Mom stood looking at Inspector Kozara as he shut the door. “Is there something important about Brian’s attackers?”

“Can we all sit down?”

“Sure,” I said. There were only two chairs in the room, so I sat on the bed. Mom and Inspector Kozara sat in the chairs.

“We arrested Quinten Santoni, Tom Calloway, and Grant Aikers for the beating, rape, and kidnap of Brian Anderson. Quinten Santoni and Tom Calloway are being held without bail. However, Grant Aikers was released on bail and has been reported missing. We think he’s staying at a friend or relative’s house. We want to make sure no one knows you’ve returned to Edmond until we find and, if necessary, arrest him. We’re unsure if we need to be concerned about him.”

“Concerned?” Mom asked. “Why would we need to be concerned?”

“His stepfather is who reported that he’s missing and is very cooperative. He’s given us a list of his friends and relatives.”

I asked, “Do you think he’s dangerous?”

“We don’t have any reason to believe so. Grant Aikers is the only one to be granted bail because he’s the only one who did not have a juvenile record.”

“What about the other two boys?” Mom asked.

“They are being held without bail. Both Quinten Santoni and Tom Calloway have extensive juvenile records, and that makes them ineligible for bail since they are being held for second degree felony rape. We are completing the DNA analysis to determine who actually participated in the rape, and that person or persons will then be charged with first degree felony rape.”

I was curious. “What’s the difference between first degree and second degree?”

“First degree felony rape includes both the rape itself and injury which creates a substantial risk of death; causes serious permanent disfigurement, loss, or impairment of any part of the body; or an injury to a minor that requires surgical repair that requires the use of general anesthesia. All three claim there was no rape and they’d never do anything like that because they aren’t gay. We need the DNA evidence from the rape kit used during Brian’s examination to prove first degree felony rape so we can charge the person or persons who raped Brian. We expect to have that back from the DNA lab this week.

“You may also hear about third degree felony rape. That doesn’t apply in this case. It is usually where the victim is related to the perpetrator, or where both the victim and the perpetrator are both minors, or where the sexual intercourse was consensual and the victim is a minor and the perpetrator is at least five years older than the victim.”

“You keep saying a minor. How old is someone when they aren’t a minor anymore?”

“A minor is anyone under sixteen years of age. Since you’re fifteen all of the provisions for first degree felony rape are met. Whoever the perpetrator is or perpetrators are, there’s no way they can claim the rape was other than first degree.”

“What about the FBI and crossing state lines?” I still had questions!

“That means there is a Federal kidnapping charge that is being prepared. That will add perhaps ten years to their sentences.”

I had yet another question. “Will there be a separate trial for the Federal kidnapping charge?”

“No, it will be amended to the State of Oklahoma charges.”

“Is Brian at risk?” Mom’s always a worrier.

“We don’t have any reason to believe that there’s any risk at the present time. But that reminds me of something I want to ask you. Have you contacted an attorney to represent Brian in court?”

“Greg, that’s my husband, met with an attorney earlier this week. I’ll find out more about that when I see him this evening. Why is that necessary? Isn’t the District Attorney going to take care of everything?”

“Mrs. Anderson, in general that’s correct. However, the objectives of the D.A. for the outcome of the trial are not necessarily the same as your objectives and what might be best for Brian and for you and your husband. For example, if there’s a plea bargain and you don’t have an attorney it would be very difficult for you to formulate an objection to what the D.A. might consider acceptable based on cost or the length of the trial or the amount of additional evidence that would have to be collected. Your attorney would understand those issues and would be able to formulate a series of objections that could block some or all provisions of a plea bargain. Your attorney could also prepare a civil suit against the perpetrators and their parents, and prepare a restraining order against each of the perpetrators in case they were released on bail.”

“But didn’t you say they couldn’t get bail?” I was pretty sure that I heard Inspector Kozara say that.

“The attorneys for the boys who attacked you can appeal the refusal of bail to another judge. If they win that appeal it would be a good idea to have a keep-away restraining order against all three of them, and perhaps similar restraining orders against their immediate relatives.”

“But you said Grant Aikers is already out on bail. Do we need a restraining order against him?”

“Brian, that’s up to your attorney. But it seems to be a good idea to discuss that with him or her as soon as possible.”

Mom seemed a bit worried. “They don’t know that Brian is back in Edmond, do they?”

“No, but it will be disclosed at some point, perhaps this week.”

“Why does the fact that Brian has returned to Edmond have to be disclosed to anyone?”

“Qunton Santoni’s lawyer has asked the court to disclose all information that is related to the charges against his client. That would include information about whether Brian Anderson has been found, alive or dead, and his location. Brian can also be called by the perpetrators attorneys to give a deposition. That’s another reason he needs an attorney. The District Attorney has asked for a protective order so we can avoid disclosing any information about Brian until the pretrial motions are presented. We’re waiting for the judge to rule on the motion that’s been filed.”

I asked, “What’s a protective order?”

“Brian, that’s an order issued by a court that prevents the disclosure of sensitive information about a case, or any parties involved in a case, except to certain individuals under certain conditions. We want this order until Grant Aikers has been found and satisfactorily explains where he’s been or is returned to jail without bail pending the trial.”

“So what happens to me? I move to a safe house or I’m taken out of state or what?”

Inspector Kozara laughed. “Brian, you’ve been watching too many crime shows on TV. While you’re at the Medical Center your room is on a floor that has controlled access with admission through a guard station. When you go home we’ll have police doing occasional drive-bys past your house. That’s something you’ve probably seen on TV, where a police car drives by the front of your house as part of its regular patrol and your house is on the watch list. That way if anything happens and you call the police they’ll be close by and able to quickly reach your home. We’ll also help you protect your own premises, advising on security systems, video cameras, gates, locks, exterior lighting, and so on.”

“What about my friends, they can’t be told I’m back in Edmond?”

“We’d rather that not happen until the protective order is in place and Grant Aikers has been found.”

“Shit. I might as well have stayed in Weatherford.”

“Actually, we much prefer that you’ve returned to Edmond. We can provide protection here. We would have to depend on the Weatherford police to provide protection if you’d remained in the hospital there.”

“What about the FBI? Wouldn’t they provide protection for me?”

“No. They will assist us with the investigation, but protection is our responsibility. The FBI provides protection for the witnesses and victims of Federal crimes, not local ones.”

“But they told me that because I was kidnapped across state lines they were involved in my case. What about that?”

“That’s why they are assisting with the investigation, but the FBI won’t provide victim protection for you. They simply do not have the manpower or budget to do that for every case where the victim has been taken across state lines. There are just too many cases where that happens. Any other questions?”

“How will we find out if Grant has been arrested, and if the protective order is okayed by the judge?”

“Brian, I’ll contact you and your parents immediately. To accomplish that, I’m going to give you a loaner cellphone and one for your parents. I or someone on my team will call both of you whenever there is an update.” He handed me a box with a cell phone and handed another to Mom. “The only outgoing calls you can make are to the Edmond Police Department. To do so, just press zero or dial 9-1-1. The incoming calls will ring ten times before going to voicemail. To get your voicemail messages just press the blue button that’s between the dial and hang-up buttons. Please do not power off the phone unless we tell you to do that. The charger included with each phone should be used every night and when it’s being recharged it should be left powered on.”

I opened the box and looked at the phone. It was a small flip-phone with a small one-line display that showed the current time, a green dial button, a red hang-up button, a blue voicemail button, and a regular dial pad. On the side there was a rocker button and on the top there was a standard micro-USB jack. On the back there was a silver colored sticker with a number, a barcode, and ‘Property of Edmond Oklahoma Police Department’.

“Is this rocker button for the volume? And what’s the micro-USB jack on top for?”

“The rocker button is for the volume. You plug the charger cable into the micro-USB jack for recharging the phone. There’s no separate power button. If for some reason you’re told by us to power it off you press and hold the red hang-up button until the phone beeps and the display turns off. To turn it back on you do the same thing, press and hold the red hang-up button until the phone beeps and the display turns on.”

“Cool. If I go to school then I’ll need something in writing allowing me to have a cellphone. They aren’t allowed at school.”

“Brian, I understand from your mother that you won’t be returning to school this semester. Is that correct, Mrs. Anderson?”

“Yes. Brian will be home schooled the rest of this semester and won’t return to school until August at the earliest, depending on what his doctor says.”

“I would expect that the trial of the three boys who attacked you will be over before school restarts in August, and if that’s the case then you won’t need these cellphones and you’ll have returned them to us.”

“Oh. Okay. Are they already charged?”

“Yes, but remember to connect them to your chargers at night. I suggest that you keep them by your bed so you won’t forget.”

“We’ll do that, and make sure Brian does it as well. Anything else, Inspector Kozara?”

“No, I think that’s about it. I’ll check back tomorrow. Thanks for taking the time to see me today. I know you must be tired from the helicopter trip.”

“No, not me!” I told him. “I loved it. I’ve never flown in anything before, so it was really exciting. We were able to see downtown Oklahoma City, and the OU campus, and it was all farms and small towns from Weatherford all the way until we got to Norman, then it was mostly cities until we got to Edmond.”

Inspector Kozara laughed. “Sounds like you had a good time, Brian.”

I was smiling, remembering how much fun it was to ride in the helicopter. “Yeah, I did. It’s the most fun I’ve had since Quin and his asshole friends attacked me.”

“Brian! Watch your mouth!”

“Sorry Mom, but that’s what they are.”

“Well, figure out another way to refer to them that doesn’t involve swearing. Alright?”

“Yeah, alright.”

“I’ve got to be going. I want to review how the search for Grant Aikers is going, and if the judge has begun his consideration of the protective order. Then I have some other cases to work on. I’ll see you later Mrs. Anderson, and you too, Brian. Take it easy and get well.”

“Thanks, I will”

Mom walked out with Inspector Kozara. “Brian, I’m going to the lady’s room. I’ll be right back.”

I felt tired so I climbed into bed and shut my eyes. Mom had been gone for maybe five minutes and I’d started to doze off when Doctor Linscomb and a woman doctor walked in.

“Brian, this is Doctor Rita Pender. She’s the wound specialist I told you about.”

“Hi.” I wasn’t all the way awake yet.

“Hi, Brian. I’ve reviewed your x-rays and Doctor Linscomb and I have just finished reviewing and discussing your CT scan. I’m going to remove your bandage and take a look at your wound. Is that okay?”

“Sure. How was my CT scan?”

“We’ll discuss that in a few minutes. First I want to look at your wound.”

Just as she finished removing my bandage, Mom returned. Of course, that delayed the examination of my wound as Mom was introduced to Doctor Pender. Now there were three people starting to look at my wound. I say “starting” because just then Dad arrived with three bags from Flatire. More introductions.

Doctor Pender grinned. “That isn’t hospital food, is it.”

“No,” Dad replied, “it’s the burger that Brian has been drooling to have. I stopped at Flatire Burgers and got burgers for Brian, his mom, and me.”

Doctor Pender looked at Doctor Linscomb. “Is that something you’ve prescribed, Paul?”

“Absolutely. We don’t want another patient complaining about the food, do we?”

“Well, let me get my examination of Brian over with so the burgers and fries don’t get cold.”

She put on glasses and shined a flashlight at the left side of my head.

“Oh, my!”

“What!?” I hollered. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, sorry. Nothing’s wrong. In fact... Doctor Linscomb, you didn’t tell me his wound was almost completely healed. There’s no redness, no sign of swelling. I want to remove the staples and see what it looks like. I also see that his hair is starting to regrow over much of the area of the wound.”

Doctor Pender removed the staples and it took less than a minute. Every time she removed one there was a little ‘clink’ noise in a metal pan she was holding. It not only didn’t hurt, it didn’t tickle either.

“Alright, that’s finished. Now, let me inspect the wound and the incisions.” She spent some time with her flashlight as she and Doctor Linscomb got close to my left side and stared at my head. I felt her lightly rubbing where my incision must have been.

“Can I see what the staples look like?”

“Sure.” She held the pan so I could see what she'd removed. It sure didn't look like the staples I used to staple sheets of paper together.

“Wow, those are tiny. And that was all that was holding my skull together?”

Doctor Linscomb laughed. “Not quite. There are pins in the bone of your scalp that are holding the pieces together. These staples are to hold the incisions that allowed your surgeon to gain access to your skull to repair the bone.” He turned to Doctor Pender. “I wanted you to take a look at Brian's wound yourself. We’ve seen the CT scan and the x-rays. What do you think?”

“When was Brian wounded?”

“The eleventh of February.”

“That’s less than a week and a half ago. I certainly would not expect a wound like what I saw in the original photographs, x-rays, and CT scans to be healed to this extent.”

“I agree. His healing process is definitely better than expected.”

I shook my head. “Can I ask what’s all that mean?”

Doctor Linscomb smiled. “Brian, you’ve healed much faster than we and Doctor McFadden expected. We want to keep you overnight and do blood tests to make sure there’s been no infection and nothing negative compared in the reports from Campbell Memorial. We still need to be cautious about any internal infection as a result of your wound. Assuming everything is clear, you should be able to go home tomorrow.”

“Man, that is so totally fantastic! I can hardly wait to actually get home and sleep in my own bed. Nothing personal, but hospital beds suck.”

Mom gave me one of ‘those looks’ that says she’s not pleased. “Brian! Watch your mouth.”

“Sorry, Mom. But it’s true. I’ve never been comfortable in any of the hospital beds I’ve been in. The mattresses are hard and it’s been hard to get to sleep and to stay asleep. My bed at home is perfect, and I know I’ll sleep better at home. And Doctor Linscomb, don’t they say that getting restful sleep is really important for recovering from injuries? I’m sure I heard that somewhere. Or maybe I read it.” I grinned.

“Well, I think you’ll be at home and sleeping in your own bed tomorrow night. What you say about getting restful sleep as an aid to your recovery is correct. That means getting about twelve hours sleep per day, including both at night and naps during the day.” He turned to my mom, “I’m sure that your mother will make sure you get the required amount of sleep.”

“You can count on that, both of you. No staying up late watching TV or playing on your computer, Brian. Agreed?”

“Agreed.” There was no benefit in arguing with her here in front of Doctor Linscomb. But I could see how sleeping twelve hours a day could be a real drag. At some point I wouldn’t need that much sleep, and lying in bed staring at the ceiling wouldn’t be productive. I decided to keep all that to myself until it became an issue at home. If it became an issue at all. Mom might just forget. Yeah, sure.

“What about taking a shower? Can I wash my hair? It feels so grungy.”

Doctor Pender looked at the side of my head again. “Why don’t you wait a day or two to let the skin heal where the staples have been removed. Say, Thursday morning?”

“That works for me. Okay, Mom?” She nodded.

“Well, I think I should rebandage Brian’s wound and then you and I have other things to do this evening, Doctor Linscomb.” So Doctor Pender put a new bandage on the side of my head. I noticed that it was basically just a large Band-Aid, but she still put the band of adhesive tape that wrapped all the way around my head. So I asked her why it was needed.

“It’s there to keep your bandage from coming off. When you wash your hair leave your bandage on, use a mild shampoo, don’t rub where you were injured, and use lukewarm water when you rinse. Then replace the bandage and adhesive tape after your hair and scalp are dry. We’ll give you some of these bandages and a roll of this adhesive tape. It’s made from paper and is much easier to remove.”

“Okay, I can see how that all makes sense.”

While she put on my new bandage Dad was unpacking our burgers, fries, and shakes, and after the doctors left we dug in to the best dinner I’d had since the day before Quin attacked me. Maybe the fries weren’t as crisp as I liked them, probably from sitting closed up in the bag, and the burger wasn’t real hot, but oh, man, that burger with tomato, lettuce, thick-sliced bacon, and pepper jack cheese was so good! The chocolate shake was fantastic. And the fries were okay, certainly better than hospital food.

After we finished eating we sat around and talked for about a half hour, telling Dad everything that happened starting with our helicopter flight from Weatherford to the OU Medical Center in Edmond. I showed him the pix that I took inside and from the helicopter, and riding the cart from one building to the next because we were delivered to the wrong examination room because of a paperwork mixup. Finally I started to fade.

Mom noticed that I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open. “Brian, I think it’s time for you to get to bed. You look exhausted.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“You guess, sport?” Dad asked me. “You’ve been yawning nonstop for the last ten minutes.”

I grinned. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

“You need a hand getting into bed?”

“No thanks, Dad. I’m going to the bathroom first and then I can get in bed by myself.”

“Okay, we’ll see you in the morning. Get a good night’s sleep.” Mom leaned over and kissed me, then so did Dad. “See you tomorrow, Brian.”

I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror. The bruising around my left eye was the same as earlier, and pressing around the outside of my eye socket didn’t hurt at all. I took a leak, washed my hands, and punctured by a lot of yawning I brushed my teeth.

Just when I got into bed a nurse came into my room with one of those little plastic trays with empty vials and the equipment for collecting blood.

“Hi, I’m Cathy. I assume you are Brian Anderson?”

“Yes, that’s me. The one and only.”

“Oh, no you’re not!”

“Huh?” I was confused.

“My cousin’s name is Brian Anderson, so you’re definitely not the one and only. My guess it’s a pretty common name, so that adds to the reasons that you’re certainly not the one and only.” She was smiling so I could tell she was pulling my leg.

“Is your cousin really named Brian Anderson?”

“Yes, really.”

“Where does he live?”

“In Oklahoma City.”

“How old is he?”

“Sixteen. He’ll be seventeen in July.”

“Cool. Next time you see him, say ‘hi’ for me, okay?”

“I’ll do it. Now, how about I take some blood samples and ship them down to the lab.”

“Fine with me. Only thing, I’ve had so much blood taken from my body over the past couple of weeks that there might not be much left.”

She giggled, and it was very cute.

“Well, you know that your body rebuilds your blood supply and the small amount we take for blood tests is negligible. So, let’s get started, okay?”

“Okay.”

It was quick and painless. Cathy did a good job inserting the needle and drawing my blood. There were three vials, less than most of my blood draws at Campbell Memorial.

When she finished she smiled as she taped a piece of cotton with adhesive tape in the crook of my arm. “See you later, Brian. So you don’t have to mess with finding the switch on your remote, you want me to turn off your room light?”

“Sure, thanks.”

I think I fell asleep as soon as she shut off the light. The next thing I knew there was sunlight coming in through the window on my left, and it woke me. I yawned several times and realized that I had to take a leak right away. I got up and just made it to the toilet. I was glad I didn’t get it on the floor because they’d probably keep me another couple of days trying to figure out why. My mouth felt like it was full of cotton, so I brushed my teeth and that helped. When I got back to my bed an orderly came in with breakfast. I looked at the clock above the TV and saw that it was seven-thirty.

“Good morning. I’m Rick and for breakfast you’re getting orange juice, oatmeal with milk, scrambled eggs, bacon, a toasted English muffin with jam, and if you’d like coffee I can bring that. Would you like to have breakfast in your bed or on the table?”

“I can get up fine, so on the table would be great. And you can skip the coffee, just maybe an extra carton of milk.”

Rick set the tray on the table. “I’ll be right back with that extra milk. Is one enough?”

“How about two?”

“Two it is. Back in a minute."

I removed the cover on my breakfast plate. The bacon smelled real good, and the eggs looked like they weren’t dried out or watery. This was the second best hospital breakfast I’d had. The omelette, bacon, and cinnamon roll at Campbell Memorial on my last day there was still better.

Rick returned with two little cartons of milk. “Anything else you need, just push your call button.”

“Thanks, Rick.”

“You’re welcome. Later, man.”

I realized that the people I’d met here were friendly, just like most of the people at Campbell Memorial. I dug into my breakfast and it was as good as it looked. The best thing was that the milk was real cold, just the way I like it. I finished everything there was to eat. I guess I had been hungry.

I looked for a way to turn on the TV. I remembered that someone had said something about a remote. I found it on the cabinet next to my bed. It looked just like a regular TV remote except there were buttons for calling the nurse, raising and lowering my bed, and turning the room lights on and off. Fancy!

There wasn’t anything worth watching on TV until I tuned to the local news channel. I wondered if there’d be anything about Grant being missing or about Quin and Tom, but there wasn’t. Guess it wasn’t that big a deal for the TV newscast.

I tuned to the Disney channel and watched some old cartoons. I’d started to nod off when Mom and Dad arrived.

“Good morning, Brian. Did you watch TV last night? Did they do a blood draw? Did you sleep well? How are you doing today? Did you have breakfast yet?”

Sure, Mom, ask me a ton of questions and don’t give me a chance to answer them before I forgot what they were. Dad was standing behind her and he looked at me and shrugged his shoulders.

“Breakfast was good.” I figured that she’d forget about her other questions, and I was right.

“Brian, your mom and I are going down to admissions to find out how to spring you from this place. We’ll see you in a while. If you need us just call my cellphone number.”

“Okay, Dad. See you later, Mom.”

I realized that I didn’t know where the books were that Mom and Dad bought for me in Weatherford. I pushed the call button on the remote and after a few minutes a nurse came in.

“Hi, Brian. I’m Nancy. Can I help you?”

“I was wondering if I could get something to read?”

“Sure. I’ll have the Candystriper come in. It’ll be a few minutes.”

After about ten minutes a cute blonde girl came in pushing a cart with books and magazines.

“Hi. I’m Candice. Nancy told me that you were looking for something to read. I have today’s Edmond and Oklahoma City newspapers, lots of magazines including Sports Illustrated, Scientific American, Smithsonian, Discover, and lots more. I also have some paperback books. Do you like science fiction?”

“Yeah. A science fiction book would be great. What do you have?”

I looked through the selection and wasn’t impressed much by most of the books. Then I found one by Connie Willis titled To Say Nothing of the Dog. What caught my attention was the first line of the blurb on the front cover: ‘The most hilarious book of its kind’ and that was enough to make it my selection.

“I’ll take this one. I like comedy science fiction, and this sounds like that’s exactly what this is about. Trouble is, I won’t have time to finish it before I’m out of here.”

“When are you leaving?”

“Today.”

Candice started laughing. “You’d have to be a champion speed reader to finish this book by the time you leave.” She flipped to the end of the book. “493 pages. No way you’d get finished with it. Do you live in Edmond?” I nodded. “Tell you what, you promise to return it when you’re finished reading it, and I’ll let you take it with you.”

“That’s cool. I promise. Should I ask for you when I return it?”

“If you return it by the end of May I’ll still be here.”

“Where will you be after May?”

“I’ll be heading to college. I graduate from Deer Valley High this year.”

“You’re kidding me! Deer Valley High? That’s where I go!”

“Really? Awesome! What grade are you? Wait, let me guess. You’re a sophomore, right?”

“Right! How’d you guess?”

“You look about fifteen, so that means you’d most likely be a sophomore.”

“You can tell that I’m fifteen? Just by looking at me?”

“Uh huh.” She started to laugh. “No, I’m pulling your leg. I looked up your chart and it said you’re Brian Anderson and you’re fifteen. Still, if you’re fifteen that means you’re probably a sophomore. Say, you can return the book to me at school. I can give you my cell number and you can call me and we can meet somewhere on campus. How’s that sound?”

I took a deep breath. “I won’t be back at school this semester. I’m going to be home schooled while my head heals.” I pointed to the bandage on my head.

“Jeez, that must be some heavy duty damage to have to miss the rest of the semester.” She stared at me. “Oh my god! Brian Anderson! You’re the guy who went missing aren’t you?”

“Yeah, that’s me. But please don’t say anything to anyone. The police are working on the case and don’t want anyone to know I’m in Edmond. Alright?”

“Sure. I couldn’t say anything anyway because of confidentiality laws. I heard some guys were arrested and are in jail for beating you up. Can you tell me what happened? No, don’t. That’s inappropriate. Anyway, I’d be glad to come over to your house and pick up the book. If you want.”

I grinned. “Sure. We live over in the Cedar Ridge area.”

“Oh my god! I live near there. We live on Deer Trail Court.”

“I don’t know where that street is.”

“You take Covell west to Rockwell and go north to Coffee Creek then west to Deer Trail on your left.”

“I can’t believe it. We’re real close to each other. If you turn east on Coffee Creek then Cedar Ridge is on your left just before you get to MacArthur.”

“This is so cool I can’t believe it.” She pulled out a pen and a note pad. “I’m going to give you my email and phone number.” She handed it to me, along with the pad and pen. “Here, give me your info.”

I wrote my name, email address, and cell number. Then I scratched out my cell number and wrote our home number and handed it back.

“I can’t give you my cell number because my cell was stolen. I gave you our home phone number.”

“Nice meeting you, Brian. I gotta get back to my appointed rounds. I get graded for this work-study position, so I have to toe the line, keep my nose to the grindstone, and be self-directed and self-motivated.”

“Nice meeting you too, Candice.”

I looked at the information she gave me. I saw that her full name is Candice Yancey. So I’ve met a hot looking girl who’s a senior at my high school. Damn, what a bummer I won’t be going back this semester.

I opened up the book she gave me and started reading. I got all the way through chapter four. What a bizarre story. It’s very English and was a little hard to follow. I yawned and set the book on the table and leaned back in the chair and fell asleep.

I woke later when I heard voices. It was my folks talking to Doctor Linscomb. By the time I’d fully wakened and stretched he’d left.

“So did you find out when I’m being released?”

“Right now,” Dad replied.

I looked at the clock. Twelve-thirty. “Man, how’d it get to be so late?” I yawned.

“You were asleep when we got back, and we decided that we wouldn’t wake you. We went downstairs for a cup of coffee and when we came back we sat in the waiting area on this floor.” Mom explained.

“So we can go now? Right now?”

“Well, right now as soon as an orderly brings the wheelchair you’re going to ride in to get downstairs and out on the drive where I’ll pick you up. I’m going to get the car and your mom will go with you as you’re wheeled out of here.”

“Okay, that works for me.”

I got dressed and gathered what little other stuff I had in my hospital room, including the book Candice had loaned me. It took about five more minutes until the orderly arrived and I was wheeled out to the curb. We had to wait another five minutes for Dad to pick us up. All of a sudden I realize that I was going home. Really going home, to my home with my folks.

The drive took about thirty-five minutes. We pulled up in front of our house and Dad stopped in the driveway. I got out of the car and stood there looking at our house. My house. I got teared up. I’d missed my house and my folks and eating my mom’s cooking and sleeping in my own bed. Being home.

Mom watched me and walked over and hugged me. “We’re so glad that you’re home, Brian. We love you so much.”

“I love both of you too. I’ve missed you and I’m so glad to be home.”

“Come on sport, let’s get you in the house. It’s cold out here,” Dad suggested. That was a good suggestion because it was cold. February in Oklahoma isn’t like being on the beach in Florida, let me tell you. Of course, I’ve never been on the beach on Florida but I’ve read about it.

“Brian!” It was Mr. Amery, our next door neighbor. “You’re home! Where have you been?” He walked over to our driveway. “What’s that on the side of your head? You were injured?”

Dad stepped over and talked to Mr. Amery for a few minutes while Mom and I went inside. Just like when I was outside, I just stood and looked at the living room. I felt like crying, but I held it back. I mean, I’m fifteen years old and I shouldn’t cry.

Mom smiled. “Come on upstairs to your room, Brian.”

I walked in and it was my room. MY ROOM! But there was something extra. Mom and Dad had hung a big banner reading ‘Welcome Home Brian’ and black and orange balloons hanging from the ceiling. That shoved my emotions over the edge and I started to cry. Mom rushed to me and pulled me into a hug, then I felt Dad join the hug. It was so silly that I was crying that I got the hiccoughs. Then I started laughing mixed with the crying and the hiccoughing. Weird, right? Right.

I walked over to my bed, toed off my shoes, and laid down. Oh, it felt so good. Finally, a comfortable bed, my bed, after a week and a half on totally uncomfortable hospital beds. I closed my eyes and rubbed the tears off on my right sleeve. Oh, this was going to be so wonderful. But it was too early for sleeping. I took a deep breath and got up.

“Thanks, Mom and Dad. This is fantastic. I’m so glad you’re my folks, and I’m so glad to be home.”

I’m not sure how I held back more tears, but I did. Mom helped by announcing that it was time for a snack. I realized that I was hungry, and that I wouldn’t be eating hospital food.

We went downstairs and Dad and I sat at the kitchen table as Mom made tuna salad sandwiches, one of my favorites. All of sudden we heard a ringing, like a cellphone. It wasn’t my ringtone, and it didn't sound like Mom’s or Dad’s either. Suddenly I realized what it was.

“That must be one of the phones that Inspector Kozara gave us. Mine’s in the stuff from the closet at OU Med Center. Where’s yours?”

“In my purse.” Mom rushed into the family room and we heard her say ‘Hello’. She was listening as she walked back into the kitchen.

“Uh huh... Alright... Thank you, Inspector Kozara. We appreciate the notice.”

She closed the cellphone and set it on the table. She looked at Dad then looked at me. She didn’t look particularly happy. She just stood there, looking at me.

“Mom, what did he tell you?”