line of vision fell upon Jaid and an officer. As they approached Angie the realization of subsequent events that will occur stared her down at point blank range and agitated Angie’s already tense nerves.

  “Angelina. Did you get to see him?”

  “I did but he’s unconscious and it’s a gruesome sight. This marks the critical point as he’s laden with infections. It’s awful! The doctor’s description of his ground down fingertips nauseated me and I vomited by the doctor’s feet.”

  “Sorry to hear that happened to you miss. I’m officer Odla. I need to ask you to come down to the station so I can ask you some questions.”

  Looking to Jaid for counsel a quick nod told Angie to give the go-ahead. “I’ll drive with my attorney and meet you there.” Angie said squinting.

  A silent and contemplative walk followed. Jaid saw Angie’s inconclusive gaze and recognized she needed time to process the day’s events. Perspiration began to glisten upon Angie’s brow as her thoughts bounced around the details of the hate crime amid slow deep breaths.

  “Jaid my body feels limp in despair. Who’d do something like that to Craig? He must have pissed someone off for them to have beaten him like they did.”

  The thought of his bloody fingertips ground down to the bone circled through Angie’s mind and left her feeling dismal. Had fragments of bone chipped off during his attack?

  “How could someone do that to his fingertips? Would they do it with a cheese grater? Maybe they put his hand in a vice and hit his fingertips with an electric metal grinder. How could they stand to see bits of flesh debriding off his fingertips with blood splattering everywhere? I feel as if I’m going to vomit!”

  With direction and purpose, Jaid interrupted Angie’s troubling thoughts Jaid said, “I don’t know. There’s some sick people out there. Focus on something pleasant right now Angie. Didn’t you tell me something about a tire swing that Lance likes to play on?”

  “Lance enjoys swinging on the rope, but not now Jaid I…I don’t have the stomach for what Craig has to face on his hands when he wakes up; if he wakes up.”

  “Okay. I’m going to warn you they’re going to ask direct questions. They’re going to insinuate your involvement all while coming from an officer who could care less that you just saw your ex-husband teetering on the brink of death. Don’t let them jar you. I suggest you eat now if you can.”

  “I can’t eat anything. I feel sick to my stomach just replaying the doctor’s words describing Craig’s hands, or what’s left of them. Lance! Oh Lord how will I tell him about his father?”

  As Angie remained obtuse, Jaid made a mental note. “Think about that later. Right now focus on the task in front of you.”

  “I’m going to object if they ask a question that’s inappropriate or begin to badger you. Prepare for them to act like pricks. Craig’s in bad shape and the police want answers. Remember Judge Hall and how he didn’t want an incident with the picketers? Imagine that incident as a snowball gaining in strength and finally becoming an avalanche that could bury the whole city.”

  Angie’s thoughts turned inward. Exiting the car both women’s heels dug into the cement in unison as they approached the door. Upon entering the building Angie’s senses tuned into a strong sent of sage that permeated the air. She glanced sideways at Jaid looking for any inkling on her face suggesting she also smelled it. Nothing; she looked as professional as ever. Hell, you could bounce a quarter off her cheek and she wouldn’t flinch.

  “Hello. I’m counsel for Angelina Steadfast regarding questioning in the Craig Freeman disappearance.”

  Amid shushing sounds and the glare of eyes cast on her, a piercing sensation stung at Angie’s nerves endings. A voice from behind the desk said, “Miss we’re sorry to hear about the condition they found your ex in. Married or not he’s your son’s father and it’s inhumane what they did to him.”

  Angie’s hands hung limp at her sides.

  “Thank you I appreciate your concern. They still don’t know if he will live or die.” she said coughing and trying to clear her thick throat. “My son thanks you as well. You’re right, regardless of what he did to us no one deserves to have their fingertips ground off down to the bone. I appreciate your kindness.”

  Approached by a clerk who said, “Follow me you’re expected down the hall.”

  An officer escorted Jaid and Angie into a stark interrogation room with dim lights. One bulb flickered over four chairs that were pushed underneath the shiny metal table; two on each opposing side. Opting to sit on the far side gave Angie a feeling of safe distance from the accuser. Placing her file on the table and retrieving a legal notebook Jaid stood a recorder on the table to capture the details. Two officers came in and placed spiral-bound notebooks on the table alongside a small recorder. Angie’s heart began to thud faster in her chest. As the officer began to speak, her senses became overwhelmed with the foul stench of the police
station and made her feel faint.

  “Ms. Steadfast, you okay?” asked the officer.

  “Angelina, can you continue?” Jaid asked as she grasped Angie’s arm.

  “My stomach’s queasy but I want to go ahead. Do you smell that?”

  “Smell what?” Jaid asked.

  “Nothing, I guess it’s my crazy nose. Let’s do this.” Angie said with determination.

  “Please state your name for the record.”

  “Angelina Steadfast.

  “Did you have any involvement in the disappearance of your ex-husband Craig Freeman?”

  “No sir.”

  “How did you learn of his disappearance?”

  “I arrived at the court for a scheduled court appearance. Craig’s girlfriend spoke in the vestibule, prior to our court appearance, with a sheriff’s deputy stating that Craig had disappeared and that wasn’t like him. She indicated he knew of the court appearance scheduled that day. After appearing before the judge, my attorney and I spoke when a bounty hunter approached us confirming his disappearance.

  “Tell me about your whereabouts last night between the hours of 7:00 P.M. and 3:30 A.M.?”

  “I went with Anthony Giannola to Cirque du Soleil at the Novi Expo Center and afterward we went to the Smooth Jazz Club. I returned home about 2 A.M.”

  “People saw you there?”

  “Yes.” Angie said.

  “Okay we will check with the witnesses to corroborate your alibi.”

  Angie’s heart began to thud beneath her chest like a rabbit running from a fox. The lights in the police station emitted a grim yellow overcast. The dim lights coupled with the persistent foul odor took her mind back to murky waters in dark territory.

  It’s no wonder people lie about what they’ve done. Sorry Craig no justice for you tonight, Lance and I have suffered enough at your hands. A little bit of corruption and revenge, vigilante style, have made amends for what you and your degenerate relatives stole from us; time…

  Angie’s thoughts drifted to a remote place and remained as distant as Craig’s chances of survival. She’d changed. Her physical appearance remained the same, perhaps a brighter smile, justice can do that you know. However, in stature she stood taller and pushed her shoulders back a bit more. Angie and Lance had a vast expanse of their life stolen at the hands of Craig’s family. Left in survival-mode, brought out resiliency in Angie and Lance that no one could ever steal. Craig and his relatives would now pay society for their heinous crimes.