Kenny and Peter - Book 1 - 15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons living, dead, space aliens, goats, or others are purely coincidental. There may be sexual content so if this, in any form, offends you, please cease reading. Also, if you are not of legal age to read this, please don't.

Copyright © 2009 by hh5

Kenny and Peter

By HH5

Chapter 15

Robbie

“I’m okay!” Kenny insisted as the paramedics tried to separate him from Peter.

Kenny screamed. “Peter! Peter!!” The paramedic took a look at Peter. ”The boy’s in shock,” Kenny added as he tried to get up from the icy ground. I think Kenny was a little in shock, too. He looked like he was going to faint. I barely caught him as he collapsed. I exclaimed.“My brother he’s fainted” The other paramedic heard me. We quickly prevented Kenny from falling to the ground. All around us, people were screaming and shouting, while others inside the diner tried to get out; to see what was happening. It was complete chaos.

The paramedics took control of the situation and started working on Kenny and Peter. Finally, the confusion at the scene got even to the paramedics, so they put Kenny and Peter in the ambulance and took them to the hospital. A couple of the policemen dispersed the crowd that now was blocking the street and the parking lot. A couple of other policemen questioned me and the family that had been fighting.

Kenny

Okay. I had fainted. I guess it was worry about Peter. Anyway, the paramedics revived me with smelling salts, actually, an ammonia inhaler. Nasty stuff but effective, I’d used it, before, on accident victims who were in shock but otherwise not injured. It works quickly. I was awake immediately. The paramedic assured me that everything was fine. I realized I was in the ER as a patient, and not as a nurse. The attending nurse asks me what happen. I explained, and asked to see Peter.

Peter was in the next cubicle. I told the attending that I was a nurse-paramedic as well as Peter’s father, and she allowed me in.

She used the smelling salts to awaken him. They worked as quickly on him as they had on me. Peter nearly jumped from the gurney. His eyes went from staring to searching. “Peter – I’m here … Peter!! “ He heard my voice and focused his attention on me. He immediately hugged me and began to cry uncontrollably. I ask the attending to give us some privacy. She nodded and closed the curtain around us.

I cooed to Peter, and reminded him to focus his breathing with mine. Next, I had him focus the beating of his heart with mine, bringing us both in harmony, making us one, father and son.

After a long sigh, he spoke, “Kenny, I want to tell you why I ran away from home.”

Peter

Kenny continued to hug me and rub my back and said “Okay, Peter. I will listen.”

“The people in the parking lot—they were like my parents … the screaming … the fighting … they were always mad …”

I started to get upset again. Kenny reminded me to stop … to breathe … to take my time … So that’s what I did. I had to tell him what happened that night – I needed to get the pain out of me. It was hurting so bad.

“Dad and Mama caught me and Leon playing with each other and kissing in my room. Leon ran off, all embarrassed, and hurt because he knew that this was the end of when our love began.

Dad and Mama left my room, and had a big fight. I heard what they were fighting about … It … It was about me … Mama wanted a girl when they had me … But then I came out … a boy … What they said…it hurt me … I ran out to them … and yelled at Dad ... I thought he … he was hitting Mama … I yelled at him some more … and … and I hit him.

He got real angry … he started beating me … I tried … I tried to stop him but he’s so big … then Mama tried to rescue me … She took me … She took me away from Dad … we ran into her room and locked the door … We both cried … we were both scared of Dad.

Dad went to the basement to work on something ... he does that when he’s mad. Mama fell asleep. I was too upset to sleep. I realized that they said I was a mistake, and that they didn’t want me. So I ran away and then you found me.” I looked up at Kenny with my sad looking eyes. When he looked back at me, I felt real sad, I couldn’t help it. A second later, I burst out crying with a river of tears flowing down my cheeks.

Kenny hugged me; he knew that I need to be held and to feel safe, but most importantly to be loved.

Robbie

After I finished with the officer, I spoke with the arguing family. They said they were sorry what they done. I told them that Pastor Jim’s church does family counseling and invited them to seek his help. Not just for themselves but for their children. I explained to them how much of what they’re doing was destroying the very foundation of their love and family. I asked them if they saw the look on Peter’s face. They said they did. I told them that Peter came from a family like theirs. That he ran away. That the look on his face came from witnessing what he had run away from. They were a lot more sober as they left.

Mother agreed to take Little Mary and Mary and Brian for lunch at the Diner, while I went to pick up Kenny and Peter at the hospital. They had been released just as I arrived, so we made it back to the diner in time to have lunch with the others. Peter seemed to cringe, a little, as we walked from the car to the door of the diner, but Kenny assured Peter that everything was ok.

The owner of the diner was a guy I knew. He came over to the table and told us how sorry he was for what had happened, even though it wasn’t his fault. I thanked him, and he told us that our lunch was “on the house.” Peter could have sworn it was all on the table and Little Mary could have sworn it was all in her tummy. Brian just giggled.

When we got home, we put the three children down for naps. Brian didn’t want one, but we adults needed to have time for ourselves to talk about what had happen today.

Mrs. Jenkins

Robbie started the discussion. He explained what had happened, at least, from his perspective. He told us that he’d spoken to the family who had been fighting on the steps of the diner about what the fighting was doing to their family, and that it would affect their children the same way it affected Peter. We were pleased to hear that he’d convinced them to get counseling from Pastor Jim, at Robbie’s church. Everyone congratulated Robbie for what he’d done.

Kenny spoke next. He gave us his account of what happen after I had screamed. He told us that he had to get to Peter when the boy began to collapse, and that he’d gotten there just in time to prevent Peter from hitting his head on the ground. Kenny added that he had fainted, probably from the shock, the excitement, and his concern for Peter. He also told us about the care they’d received in the emergency room, and that he, himself, had helped take care of Peter.

Kenny wasn’t finished, although what he said next was hard for him. He seemed to take courage when I took his hand. Kenny told us his own feelings about the package and Peter’s reaction to it. Then he told us what he had thought about during a solitary walk, early this morning. He still wasn’t finished. Kenny told us about Peter’s confession and the reasons Peter had run away. He then summarized all our thoughts. We had been right about Peter thinking he’d been a “mistake,” but we were wrong about the extent of the abuse, not to mention the environment of being un-loved, that Peter lived in for all these years. By the time he finished, there wasn’t a dry eye among us.

Later, when Kenny was feeling better, Robbie called Pastor Jim. He spoke privately for a while, and then gave the phone to Kenny. Kenny took the phone outside, and sat on the porch, talking to Pastor Jim.

Sarah

I was thinking about what Kenny said after Robbie spoke. It made me a bit concern for him. So I started to go look for Kenny in the house. I couldn’t find him. I ask Robbie, who was playing with Little Mary. Robbie pointed towards the porch. I went to see if Kenny was there.

When I saw that Kenny had hung up the phone, I slowly went out onto the porch to see how he was doing. I didn’t want to startle him. He looked up. I asked.

“Kenny, how are you holding up?” (I could see by his expression that my son needed to get something off his chest.)

“Mom! … Was I … Was I a mistake when I was born?” (I knew this day would come, and how I wish Irwin where alive to help share the responsibly.)