Escaping the Pain - 7. Chapter 7

“Yes sir?” Tap said respectfully, finally turning his head to look at the 2 deputies that had followed Dr. Wickels in to Dane's room. One was clearly the older and more experienced officer. His partner didn't seem like a rookie but there was a distinct gap in their ages and something that Tap couldn’t quite put his finger on. While their uniforms were exactly the same there was a difference in the way they wore them, it was almost a second skin for the graying man whose nametag read Deputy McDiffey.

“Dr. Wickels informed us of your accusations against,” the deputy looked down at the notepad in his hand,” Daniel’s dad. We need to ask you some questions if we can, at least until he wakes up and can tell us exactly what happened to him. Can you come with us please?” The older deputy was speaking; his salt and pepper hair and mustache making him seem more authoritative than the younger rookie he was working with. That guy was built though, his wide shoulders straining his uniform shirt. His nametag read Deputy Jolston and his badge looked shiny new as it gleamed on his breast.

“Do I have to?” Tap asked, anxiously looking back at Dane, hoping he had opened his eyes while he had looked away.

“Yes, son, if you want to help your friend,” the younger deputy said in a compassionate voice. Tap closed his eyes and nodded, though he couldn’t keep them closed long. Checking to see if Dane woke up was almost compulsive. He couldn’t seem to look away for more than few seconds.

“I meant what I said, Dane, okay? Please,” Tap said in a small voice, tightening his fingers on the lax hand one more time before tenderly lowering it to the bed and pulling his hand out from under it reluctantly. He smoothed a wrinkle in the crisp white sheet before Tap indicated he was ready to go and unlocked the wheelchair wheels to let the younger deputy roll him back and out the door. Tap kept his gaze on Dane's face as long as possible then dropped to look at his hands unconsciously clenched together in his lap. He didn't want to leave Dane now but he would do whatever he had to in order to make him safe.

“Where are we going?” Tap asked in a nervous voice, fidgeting in his seat as he was pushed down the hall, “are you taking me to the police station?”

“Of course not. We're going to collect your parents and then the nurse on duty said we could use the conference room off the ER to speak with you,” the older deputy explained. His voice was calm and in charge but he wasn't talking down to Tap like he was just a kid. He could see how nervous the young man was though and went on to reassure him, “We just have some questions about what you told the doctor and about your friend in general. You're not in any trouble but we need to find out if your friend is in danger or a danger to others. We have to wait on a few things and also talk to him before we know exactly what is going on, okay?”

Tap was reassured he wasn't in trouble but the thought Dane might be stressed him out. He didn't want anything to happen to someone who had rapidly become one of his best friends.

“I'll help in any way I can but you have to protect him. His dad hurts him, he needs help,” Tap wasn't above begging for their help to protect the small guy lying all in that hospital bed if that was what it would take to keep his dad from hurting him anymore.

“That's partly what we want to talk to you about, son. Don't worry, if his dad is hurting him we'll help him, okay? Now let's find your parents before we talk about this anymore.”

“Okay.” Tap sat back in his wheelchair and tried to relax a little bit. His feet were throbbing a bit and he was getting a headache. His parents stood up and walked over to him when he was wheeled into the main emergency area. His mom hugged him while his dad stood behind him and patted his shoulder, curling his big hand around the muscle in a show of support.

“How's your friend?” His mother asked.

“I don't know, Mom, he's hurt, he's hurt bad,” Tap said, more tears streaming down his face. He was oblivious to them as they dripped down his face to fall unheeded onto his lap, “I want to help him but I can't. It's driving me crazy.”

Tap was clenching his hands on the wheelchair arms now. His mother patted one hand and pried it up from the padded armrest to wrap both hers around it and squeezed.

“You just have to stay positive, honey, you know I'm right. It will help both you and Dane,” his mom admonished him.

“I'll try Mom, I really will. Thank you,” Dane promised, tugging her down to him to get another one of her enveloping hugs that soothed the jagged edge of his worry.

“You're welcome, honey.”

“Excuse, Mr. and Mrs. Leeran, but let's move this to the conference room if you please. We really do need to ask Patrick some questions.” It was the older man, Deputy McDiffey taking charge again.

He led the way to the conference room but this time Tap's dad pushed his wheelchair. They all moved up to the table, Tap's mom moving a few chairs out of the way to make room his wheelchair. The deputy wasted no time as soon as they were all seated.

“We are going to tape this conversation, okay?” The deputy didn’t exactly ask permission before turning on a small voice recorder that he placed in the center of the black table. He clicked it on and stated, “Deputy Aleck McDiffey and Saul Jolston performing the interview. Witness Patrick Leeran, age 17, questioned with the permission of his parents, Patrick and Keri Leeran. Could everyone repeat their names and consent for the record please?” Tap and his parents confirmed the information and then the deputy started with the questions.

“Patrick, how did you know your friend was in that accident tonight?” Deputy McDiffey asked.

“Umm, do you mean me? Because my dad is Patrick, everyone calls me Tap."

"Okay, Tap it is then. How did you know that Dane had been in an accident and where to find him?"

"Dane called me on the cell phone I got him and managed to tell me what area he was in before the phone went dead. I think he must have passed out. I didn't know exactly where he was for sure but I just had to find him.” Tap was still upset but trying not to sniffle.

“Then what happened?”

“I asked Brett to call 911 and our parents before I went to find him. I knew Dane needed me.”

“Dane is a good friend of yours?”

“Yes.”

"How long have you known him?”

“I met him oh...” Tap thought hard, he had to count the days twice, it seemed so much longer, “8 days ago. He was running down the sidewalk and ran into me. He hurt his ankle and I helped him back to school.”

“He was running away from school?” Deputy Jolston asked with one eyebrow raised.

“It wasn't like that! He's not a runaway!” Tap protested, “He'd just been told by the Vice Principal that his mom died in the hospital from cancer. He didn't even get to say goodbye. His dad wasn't even going to come to the school and pick him up or tell him in person, he left it to a stranger! Dane freaked out and ran, he was upset, that's all.”

“Was he upset tonight for some reason?” Deputy McDiffey asked.

“Sort of. At lunch today I touched his shoulders and he yelled and cringed away from me. I knew I hadn't grabbed him that hard so I made him go to the boy’s bathroom with me and Dane told me,” Tap closed his eyes, “he told me about the awful things that his dad did to him, hitting him, kicking him. He... he showed me bruises, all over his sides and his back. He had these deep purple lines across his shoulders. He said his dad used a rubber hose on him the last time.”

Tap was crying now and not trying to hide the big tears that rolled down his face. His mom handed him a tissue as his dad rubbed his back.

“Did he tell you why?”

“No, he just said he broke the rules,” Tap said, “but I know it happened on Friday. I think it's because Dane didn't go straight home. He always has before. I kept asking him to come to one of our baseball games so he could see me play and on Friday he did. But why would his dad do that just for not going home? It's wrong. Dane is so small, he’d never hurt anyone. He's quiet and always does what he's supposed to. I don’t understand how a man could do that!” Tap was trying to control his tears and he scrubbed his face almost angrily with the palm of his hand to wipe away the tracks.

“Obviously not if he didn't go straight home on Friday like he was told,” Deputy Jolston said.

Tap was already angry and that one flippant statement was enough to set him off on the inexperienced man. He put his hands flat on the table and leaned forward, glaring at the younger deputy.

“Are you done with your questions?” Patrick asked the deputies, upset at seeing his son so distraught.

“Just a little bit more,” Deputy McDiffey said, shooting a glare at Jolston.

Deputy Jolston took a deep breath; he knew he had been in the wrong. He hadn’t meant anything like what his comment sounded like. He had a lot to learn but first he needed to make it right. He looked at Tap, trying to sound as sincere as he was, “I'm sorry, Tap, you're right, no one deserves to be hit for any reason. My remark was thoughtless and I was out of line.”

Tap nodded but he was still angry and had to force himself to bite back a bitter retort. His dad squeezed his arm, proud that Tap was controlling himself.

Deputy McDiffey took control of the interview again, “You said you got Dane a cell phone earlier, is that right?”

“Yes.”

“Why did you get him a phone? So you could talk to each other?”

“Well yes and no. I got it so he could call me, but not just to talk. I was really worried about him going home after school got out, I just had this bad feeling. He agreed to go to the police station with me the next morning but he didn't want to miss his tests in school and he was afraid his dad would report him as a runaway if he waited until after my practice. He wouldn't let me skip it, he insisted on going home.”

“Okay, so that's when you got him the phone?”

“Yeah, I didn't have a class until last period so I went and picked up one of those $20 prepaid phones and put my numbers in it. That way if something happened I could go pick him up right away. He promised he'd call me if his dad did anything or something happened. I’m glad he called me but I don’t know why he didn’t before he got in that car. He promised me he would call me to come get him if he got into trouble. He did and I wasn’t there.”

“Sounds like you getting him that phone saved his life son. You did a good thing,” Deputy McDiffey said.

“Then how come it feels like I failed him?” Tap asked bitterly, “I should have skipped practice that night no matter what he said or insisted he go talk to you guys right away. If I had he wouldn't be hurt and possibly dying.”

Tap was devastated at the thought of his guilt and lashed out at himself mentally; calling himself every name he feared Dane would call him if he ever woke up. It would destroy him but he knew he'd deserve it. His self-loathing was easy to read on his face and his mom was concerned about him, especially if his friend didn’t pull through.

“Shhh, we don't know that he's dying, the doctors said he was pretty stable just unconscious. Dr. Wickels said he could wake up at any time, they just don't know. You have to stay positive for him, he needs that,” Keri admonished Tap, rubbing his back as he closed his eyes, trying to regain his usual control of his emotions.

“We're going to need your phone, Tap. I know most teens have them almost grafted to their ears, so I’m sorry, but it's evidence. We need to verify the call times with the phone we found on the scene,” Deputy Jolston said. Tap took it out of his pocket and slid it across the table.

“Is that all?” Tap asked. Deputy McDiffey nodded and turned off the recorder before starting to put away his writing materials and his equipment.

Tap felt a surge of relief and turned to his parents, “Can I go see Dane again?”

“We'll have to ask the doctor,” said his mom, not wanting to get his hopes up.

“When?”

“How about we go...” Dane's mother was interrupted when they heard shouting outside the conference room.

“What do you mean tragic accident?! The little faggot stole my dead wife's car and wrecked it; whatever happened to him, it serves him right. Now where is the little shit?” The man shouting had a loud blustery voice and they heard a higher pitched voice trying to calm him, obviously one of the female nurses.

“I'm sorry, sir. You can't go back right now the doctor is with him. Sir... Sir!”

“Dad! Dad, it's him, that's Dane's dad,” Tap whispered as he tugged on his dad's hand, his eyes wide. Patrick put his hand on his son's shoulder.

“It'll be okay, son.”

The two deputies exchanged a look. McDiffey pocketed the voice recorder and the pair stood up. “Thank you Tap, Mr. and Mrs. Leeran, if you will excuse us, we have some questions for Mr. Kendricks.” They quickly exited the conference room and followed the commotion they could hear down the hall where Dane's room was.

Tap and his parents waited in the general Emergency area for a doctor or nurse to tell them when Tap would be released but it was like they had all disappeared. Tap was very anxious; no longer able to hear any shouting he couldn't tell what was going on.

It was only a few minutes later when the deputies came out with Mr. Kendricks sandwiched between them. His entire face was red and his back was absolutely rigid; he was quite obviously upset. Then he spotted Tap sitting in his wheelchair off to one side and jerked out of the grips they had on his arms.

“You! What are you doing here? Why are you always around that little queer when he gets hurt? Was this your idea? You sticking it to my son and he was so desperate for it he stole my car to perform his perversions with you?” Mr. Kendricks took large strides away from the startled deputies to tower over Tap in his wheelchair, yelling again. His voice was thick with anger and he was practically spitting as he confronted Tap. Patrick pulled Tap's wheelchair backward and stepped in front of him and directly in the path of the raging man.

Tap felt small and helpless even though he was a large guy, 6'5” and being an active teenager and in sports had kept him in excellent shape. He wasn't a muscle-bound thug type, no-necked and relying on his brawn in every situation but he realized how much he relied on it when being helpless in the face of Dane’s dad really hammered home the hell that Dane had been living in. Patrick was not helpless however and was no slouch when it came to the height and muscles department. So when Patrick moved in front of his son he was bigger than the large angrily man who was crossing a line against his family.

“Excuse me, sir, but you need to stop speaking to my son like that or you and I are going to go a few rounds.” Patrick said firmly. His voice was clear and loud enough to be heard but not a shout by any means. He stood in front of Tap with his body relaxed, trying to defuse the situation without being overly aggressive.

Alan Kendricks looked up and down the larger man dressed informally in jeans and a t-shirt and flicked a finger at him disdainfully. “Get the hell out of my way, hillbilly, while I teach your little fairy 'son' a lesson.” Alan's tone was derisive when he said the word son, implying something much different. When he tried to take a step forward Patrick refused to budge, growling a little at the man who was insanely angry and threatening his child.

Then Alan made the mistake of taking a swing at Patrick. The police finally reacted but not in time to stop him. Patrick turned his body and absorbed the blow on his left shoulder, swinging back around with a powerful right hand punch that landed squarely on Alan's nose. The fight left the man immediately.

There was an audible crunch and blood spurted from his nose. Alan cried out in pain. His hands flew up to cradle his damaged face, tears streaming from his eyes. “You broke ma dose.” He was on his knees from the pain, “I want dis man arrested.” He was looking at the sheriff's deputies but pointing one bloodstained hand at Patrick.

Patrick was still standing in front of Tap, holding the bruised knuckles of his right hand in his palm while glaring at Alan. Alan turned his evil smirk around on Tap but Patrick pointed at him.

“You can go to hell, you bigoted bastard. You try to touch one finger on my son again and a broken nose is going to be the least of your worries.”

He watched with his arms crossed over his chest as Deputy Jolston grabbed Alan's arm and helped pull him up. Then to the shock of the still angrily sputtering man, he cuffed his hands behind his back and began reading him his rights.

“What the hell am I being arrested for?” He demanded, fighting against the deputy as he tried to take him to a gurney across the room.

“You are being arrested for assault and for attempted assault on a minor. And if you don't stop fighting me you will be adding resisting arrest to those charges as well.” Deputy McDiffey told him as he had to help his partner haul the livid man away from the Leerans.

Keri was fluttering around Patrick, clucking over his reddened and slightly swollen knuckles.

Tap was just looking at his dad with big eyes, “Holy hell Dad, that was amazing! Where did you learn to do that?” Tap asked in amazement.

“Patrick Seamus Leeran, language!” his mother snapped.

“Sorry, Mom.”

“Son, at our size there are typically 2 types of guys who will want to fight men as big as we are. The first because they want to try their luck against the biggest man around to see if they are better. That's bad enough but the second kind? They do it because they are afraid and that pisses them off. Usually they are smaller men who believe they have to prove they are tougher.”

“Remember son, fighting never solves anything, it should never be the only means to an end because it's wrong. That being said, knowing how to knock them down and out in the first blow saves time and broken knuckles,” Patrick sucked in a breath when Keri pressed on the spot that must have hit above the bridge of Alan Kendricks' nose, “well, most of the time. Always avoid the forehead son, solid bone.” He winced again when Keri tightened her grip on his throbbing hand.

“That's enough. Tap has gone 17 years without needing to know this, now is not the time.” Keri admonished her husband.

“Now, I am going to go get you some ice. Stay right here and stay out of trouble.” Keri gave Patrick a warning look before she walked away.

“Dad would you...” Tap began as he leaned forward in his wheelchair after she took just a few steps.

“We will talk about this more later, son,” Patrick interrupted him.

He stood silently until Keri turned the corner. Then he looked at Tap and answered his unfinished question, “But yes, though it will stay between us.”

Tap nodded, sitting back in his chair, satisfied and knowing that his mother would turn a blind eye as long as they were discreet. He kept his chair where he could watch the hall to Dane’s room when his mom came back with some ice in a latex glove. She pulled Patrick over to some chairs away from Alan Kendricks who was still glaring at the Leerans while belligerently resisting treatment.

All of a sudden he saw Dr. Wickels came out of the back corridor from the ICU section. Calling out to him Tap waved him over.

“Hey doc, do you think I can go see Dane again until it's time for me to go? I won't disturb him, I promise.”

“I don't think you could. If that man's ranting and raving didn't wake him up I highly doubt anything you could do would affect him until he is ready to come out of it. In fact, it might do some good.” The doctor looked at Dane's father with a pinched look on his face and shook his head, “How someone could speak of their own son in such a way I will never understand.”

He pursed his lips and turned back to Tap. “I think it might be good for you too. I'm sure it won't be long until they have all your discharge and wound care paperwork ready. You can go visit him while you wait. Do you need a nurse to push you?”

“Nah, I've got it.” Tap pushed the wheelchair back and spun it around in a tight circle, grinning as he came around to face the doctor and his dad. He was anxious and happy he was going to get to see Dane again, “Nothing wrong with my arms.”

The doctor laughed, “No, obviously not. It's good to see some high spirits; hospitals tend to be a tad dreary a lot of the time. Just don't disrupt anyone, okay?”

“Sure thing, Doc!” Tap nodded to his mom and dad where they sat on the same chairs they had been sitting on when he came out last time. Tap wheeled his chair down that corridor as fast as he could safely go. He slowed down before he went into Dane's room, a little more prepared this time for the look of his friend lying lost in the big bed covered in tubes and wires.

“Hey buddy, I'm back,” Tap gently slid his hand palm up under Dane's warm limp hand. He caressed the still fingers with his own, gently gripping them.

“You so will not believe what just happened. Your Dad was here. Well, he is here but don't worry, he can't come back. He's in handcuffs.” All of a sudden Dane's hand twitched. His head moved a little but not much as his neck was still wrapped in the protective cervical collar. His face was scrunched up in pain and his eyes were barely cracked open but the confused hazel gaze looking at Tap brought him relief and happiness that was immeasurable.

“Dane? Dane! You're awake, you're back! Oh gods, thank you, thank you!” Tap's hand was now trembling but he didn't let go of Dane's hand. He leaned over the bed and pressed the call button with his other hand.

“Tap?” Dane asked as if he didn’t believe his eyes. His voice was scratchy and barely there but he somehow managed to sound incredulous.

“Yes, can I help you?” asked a nurse over the intercom.

“He did it! Dane woke up, he just spoke to me! He's okay, he's okay,” Tap in an exultant tone his big smile beaming at Dane who just looked confused.

The nurse came bustling in the room; first checking machines and then she leaned over the bed. “Hi honey, decided to join us, huh?” She smiled at Dane and did a quick check on his pulse and respirations. “I'm just going to go get the doctor. You can rest if you're sleepy; you’re going to be just fine now.”

Tap was still beaming at Dane but his eyes changed after he heard her emphasis on now, taking the tone to heart. Filled with guilt and sorrow, his held back tears as he blurted out his apology, “I'm sorry Dane, so sorry. I should have been there.” Tap's heavy head came down on the bed and he cried as if his heart would break, unable to stay in control. Dane used their joined hands to rest his fingers on the back of Tap's head and caress his light brown hair. It was soft and thick, full of life, just like Tap.

Though it had hurt to move even that much, Dane couldn't help but respond to Tap's pain “Shh,” Dane’s voice was a growlier version of itself but he cleared his throat and it helped a bit. “It'll be okay.”

"How can you say that? There are police here; they wanted to know so many things. I don't know what happened Dane, but I know I failed you. I’m sorry I broke my promise, I'll understand if you want me to go. I would hate me if I were you." Tap still didn't raise his head but moved to pull his hand away when Dane didn't respond.

Dane did let out an inarticulate sound of protest at that. "Stop it," he ordered before coughing, "I could never hate you, because I, just, well, you just didn't fail and,"

Tap was shaking his head. "You will change your mind you know. You'll see I'm right and then you won't ever talk to me again," Tap said with certainty.

"You're an idiot. Listen to me. I. Don't. Hate. You. Get it?" Dane started coughing uncontrollably just as Tap finally got the courage up to look up and see if Dane's face was a sure as his words. His face was pale white and his lips were thin trying to control the pain the coughing spasm brought on.

Man, he was a failure. Dane just woke up from some kind of a coma and he was pushing him to talk to him so much that he was making him worse. He was a horrible friend but for some reason Dane refused to see it that way. Tap decided to stop wallowing though, vowing to be a better friend from then on.