The Castaway Hotel - 8 - 33. Chapter 33 - A Confession And A Revelation

After we exited Andrew’s room, Jake closed the door and I assumed he did it so Jesse and Sammy wouldn’t overhear what we were discussing. Little Ricky had come out with us too, but he still hadn’t looked up at me. He was standing there like he was inspecting his shoes or the floor, so I thought it best to get things started.

“What’s up?” I asked Jake. “I thought we agreed to only bring Jesse and Sammy here for the time being.”

“We did,” Jake conceded. “But after speaking with Little Ricky, I thought it would be best to modify our agreement slightly,” he added, before giving a sideways glance at Little Ricky. I knew this was some type of signal, although I wasn’t sure exactly what it meant. I looked at both of them, hoping for an explanation, but there was a long silence before anyone spoke again.

“Little Ricky asked to come, so he could speak with you,” Jake finally informed me. “There is something he feels he should tell you.”

“And this couldn’t wait until I got home?” I asked, thinking it odd.

“No, absolutely not,” Jake assured me. “He feels this is very important, so he needs to do it now.” He gave me a look that let me know I shouldn’t question this further, so this definitely piqued my curiosity.

“All right,” I conceded, looking toward Little Ricky. “Do you want to do this alone or do you want Jake to hear this too?”

Hesitantly he lifted his head and spoke. “Both of you,” was all he said, simply, and then he went silent again.

“Okay, so what’s up?” I asked, in an effort to prod him into telling me what was on his mind. I wanted to do this quickly, so I could get back in with Andrew. However, Little Ricky was hemming and hawing, as he tried to get up the nerve to say something, but he just couldn’t seem to come up with the words. Growing frustrated, I thought I should attempt to urge him into action once more.

“I think it might be easier if you just come out and say what’s on your mind,” I suggested, while looking at him closely. I wanted to see if my words had any effect oh him.

Little Ricky swallowed hard and began to lift his head. I could see the tears flowing from his eyes and down his cheeks, which sent a chill down my spine. Why was he acting this way? What was wrong? Finally, he began to speak.

“It’s all my fault,” he sobbed, which caused me to wonder what his words meant.

“What’s all your fault?” I asked, in order to gain some clarification.

“Andrew’s accident,” he choked out. “It’s my fault he got hurt.”

I was totally confused by Little Ricky’s confession and thought I needed more details, if I were going to understand what he was trying to tell me.

“Wait a minute,” I began. “You weren’t even with him when the accident happened, so how could you be responsible for it?”

Little Ricky was sobbing quite hard now, as his guilt continued to build and consume him, yet I couldn’t understand what he was trying to tell me. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around his upper body and gave him a big hug, to ease his pain and let him know that no matter what he said, I wouldn’t love him any less. After shedding many more tears into my chest, which quickly soaked into my shirt, he finally lifted his head and spoke again.

“I messed with Andrew’s bike and that’s what caused him to get hurt,” he admitted, which threw me into an even more confused state.

“Why would you do anything to his bike?” I blurted out, before taking time to think about the best way to approach this topic. Little Ricky had the saddest expression on his face that I’d ever seen and his eyes were all red and puffy. This told me he’d been crying far longer than the short time he’d been at the hospital.

“I loosened the front wheel on his bike,” he finally responded.

“Why in the world would you do a thing like that?” I responded, before thinking again. Little Ricky looked up at me, with a scared expression on his face. It almost appeared as if he expected me to attack him, after I’d heard what he’d said.

“It was meant to be a joke,” he admitted, anxiously. “I just wanted to get back at him for the pranks he pulled on me. I didn’t think he’d get hurt.”

I was beginning to understand what had been going on here, so I hugged him again, to reinforce the notion that I wasn’t going to beat him or love him any less. He had been through a lot too, with his father’s death and his mother’s illness. The last thing I wanted to do was to add to the pain he was already dealing with.

“It’s okay,” I said soothingly, as I hugged him even tighter. “I know you didn’t mean to hurt him.” Little Ricky’s head jerked upward and he stared at me, as if he didn’t believe what he’d just heard.

“I only thought the wheel would come off and he’d have to walk back home,” he admitted. “I figured the bike would start to wobble when the nut got looser and he’d stop. When he saw what was wrong, I figured he’d just push it home, since he wouldn’t have any tools with him to fix it.” After telling me this, he began weeping hysterically.

“I understand,” I said, comfortingly. “I know you didn’t want anything like this to happen, but I’ve warned you boys before that practical jokes can go awry, and that’s what happened here. It went very wrong.” I looked at him, to see if this was starting to sink in.

“Pop, I feel so bad,” he informed me. “Even though I didn’t mean for it to happen, I’m still to blame. I never wanted to hurt him. I just wanted to get even.”

“I understand,” I reiterated, “and Andrew will too. He knew his jokes might possibly cause problems such as this as well, but he was just fortunate nothing of this nature ever happened with one of his pranks. Maybe this will finally put an end to you boys pulling pranks now.”

“I’ll never do anything like this again. I promise,” Little Ricky assured me. My heart was breaking for him, because I recognized the inner turmoil he was going through.

“Okay, I forgive you and I know Andrew will too. Do you want to sit with him for a while?” I asked, and he responded with an almost terrified look on his face.

“Do you think I should?” he wondered. “I mean… if he knows I caused his accident, maybe he’ll get so upset that he’ll just get worse.” I wasn’t sure I followed his logic, but I had to respond to it or else he’d never get past it.

“Not if you apologized,” I urged him. “I’m positive he’ll understand and forgive you.”

Little Ricky thought about this for a little while and then slowly made his way into the room and over to Andrew’s bed. I called Jesse and Sammy out of the room, to wait with Jake and me in the hall. This would give Little Ricky the privacy he needed, so he could find the courage to apologize to Andrew. Jesse wasn’t happy about the change of events, but I told him it wouldn’t be for long. I explained that Little Ricky wanted to spend some time alone with Andrew too, like he had done. Reluctantly, Jesse stepped into the hallway. He was fidgety, like a racehorse standing in the starting gate, but accepted the fact that other members of the family might also want some time alone with his best bud too.

I’m not sure what was said in there, but Little Ricky remained alone with Andrew for about twenty minutes. He might have stayed even longer, had one of the nurses not gone in on her rounds. When Little Ricky came back out into the hallway, he didn’t look as haggard or as troubled as he did when he went in. He didn’t say anything to any of us, so I didn’t press him to find out what had happened. However, he did flash me a weak smile, when he looked in my direction. This let me know some of his burden had been lifted.

Once the nurse finished her duties, we all went back into the room with Andrew and stayed with him until dinnertime. Jake suggested he would take the boys home and fix a meal, but he also noted he was concerned about me.

“Josh, come home with us,” he almost pleaded. “You need to eat too.”

“I’m fine,” I told him. “I’ll just grab something from the cafeteria or the vending machines.”

“No, you won’t eat that crap,” he informed me. “We’ll be back later and I’ll bring you something good,” he added, with a little extra emphasis.

I thanked him for his offer and for the way he took care of me, and then I gave him a hug and a kiss, before he and the boys took off. Once again, this led up to another little hassle with Jesse, because he wanted to stay with me and have some food brought back for him too. However, I told him he should go home for now and then he could return later and stay with me until bedtime. Hesitantly, he did as he was told, but that lower lip was sticking out about a half inch further than normal, as he walked out the door.

Jake and the boys had been gone for nearly two hours, so I was expecting them back at any moment. I knew it would take some time for him to drive home, fix dinner, eat and then return, so I realized they wouldn’t be back quickly. While I waited, I sat beside Andrew, held his hand and watched a little television. I also continued to stroke his hair and speak to him during the commercials. It was during one of these times that I noticed his eyes began to flutter and then they finally opened.

I was stunned and I’m certain my mouth dropped open at that point. I was unsure if this meant Andrew was back with us or if this was just a temporary improvement in his condition. I thought about going to get someone, but I didn’t want to leave him just yet, so I just pushed the call button. I knew it set off a signal at the nurses’ station and let them know I wanted or needed something. After staring into space for a few seconds, Andrew’s eyes focused on me and I smiled at my boy.

“Daddy,” he said weakly, which caused my heart to leap with joy and a lump to form in my throat. This lump delayed me from responding to him for a few seconds, and during that time Andrew’s eyes came completely into focus. He looked about the room briefly and then spoke again.

“Where am I?” he asked, innocently and in a hoarse tone.

“You’re in the hospital,” I told him. “You had an accident on your bicycle. Don’t you remember?” I could tell he was thinking about what I had just said.

“Oh, yeah,” he replied, after a brief delay. “The front wheel on my bike started to wobble and came off. When it did, it sent me flying down an embankment,” he continued, although his voice was hushed and it seemed to be taking a great deal of effort for him to respond to my questions. Therefore, I thought it best to end our discussion.

“Yes, that’s right,” I advised him, “but you’re going to be fine now. Just lay back and rest. You don’t need to say anything more, but it will take you a while to recover completely.” Andrew began to close his eyes again, but then his eyelids shot open once more and he looked back at me.

“Where’s Jesse?” he wanted to know.

“He’s home, but he’s fine,” I assured him. “He went home with Jake for a little while, so he could eat, but he’ll be back shortly. He didn’t want to leave you, but I made him.”

A few seconds later, a nurse opened the door. When she saw what was happening, she smiled. I told her I thought Andrew needed a drink, to moisten his throat, so she turned around and left to get something for him. While she was gone, Andrew closed his eyes again, so I guessed he’d learned what he wanted to know and was content.

When the nurse returned, she handed me a glass with crushed ice in it. I held in up to Andrew’s mouth and let him take a chunk in, so it would melt and moisten his throat. While I was doing that, the nurse checked Andrew over quickly. I’m not even sure Andrew even knew what she was doing, but it didn’t matter. A few minutes later, the nurse finished noting his vital signs and returned to her station,

A short time later, Andrew opened his eyes again. When he saw I was still there, he gave me a small, but forced smile, and then let his eyes close again.

The doctor entered the room several minutes later, to talk to me about Andrew’s condition, but I beat him to the punch. “Andrew came to and spoke to me,” I told him. The doctor nodded.

“That’s what the nurse told me, when she paged me,” he confirmed. “Did he seem to understand what was going on?”

“Yes!” I replied. “He asked me where he was, and after I told him, I asked if he remembered what had happened. He thought about it briefly and then told me what had happened,” I replied.

“That’s great news,” the doctor conceded. “I was going to come by soon to tell you the swelling was continuing to go down and he was progressing nicely, but I thought it might still take another day or two before he regained consciousness. This, however, is absolutely fantastic,” he added, while finally letting a grin form on his lips.

“I can’t tell you how grateful I am, Doctor. I was afraid I might lose him, or at least lose the boy he was,” I admitted, now that I felt fairly positive that wasn’t going to happen. The doctor was just about to respond, when Andrew opened his eyes again and spoke.

“Daddy, when can I go home?” he asked, in almost a whisper. I immediately moved back to his side.

“Why don’t we let the doctor answer that question,” I responded, as I turned toward the physician.

“Let me give you a quick examination,” the doctor informed him, “but I think you should stay here until at least tomorrow afternoon, just to be safe.” Andrew grimaced at the news.

“A day,” he whined, but I could tell he was also thinking about something else. It wasn’t long before we both discovered what was on his conniving little mind. “Can Jesse stay with me then?” he pleaded.

“Who’s Jesse?” the doctor asked, confused.

“That’s his younger brother, the one who’s stayed here with us most of the time,” I told him, hoping that’s all I’d need to divulge, but then I thought of something else I should probably add. “Remember, I told you he was the one who was with Andrew when the accident happened and was responsible for getting Andrew help as quickly as we did.”

“Ah, so Jesse was the little hero whom I met earlier,” he reiterated.

“Yes, you could say that,” I told him, “and the two of them are very close. They even share a room at home right now.”

“Well, if Jesse will make Andrew more relaxed,” the physician added, “I guess I could leave word that they could stay together tonight. I’ll have another bed wheeled in for him.”

“Can’t he just sleep with me?” Andrew pleaded, which caused the doctor to give him a quizzical glance. Due to Andrew’s age and size, though, I’m sure the neurologist wasn’t thinking about anything of a sexual nature happening between them. I believe he was merely considering how it might affect his patient. After thinking it over, he spoke to Andrew again.

“Would you promise that you’ll take it easy and get plenty of rest?” the doctor pressed, seeking Andrew’s reassurance.

“I promise,” Andrew told him, instinctively crossing his heart as he did so, which caused the doctor to smile.

“Then I guess it will be all right,” the physician announced, “as long as I don’t find any more medical problems during my examination.”

Once that stipulation had been added, the doctor began to check my son over. The examination was fairly thorough, as he inspected Andrew’s eyes and ears and checked his reflexes. The doctor was just about to listen to Andrew’s heart and lungs, when I saw Jake open the door. He was holding Jesse’s hand firmly, to keep him from rushing into the room, so I signaled him to remain where he was. I then excused myself, so I could go speak with him.

Once I was outside the room, I suggested we move to the waiting room, so we wouldn’t disturb the doctor and I could explain what was going on. Jesse didn’t want to go with us, and kept indicating he wanted to go in with Andrew, but I told him the doctor needed to be alone with Andrew for a few more minutes, so he could complete his examination. Reluctantly, Jesse gave in once more.

“As you probably noticed,” I began, speaking to the both of them, “Andrew has regained consciousness. He only came to a short time ago and I haven’t had a chance to call you at home yet,” I added, as I noticed a mixture of excitement and relief washing over them, “The doctor felt he should look Andrew over, to determine how well he’s doing and see if there are any other problems. He’ll let us know what he thinks shortly, just as soon as he finishes his examination.”

“I seeeee Anndoo,” Jesse managed to say, looking hopeful.

“Maybe even more than that,” I responded, which caused Jesse to give me another quizzical look. Before I had a chance to explain, the doctor came out to speak with us.

“Your son is doing remarkably well and I think he’s going to be just fine,” he began, and I heard us all release a sigh of relief.

“When will he be able to go home?” I asked the neurologist, once I regained my wits about me.

“If he’s doing this well in the morning, then there’s a good chance I might be willing to release him after lunch,” the doctor advised me. “How does that sound to you?” he asked, while giving us a knowing grin at the same time.

“Absolutely wonderful,” I replied, while bursting with joy inside.

“And I see Jesse has returned,” the physician added next, while staring at my newest addition. This caused Jesse to wonder how the doctor knew who he was, since he’d forgotten they had met before. He was too concerned about Andrew at the time to remember their previous, brief encounter.

“Yes, it’s been tough to get him to do anything else,” I informed the doctor, before turning toward Jesse. “Andrew told the doctor all about you, when he was being examined,” I continued, while watching Jesse’s eyes grow as large as saucers.

“Yes,” the doctor confirmed. “I heard you were the hero who saved your brother’s life,” he added, which caused Jesse’s eyes to bug out from his head even further and his mouth to drop open.

“The doctor said Andrew’s injuries would have been much more serious,” I explained, as I tried to answer some of Jesse’s unasked questions, “if you hadn’t gotten help for him as quickly as you did.”

“Exactly,” the doctor agreed. “Had Andrew gone unattended for even another fifteen or twenty minutes, the swelling in his brain might have expanded to the point where it could have caused permanent brain damage or possibly even death.” This was not only sobering news, but it made us all realize how close we came to losing Andrew and how important Jesse’s actions were. I think Jesse was now starting to appreciate his importance in this as well.

That news did not go unnoticed by Little Ricky or Sammy either. Even though I hadn’t realized they were standing in the background before, they were now looking at their newest brother in a different light. Both boys began to realize the significance of the role Jesse had played in this little drama and how vital his actions were. Jesse had made it possible for Sammy to still have his only biological brother and prevented Little Ricky from carrying a great weight around with him for the rest of his life. That would have happened, if Little Ricky had actually caused Andrew to be seriously injured or been responsible for his death because of the prank. Suddenly, Jesse was thrust into the limelight as a hero and was now getting a great deal of attention from Sammy and Little Ricky as well.

“I’m sorry, but I have to leave you now,” the doctor advised us, and then paused slightly, before continuing to speak. “I also imagine Jesse and Andrew will want to get settled in.” This comment caused everyone else to turn in my direction and flash me a very puzzled look, so I thought I’d better explain.

“Yes, I suppose they will,” I told the doctor, before turning toward the others.

“Andrew got the doctor to give him permission to have Jesse spend the night with him,” I explained, “as long as he agrees to let Andrew get his rest.”

A huge smile burst across Jesse’s face and his head began to nod up and down vigorously. We almost had to hold him back, as he was ready to race into the room and jump into bed with his buddy. Jesse was extremely excited that he’d actually be spending the night with Andrew, but I had to make sure he understood everything, before it happened. I picked him up and held him in my arms, until I had explained the entire situation to him.

When I finally put him down, he raced to Andrew’s side and climbed up, so he could sit on the edge of the bed. He was staring lovingly at Andrew, as the rest of us followed into the room. Andrew was very excited about seeing Jesse again too, but we had to make sure he kept his enthusiasm under control.

“Yuuuuu bettttt errrr?” Jessed asked, which caused Andrew’s eyes to bulge from their sockets.

“He spoke!” Andrew exclaimed. “Dad, Jesse spoke!” he reiterated. “Did you hear him?”

“Yes, I did,” I told him, “but he’s done that before.” Andrew furrowed his brow, as he tried to understand what I was telling him.

“Jesse uttered his first words, after he rushed home to tell me about your accident,” I clarified. “It was how he let me know you were in trouble and the first thing he said was that you were hurt.” Both boys were beaming now. Andrew was proud of Jesse’s accomplishment and Jesse was pleased that Andrew was going to be fine. It was a wonderful moment.

“I’ll arrange for Jesse to start getting some speech therapy, as soon as possible,” I added, “to help him keep improving his language skills. With a little luck, he’ll be speaking just like the rest of you within a few months.”

This news was also received enthusiastically, and then we let Sammy and Little Ricky have some time with Andrew too. Jesse wasn’t about to leave Andrew’s side, but the other two didn’t seem to mind. I guess they figured after all he’d done to save Andrew; he deserved to stay beside him.

I had also taken a moment to pull Little Ricky aside before we entered, so I could suggest that he not say anything about what he had done to the bike, I thought it best if he waited until Andrew came home and was feeling better first. Little Ricky readily agreed and I think that removed a little pressure from him as well.