“Mr. Laskin, I can’t let you go into my classroom. Now kindly turn around and walk to the office.” She pointed down the hallway. “They will take care of everything.”
His eyes narrowed and he stepped back. He turned and began walking down the hall. She watched him for fifteen seconds and then returned to the class. All eyes turned towards the door when she entered. “Eyes down on your books, everyone.” She closed the door and walked towards the front of the room.
The door swung open and Stick walked in. He strode past Allison. “I changed my mind. I’m just gonna get Timmie now. Sorry.”
“Dad, what the hell are you doing here?” Timmie stood up at his desk as Stick drew closer. “God, you look terrible.” He looked around as the other students put the two together as father and son. He was embarrassed. “Dad, you can’t be in here.”
Allison saw the gun jammed down into the side of Stick’s pants. “Mr. Laskin, Timmie, can I see both of you in the hall, please?” They both looked at her. Students around them began sliding their chairs away from Stick. Several fanned their noses. She pointed towards the door. “Right now please.”
He spoke quietly to his son, “Uh, Timmie, just gather up your books there and c’mon with me. I’m checking you out early. This lady ain’t taking too kindly to me.”
Timmie crossed his arms, “Dad, I’m not leaving with you. How did you find me, anyway?”
Allison walked to the front of the class and, keeping her eyes on Stick, she reached for the room phone.
“You told me about the pretty redheaded teacher, so I just looked up the school information on the web and found her picture. Boy, she is a honey, ain’t she?” Stick turned and smiled at Allison, but the smiled disappeared when he saw her dialing the room phone. “Um, Mrs. Teacher, please don’t be calling anyone. See, this is my son, and I gotta right to get him out of school.” He reached back and pulled the gun out with his right hand. He kept it pointed at the ground. Allison put down the phone and pointed to the rear door.
“Look, Mr. Laskin, I want you to take Timmie and just go. There’s no need for you to do anything with that weapon.”
Stick smiled and pointed at her stomach with his left hand, “Well, lookie at that. The pretty teacher has a bun in the oven.” Two students near Stick slipped out of their seats and walked backwards towards the door.
Stick turned and saw them, “Hey, you two kids! Sit your asses back down!” They complied. All eyes were on him.
“Dad, cut this shit out. Put that away.” Timmie reached for the gun and Stick swung his left arm, knocking Timmie back into his seat.
“Damn, son. I’m sorry about that. Reflex, you know.”
The rear door opened and Nick stepped in. He was panting.
“Stick, Timmie, what’s going on here?” said Nick. “What the hell are you doing?” Stick turned towards him, the gun followed.
“My Dad’s been living in the woods. He’s off his meds.”
Stick glared at Timmie, “Now, son, that ain’t no way to be talking about your old man.”
Nick held up his hands, “Stick, let these kids slip out of here while you and I talk.”
Stick glanced around the room, “Oh shit. Go ahead, get ‘em out of here.” He pointed the pistol towards the door. Nick opened the door and waved the students towards the back. Once they were all out, he shut it and turned the lock.
Timmie stood up, “Might be best if you two just stepped outside and let me talk to my dad. I’ll make sure that he puts the gun away.”
Stick pointed the gun at Timmie’s desk, “Son, you get back in your seat.” Timmie hesitated, then sat down.
Nick pointed at the front door of the room, “Allison, I want you to get out of here. Stick and Timmie and me will work this out.” She gave Nick a concerned look and shook her head. The door at the front of the room opened.
“Stick! What the hell are you doing?” said Jocellynn.
Stick smiled. “Now, how ‘bout this? My old friend Jocellynn is here.” She took three tentative steps into the room. “How did you know I was here, Jocellynn?”
“I stopped by the office and heard someone banging on a door. I let Jenny out of the closet you locked her in. She’s calling the police.”
Stick smiled. “Oh yeah, that nice lady in the office. Had to lock her in a closet because she wouldn’t shut up.”
“Have you gone off your meds again?” asked Jocellynn.
“Now that ain’t none of your business, my dear.”
Jocellynn held out her hands. “Talk to me, sugar. Put that gun away and lets you and I catch up. I sure do miss Joanne and I know that she would not want you standing in a classroom like this, with a gun in your hand.” Nick was moving slowly, hands in the air, towards the front where Allison and Jocellynn were standing.
Stick frowned. “Don’t be bringing my sweet wife’s name into this, Jocellynn. That ain’t right.” He pointed the gun at the ceiling. “Besides, Joanne is up there in heaven looking down on me and Timmie, and she wants us to put things right down here. That means my son and me are going on a little trip to help complete the mission of my friend Mr. Rudolf.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” asked Jocellynn.
“Allison, you and Joss need to get out of here,” said Nick.
“No!” yelled Stick. “Ain’t no one else leaving.” He pointed the gun at Nick. “You’re the principal that hit my son, ain’t you?”
“Yeah, that was me, Stick. Let these folks get out of here so you and I can chat. I’m the one you need to talk to.”
He motioned with the gun for Nick to move beside Jocellynn and Allison. Timmie remained in his seat beside Stick.
Stick waved the gun around. “Well, I ain’t here to chat with nobody. I told this little crimson cutie here that I’m checking my boy out of school, that’s all. A father’s got a right to do that.” He turned and grabbed Timmie’s wrist. Timmie stood up and jerked his hand free. His face reddened.
“Dad, I’m not going anywhere with you,” yelled Timmie. “And if you don’t stop right now, I’m going to tell everyone something that’ll put you back in jail.”
Stick’s brow furrowed and he glanced around the room. “Now, Timmie, son, what kinda strange things have you been dreaming up?”
“I know it was you, Dad. That police lady came and talked to me. She told me that it couldn’t have been you because you were chatting with some woman online. But because it was my laptop, I knew how to log into it. I found the fake chat software you downloaded. I could see that you ran the program the night that Chief Smithson died. I know you were using that chat program to trick everyone into thinking—”
Stick stepped closer to Timmie. “That’s enough, son! You shut your fucking mouth!”
“Is what he said true, Stick?” asked Nick. The fire alarm sounded.
“My son here has a big imagination,” Stick yelled over the noise of the bell. “The cops came and talked to me about Smithson. I was chatting with a lovely lady from Brazil. It’s all there on the laptop, just like I showed them.”
Timmie stood up. “That’s a lie! I saw the chat text. You wrote it a week before and then loaded it into the chat program. I know it was you, Dad.”
“Goddamn you, son!” Stick put his left hand on Timmie’s shoulder to push him back into the chair but Timmie swiveled and pushed the arm out of the way. He started to move the gun towards Timmie, but Timmie grabbed Stick’s right hand and pushed it away. Nick flew towards them, locking his hands on Stick’s right wrist. The gun exploded and plaster rained down from the wall. Stick managed to push Timmie away but Nick held tight. He slammed Stick’s hand down on a desk and the gun fired again. Timmie swung and landed a hard punch on Stick’s left temple. His hand released the gun and it rattled down across a chair and onto the floor. Stick hit the ground hard, unconscious. Nick kicked the gun towards the back of the room and then looked at Timmie.
“You okay, Timmie?” he said. Timmie’s eyes were wide open and Ni
ck followed his gaze to where Allison lay on the floor, her head in Jocellynn’s lap. Jocellynn’s eyes were open wide with fear as she brought her hand from behind Allison’s head. Her hand and lap were covered with blood.
“Oh no! ALLISON! NO, NO, NO!”
XIX -- June 12
He never left her side. Two days after she arrived in the hospital, the doctors told him her brain was no longer functioning. He barely slept. He cried, held her hand, brushed her hair and talked to her about how much he missed her, how he loved her more than anything else in the world. How he didn’t want to go on without her.
There was no chance she would recover, but the doctors thought they could save the baby. Because an ambulance had arrived at the school one minute after the shooting, the EMTs had been able to stabilize her. From there, she was taken to the small hospital in Mt. Rutgers, where they stabilized her before she was flown to Duke Hospital in Durham. They kept her body working, still pumping blood to the baby, providing the nourishment. If they could keep her body working normally, for two more months, then the baby would be viable, and could be delivered by cesarean.
During the first few days, the fact that the baby had a chance of surviving meant nothing to him. Without his beautiful Allison, he didn’t want to go on living. How could he make it without her? But the reality of the child’s survival began to break through the grief. Like a fog lifting quietly, slowly at dawn, he started to see through the anguish. This is what she would want. The baby would need him. She would be in the baby. Her genes lived on through their creation. He would be the best father he could be, just as Allison’s father had been there for her.
***
Ten days after Allison’s arrival at the hospital, Jocellynn dropped by to check on Nick. He was asleep in the chair beside her bed.
She touched his shoulder, “Nickie?”
“Joss, hey there,” he rubbed the corner of his eyes and sat up, “what are you doing here?”
She sighed, “I came by to see how you’re doing. I’ve heard all the details but I haven’t talked to you. And now I can see that it’s good I came by. You’ve got to take a break.”
He ran his hand across the thick stubble on his face. The words caught in his throat, “I can’t, I can’t leave. If she wakes up, I want to be here so she won’t be scared.”
“Oh, Nickie, that is really sweet,” she knelt down and took his hand, “I’m so sorry about all this. I can’t imagine anything worse.”
He rubbed his forehead. “I’m doing okay, Joss. I’m getting better every day.”
“But sugar, I talked to the nurses and I know they’ve spoken to you. Allison’s, umm, you know she’s not going to wake up.”
He looked down, “That’s what they’ve said, but miracles do happen, Joss. No one knows for sure.”
“I understand you want a miracle. We all do. But you know that—”
“It’s just not very likely, huh?” He turned to look at Allison. Tubes ran into her arms and throat, feeding her body to maintain proper functioning for the baby. He turned back to Jocellynn, his face contorted in pain.
She reached out and he crumpled into her shoulder. She held him tightly as his body trembled. “I’m so sorry.” She wiped away her tears. “I would do anything to take this pain away.”
“I, I, just, I don’t know if I can make it without her.”
“I understand, sugar.” She held him for another minute. His sobs eased and he leaned back in his chair. She took a box of Kleenex off the table beside his chair and held it out to him. He took a few and dabbed his eyes and face.
She stood up and brought over a folding that was leaning against the wall. She sat down across from him and took his hand, “I want you to tell me how you are doing, Nickie.”
“Terrible.”
“Have you been here by yourself since the accident?”
“Yeah. My mom is calling and wants to come. Some other folks from school have called and want to visit. I just don’t call back.”
“Your mom’s called me three times. She’s really worried.”
“I know. I sent her a text two days ago and told her I’m doing better and it’s just not the right time for her to come,” he blew his nose in the Kleenex, “do me a big favor and call her while you’re driving home and tell her that you saw me and that I’m doing better. She’s such a worrier.”
“Sure.”
“What’s happening at school? I’ve been reading some of the emails.”
“Well, we need to talk about school. Everyone is very worried about you.”
“You can tell them I’m doing a little better every day.”
“I will, sugar.”
He sat up in his chair, “So I heard they cancelled the last two days of the year, huh?”
“They had to. Everyone was traumatized,” she wiped the corner of her eye, “you know you saved lives by getting Stick to let those kids out of the classroom.”
“I know. It could have been a lot worse.”
“I wish I could have talked him down. My getting called in to sub that morning seems like such a strange coincidence,” said Jocellynn.
“There’s nothing you could have done. I’ve run the scene through my mind so many times.”
She smiled, “You’re probably right. But anyway, they opened the school back up on Friday so that the kids and staff could honor Allison. People left the most beautiful flowers in her room and a ton of cards and posters. It was really sweet.”
“I’m sure it’s been really hard for her students and the staff.”
“It was really hard, sugar. She seems to be very popular with the kids.”
He nodded.
She put her Kleenex in the trash, “There’s something else about school that we need to discuss. Dr. Ellison called me to ask how you were doing and he had an idea that he wanted me to present to you.”
He smiled, “So anyone who wants to get in touch with me is going through you.”
“I guess so. It’s a delicate situation so they just aren’t sure how to reach out to you. He called my mom first.”
“So what’s the idea?”
“They postponed graduation and they want to set a new date as soon as possible,” she leaned forward and took his hand, “the Board wants you to be there.”
He shook his head, “I’m glad they’re thinking of me, but I’m not up for that kind of thing.”
“I didn’t think so. But Dr. Ellison convinced me. Just hear me out for a few minutes.”
He nodded.
“Obviously if you don’t want to do this, everyone understands. So whatever you decide is fine. But think about what kind of message it will send to the kids if you’re there. Or even better, if you speak to them. Most of them haven’t had someone close to them die. They’re still too young to understand when a tragedy like this hits, life still goes on. The pain fades and you pick up the pieces. Dr. Ellison kept using the word ‘resilience’. He wants the kids to hear from you and from the other faculty that this will pass.”
He looked over at Allison, “Yeah. She felt the same way.” he wiped his nose, “Her father was her whole world growing up and he said something similar to her before he died.”
“Oh god, sugar. So her father died when she was young?”
“Yeah. She had just started teaching. Prostate cancer. Her mom died when she was a baby.”
“That’s so awful.”
“It was hard, but her dad was incredible. He sacrificed everything for her.”
She sat back in her chair, “So Allison would want you to talk to the kids?”
“She would. But I have to think about it.”
“Sure, sugar. You do whatever you think is best. Let me just add my two cents. I haven’t been around the school that much, but everyone I talk to thinks you’re the best. Even the kids. And we both know how hard they are to impress. They look up to you.”
He smiled, “Thanks, Joss. It means a lot that you came here. Tell everyone that I’ll let them know. I w
ouldn’t want to have graduation delayed even more.” They both stood and he hugged her.
“You know, sugar, I’m worried about your problem, too. Remember you promised to call me if you feel yourself slipping.”
“I will, Joss. It’s on my mind every day and especially at night. But so far, so good.”
“Okay, Nickie. I’ll see you soon.” They hugged again and she left.
XX -- Graduation Night
He paced in the boys’ locker room, waiting for his introduction. The gym was packed. Two TV stations had even sent crews to film the event. He calmed the butterflies in his stomach by thinking of her. She would want this.
Eduardo held the door for him, “Mr. Nick, they are ready for you.”
“Thanks, Eduardo. Wish me luck.” He wiped his brow with a paper towel.
“You will do good, Mr. Nick.”
As he walked on stage, the crowd erupted in applause. He pulled two note cards from his suit coat pocket and placed them on the podium.
The applause continued, with no sign of stopping. He held up his hand, “Wow, guys! All I can say is wow.” He wiped his lip with the back of his hand. A minute later, the clapping subsided and everyone sat down.
“Thanks for that introduction, Dr. Ellison.” He turned and nodded to the group of board members sitting behind him and then turned back to the microphone. “Just look at all you guys! I can’t believe I got a standing ovation. I hope that happens during every assembly next year.”
One student whistled and yelled, “We love you, Principal Nick.”
He smiled, “I love you guys, too. Thanks so much,” he ran his fingers through his hair, “well, let me just say how happy I am to see everyone, especially our seniors.”
Applause sprang up again. Several students stood up and bowed before being pulled back down into their seats.
“So let’s take a minute and look around at all the people here. Go ahead; turn around in your seat. Wave. Shout if you feel like it!”
Hands and bodies went up. Students shouted greetings across the room.
When His Dreams Take Flight Page 14