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Sickness & Health, Good Times & Bad
Chapter 99
Later Saturday night Brian and Justin lay in bed talking. Justin started to tell Brian about how Lindsay found out about the barbeque. Brian said he didn’t want to talk about Lindsay and stopped the conversation by leaning down and talking Justin’s cock in his mouth.
That was very effective in driving any thoughts of Michael or Lindsay from Justin’s mind.
On Sunday morning Gus was in one of his favorite places in the world. He was snuggled between his fathers in their big bed. Gus and his Daddy were talking about the barbeque and the fun Gus had playing with his cousins and Kevin as well as Patrick and Josh. Gus was also looking forward to his and Kevin’s overnight visit with Grandmom Jen next Saturday.
Gus did not mention his mother’s appearance at the barbeque and Brian had no desire to open that can of worms. Justin, his face covered by his pillow, limited his part in the discussion to an occasion grunt or chuckle. Gus leaned back against his Papa as he talked with Daddy.
Justin moved the pillow off his face and Brian smiled.
“Gus! Looks who’s finally awake.”
Gus turned and fell across Justin to give him a hug.
“Papa now that you are finally awake how about we go to Grandmom Debbie’s diner for breakfast?”
Justin wrapped his arms around Gus to return his hug.
“I’m not sure Grandmom Debbie is working at the diner this morning Little Man.”
Gus sat up and nodded.
“She’s at the diner this morning. I asked her yesterday and she said she would be there this morning.”
Justin sat up with his back against his pillows and smiled at Gus.
“Well if you think we should go to the diner; I guess that is what we should do. What do you think Daddy?”
Brian leaned over his son to deliver a kiss to Justin.
“Well Sunshine that sounds like a good idea to me.”
Gus cheered and announced he was going to get dressed and that Daddy and Papa needed to get up and dressed too. Gus cautioned them not to take too long as he was hungry for breakfast.
John and Peter opted to stay home. As Gus and his fathers entered the garage Gus turned to Brian.
“Daddy will you sit in the back seat with me?”
Brian glanced at Justin who shrugged and took the car keys from Brian’s hand.
“Sure Sonny Boy. We can pretend your Papa is our chauffeur.”
Justin chuckled as he slid into the driver seat and pushed the button to open the garage door. Brian made sure Gus was buckled into his booster seat before he buckled his own seat belt. He nodded at Gus.
“To the Liberty Diner Jeeves and step on it.”
Justin did a little salute and Gus laughed as the SUV started down the drive.
“Who is Jeeves Daddy?”
“That is just a silly name for a chauffeur.”
Gus reached out his hand to hold Brian’s hand as they drove towards the city. Brian met Justin’s eyes in the rear view mirror and raised her eyebrows. They both wondered what was going on with Gus.
Gus took a deep breath and looked over at his Daddy in the seat beside him.
“Daddy will Mommy ever act like herself again. She is so different, not so unhappy as before, but really different. I miss the way she used to be.”
Brian knew he should be glad that Gus was sharing his feelings but part of him wanted to jump out of the moving car. Instead he took his own deep breath. In the front seat Justin couldn’t help smiling at how alike father and son were in their looks and their actions.
Brian’s fingers gently rubbed his son’s hand.
“Sonny Boy I wish I could give you an answer to your question. I wish that more than anything else but I can’t. I don’t know what is going on in your Mommy’s brain. I know she is not behaving like herself but I don’t know why. I wish I could promise you that she will start to act like herself again but I just don’t know when or if that will happen.”
Gus nodded.
“That’s what I thought.”
Brian continued to caress Gus’s hand.
“You just have to remember that you can still depend on me and your Papa and your Mama. We are all here for you and will take care of you.”
“But Daddy suppose you all start to be unhappy like Mommy? Who will take care of me and JR then?”
Brian could see the unshed tears glistening in Gus’s eyes and he searched for the right thing to say.
Justin spoke up from the front seat.
“Gus, your Daddy and me can’t imagine that we won’t be always be here to take care of you. I understand that you want some assurance from us that we will always be here for you. We can’t promise that because we don’t know the future.
We can promise there will always be some member of our family who will be ready to take care of you and JR. You are so lucky to have so many people who love you. You have your Grandmoms, Uncle Mikey and Uncle Ben, Auntie Em, Uncle Ted and Uncle Blake, Aunt Molly even Aunt Daphne. So many people who love you and will always protect and take care of you.
So even if something happened to your Daddy or me or Mama; you will never be left alone. That is something we can promise you.”
Gus looked thoughtful and Brian smiled at him.
“Your Papa is a pretty smart guy. Almost as smart as me. What he has to say makes a lot of sense to me. What do you think?”
Gus nodded his head.
“I hadn’t thought about all those people. I think Papa is right and I can worry less. I just don’t understand why Mommy is acting the way she is.”
Brian nodded his head.
“None of us understand that Sonny Boy. We just have to hope that Mommy figures out what is bothering her and she starts to feel better.”
Gus smiled at his father which pleased Brian. He kept holding his son’s hand as they continued on their way to the diner. Justin parked down the street from the diner. As they walked down the street Gus walked between the two men holding their hands. As he expected, part way down the street Brian and Justin raised their hands and Gus was lifted off the sidewalk. Even though he was getting a little old for this, it still made Gus laugh hysterically. Brian and Justin couldn’t help joining in the laughter.
Debbie spotted them as soon as they walked into the diner. She grabbed Gus in a bear hug and followed up with hugging Justin. Brian managed to stay behind his partner and son and avoid Debbie’s bone crushing greeting.
Justin spotted Emmett and Rusty sitting in a booth. He walked down to the booth holding Gus’s hand.
“Hey, can we join you guys?”
Emmett slid out of the booth.
“Sure you can Baby. Hello Gus, are you all recovered from the big barbeque?”
Gus nodded with a big smile on his face. He climbed into the booth after Justin and Brian sat beside him. Emmett sat on the other side of the booth next to Rusty.
“We just ordered. What brings the three of you into the big city this morning?”
Gus spoke up.
“I wanted to come to Grandmom Debbie’s diner for breakfast. When Papa finally woke up, he and Daddy said we could come.”
Rusty chuckled at Gus’s explanation.
“Maybe your Papa was worn out from all the work he had to do for the party at your house.”
Gus shook his head.
“Papa is always a sleepy head even if he doesn’t do a lot of work.”
That statement made Emmett and Rusty laugh as Debbie delivered their breakfast. She took Brian, Justin and Gus’s orders. Since it was a busy morning at the diner she did not linger to talk. Gus stood on the bench seat and watched as Debbie made her way through the diner. He loved to watch her interact with the diner patrons.
Debbie always had a wise crack for any situation and usually left people smiling in her wake.
Gus knew that his Papa had worked at the diner a long time ago and he looked forward to being old enough to work here with Grandmom Debbie. Somehow he didn’t think Daddy would really approve of that plan so he never mentioned it to him.
Just as Brian finished his breakfast he spotted Michael walking into the diner alone. He walked up the booth. Michael gave everyone a cursory hello and asked to talk with Brian alone.
Emmett whose back was to Michael rolled his eyes. Brian glanced at Justin who shrugged with a smile on his face. Gus was too busy with his waffles to pay much attention to anything else. Rusty just looked confused as Brian got out of the booth and walked outside with Michael.
“So Mikey, what’s up? You need money?”
“I wanted to talk to you about Lindsay.”
Brian frowned. “That is not really a topic of conversation I wish to pursue.”
“Brian! We are two of her oldest friends. We can’t just abandon her. She needs us.”
“Michael, there is nothing I can do for Lindsay. I need to concentrate on Gus and you should be concerned about JR. Both kids have been abandoned by one of their mothers. I can’t understand how Lindsay can do that to the kids.”
Brian started back into the diner but Michael grabbed his arm.
“Brian it just isn’t right the way she was treated yesterday at your house. Everyone, even Ma, made her feel really unwelcome. You can’t keep ignoring how Justin is treating your old friends.”
“Lindsay was not invited to the barbeque, she deserved to feel unwelcome. I have no idea she even knew about it.”
Michael looked a little confused.
“I told her about the barbeque. I thought Justin would have told you. I thought he would be anxious to make me look like a trouble maker.”
“I told Justin the same thing as I told you that I didn’t want to discuss Lindsay. The difference is he paid attention to me. I have no idea why you thought it was a good idea to tell Lindsay about the barbeque. I also have no idea why she thought it was a good idea to show up with a date but I don’t give a fuck about either of your reasons.”
Brian pulled loose from Michael’s grip and went back into the diner. As he went through the door he could hear Justin & Gus’s laughter at something Emmett said. Brian couldn’t help smiling at the sound.
When they left the diner Gus gave Grandmom Debbie a hug and kiss good bye and happily walked down the street holding Daddy & Papa’s hands and as expected he was swung into the air a few times on the short walk. He was giggling as he climbed into the back seat. Since Gus didn’t request his Daddy’s presence in the back seat, Justin handed Brian the car keys.
Brian got into the driver seat and was surprised when Justin got into the back seat. Justin made sure Gus was buckled in and then reached into the door pocket and pulled out a sketch book and pencil. As Brian drove home, Justin played a game with Gus. He would start to draw something and Gus would try and guess what it was before Justin was done the sketch.
Brian chuckled at some of Gus’s more outrageous guesses and smiled like an idiot at the shouts of laughter from the back seat. When they got back home Justin took some of Alice’s homemade soup out of the freezer before he and Gus went up to the studio so Justin could paint and Gus could read to him. Brian seized the opportunity to do some work in the study.
Justin had bought a new book with stories about the Knights of the Round Table for Gus. Gus LOVED it. He read several stories to Papa while he worked on a new painting. Justin was pretty amused by the excited tone Gus used during several parts of the stories he read.
Eventually Justin and Gus went in search of John & Peter. They found them in the game room working on their pool shots. Justin and Gus played a couple games of ping pong while the four of them chatted. Justin made sure all three boys had completed all their homework.
Amazingly there was enough leftover barbeque food for everyone’s lunch. After lunch Brian kicked a soccer ball with John and Gus. Justin went back to the studio and Peter read on the patio. Brian and John made a salad for dinner, heated up soup and sliced some of Alice’s homemade wheat bread for dinner. Peter and Gus got the job of setting the table. When everything was ready Gus ran upstairs to let his Papa know to come down to dinner.
Gus helped with cleanup and shortly after that he was ready for his bath and bed. He had a couple busy days that tired him out.
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Ron and Nancy Peterson were away for the weekend so Lindsay had the house to herself. She had a major meltdown when Tom dropped her off on Saturday afternoon. By Sunday afternoon she had a plan of action and by the time her parents returned Lindsay was in a positive mood and the three of them went out to dinner.
Lindsay was up early Monday morning and packed a lunch for two. She was certain that she could smooth things over with Tom. Lindsay smiled as she sat on the bus feeling more sure of her plan the closer she got to school.
Once Lindsay got to school she stopped in the teachers’ lounge and then walked to Tom Bracken’s classroom. She could hear laughter coming from the room as she got closer. She stopped in the open doorway. Inside Tom was talking to a group of boys who were clustered around his desk. One of the boys facing the door nudged Tom when Lindsay appeared in the doorway.
Tom excused himself and came out in the hall. He took Lindsay by the arm and walked her a little way down the hall.
“I’m just having a meeting with some of the Lacrosse team. I’m their coach.”
Lindsay smiled.
“I just wanted to let you know that I brought you lunch. I’ll see you in the lounge at lunch time.”
Tom looked uneasy.
“The thing is Lindsay I have some errands to run at lunch. I’ll just grab something quick while I’m out. We need to talk but this isn’t the time or place for that talk. I would like for us to be friends but I think you may be looking for more. We need to clear the air so maybe we can talk after classes today.”
“I’m not sure what Justin said to you on Saturday but you have to realize that he hates me. We can’t let Justin pull us apart.”
Tom was wide eyed.
“Justin was very cordial on Saturday and we didn’t really talk about you at all. I just think you misunderstood my attempt at friendship as something romantic. Let’s talk after school and I can give you a ride home if you miss your bus.”
Lindsay stood there stunned as Tom walked back into his classroom. She could hear laughter when he got back inside. He must has said something about her to those boys to make them laugh. Some more students were starting to come into this hallway so Lindsay quickly walked to her classroom.
When she got in the classroom she saw that the canvas she had requisitioned, for her beginning technique class, was set up on an easel in the front of the room. Lindsay tried to get herself under control. She could feel the tears threatening to fill her eyes but was determined not to give Tom or fucking Justin Taylor the satisfaction of breaking her. She would show them all, she would be strong.
The bell rang for the students to be in homeroom. Lindsay got out the supplies she would need to plan and measure out her canvass and start the painting.
The bell rang after homeroom and Lindsay first class of the day started to fill the room. Lindsay pulled herself together determined not to let her enemies win. She told the students to take their seats and stated to explain how to go about preparing a canvas and how to correctly place what you wanted to paint on the canvas.
She was surprised that there were no questions and the students seemed strangely uninterested in what she was saying. Some actually looked confused. Lindsay chalked it up to it being Monday morning. She noticed a few kids whispering to their neighbors and cautioned the class to be quiet and pay attention.
Lindsay couldn’t understand the apathy of her class but just powered through, anxious for the session to be over. She couldn’t hide her sigh of relief when the end of class bell rang. She dismissed the class and said she would see them tomorrow. As they left she heard one girl say to her friends.
“What did all that have to do with art history?”
Lindsay quickly checked her class schedule and realized she had taught the lesson for beginning technique to an art history class. She had completed everything needed to begin a canvas and now the students for beginning technique were strolling into the classroom. Lindsay decided she could bluff her way through this class but just explaining what she had already completed.
Lindsay heard some students laughing as they entered her classroom. She recognized one of the boys from the meeting she interrupted in Tom Bracken’s classroom. Jesse Coyle had actually seemed interested in what she had to say about painting technique last week. Now Lindsay felt he was sharing something Tom had told him about her with his friends.
Lindsay was determined not to let Tom and his teenage posse get the best of her. Once everyone was seated Lindsay started to explain what she had done to prepare the canvas and begin the painting. All the students were surprised that that the work had already been done. Lindsay could see the questioning looks and shoulder shrugging.
“I realize that I said at the last class that I would start the calls with a blank canvas but I thought this was a better way to demonstrate the process.”
Someone in the back of the room had something to add.
“So I guess this class is kind of like post beginning, all great art movement seem to be followed by a post period.”
The annoyed look on Lindsay face had some members of the class feeling anxious but quite a few students laughed at the comment. One who laughed was Jesse Coyle and Lindsay turned to where he was sitting.
“So Jesse apparently you think this class is some sort of joke. Just what did Tm Bracken promise you to come here and disrupt my class? You can let him know that I am on to him and his tactics will NOT WORK!
Since Jesse Coyle had no idea what Lindsay was talking about looked genuinely confused.
“Ms Peterson I don’t have any idea what you are talking about.”
Lindsay face was bright red.
“Get out of my class! Go to the Principal’s office and explain to him what Tom Bracken convinced you to try and do to me.”
Jesse hesitated for a moment and Lindsay screamed for him to get out of her class. He shook his head, gathered his books and walked out. The rest of the class was totally quiet while Lindsay turned back to her canvas and continued to explain what she had done to start the painting.
Jesse walked down to the Principal’s office and explained to the secretary why he was there. She went into the inner office, came back out and told Jesse to go into meet with the Principal.
Jesse explained what had happened in Lindsay’s class, adding that the students coming out of the art history class were confused by Lindsay explaining painting technique to them. He said that he had no idea what Lindsay was talking about and that he was not the only person who laughed at the “post” comment.
The Principal asked Jesse why he thought Lindsay felt Mr Bracken had asked him to disrupt her class. Jesse told him he had no idea. Lindsay had stopped by Mr Bracken’s classroom before classes and he had gone out in the hall to talk with her but Jesse had no idea what was discussed in the hall. The Principal told Jesse to sit in the outer office until the bell rang and then just go to his next class.
The Principal checked Tom Bracken’s schedule and saw that conveniently he had a free period next class. He told the secretary where he was going and walked down to Tom’s classroom. He waited until the bell rang and the students had left the room before he went inside.
“Hi Tom. I’m afraid we have a little bit of an issue that we have to talk about.”
“What’s up?”
“Well first can you tell me what relationship you have with Lindsay Peterson?”
“I guess I would say we are friends.”
“Do you know why she would accuse Jesse Coyle of trying to disrupt her class because you had asked him to do that?”
Tom Bracken abruptly sat down.
“Are you serious?”
The Principal just nodded his head.
“I don’t want to throw Lindsay under the bus but I think she has built something up in her mind about us. She brought me lunch a couple days and I drove her home. On Friday we stopped for dinner on the way home, Dutch treat. We had a couple drinks and I took her home.
She mentioned getting together on Saturday and I agreed. She asked me to drive her to see her kids. I knew she had recently come out of a long term relationship. She said without her own car she had a hard time getting over to Washington Township so I agreed to drive her over there.
When we got there it was super awkward. The father of her son is gay. He and his partner were having a party. We were not invited and it was pretty obvious Lindsay was persona non grata. The father’s partner was very nice to me but it was embarrassing. Lindsay spent a little time watching her kids swim and we got out of there.
We had words over this on the way back to her parents’ house. I let her know that I wanted to remain her friend but that was all we could be was friends. She didn’t take it well.
This morning she stopped here and said she brought me lunch. I told her I had errands to run at lunchtime and that we needed to talk. I had some kids from the Lacrosse team in here so I said it wasn’t a good time and we could talk after school.”
“Did you mention any of this to the boys from the team?”
“Of course not. They didn’t even ask. I think they just thought it was some boring teaching stuff we were talking about. We didn’t talk about Lindsay at all.”
“Please be honest. Just one dinner, that all there is to it?”
“One dinner with a kiss good bye when I dropped her off.”
“Okay. Thanks Tom. I guess I don’t need to say that I recommend you and Lindsay keep your distance from each other.”
“Don’t worry about that!”
The Principal walked down to Lindsay’s classroom. She had another art appreciation call this period. He used his key to slip in the back door and take a seat at an empty desk. Lindsay stopped the class and looked back at him.
“Did you need to see me?”
“Please just continue your class Ms Peterson. Ignore me.”
“I’m sure the class can spare us a minute if you need to talk to me.”
The Principal answered in a stern voice. “Please just continue the class.”
Lindsay stumbled through the class and was again grateful to hear the bell signal the end of class. The students filed out and new students came into the room.
The Principal went to the front of the room and told Lindsay he would like to talk to her for a moment in the hall. Once the bell rang to start the new class the Principal asked the students to sit quietly while he and Lindsay stepped out for a moment.
Out in the hall he asked Lindsay why she had sent Jesse Coyle to his office. She repeated her belief that Tom Bracken had asked Jesse to disrupt her class.
“Why would Tom do that?”
“I tried to talk to him this morning but he put me off. We went out together Saturday afternoon to my friend Brian’s house to see my children. While we were there Justin told Tom some lies about me and it caused Tom to want to end our relationship.”
“Exactly what was your relationship with Tom Bracken?”
“Well we were starting to get closer to each other. I think we both sensed we had romantic feelings for each other. Justin hates me and he poisoned Tom’s mind against me. I know if Tom and I could just talk about this we could straighten everything out.”
The Principal was afraid this was going to be a very bad situation. He had known Tom Bracken for quite a few years. He felt Tom was honest and it appeared Lindsay had read more into the situation.
“Lindsay I spoke with Mr Bracken. He told me he had taken you to see your children but there was a party going on there that you weren’t invited to. He said he was embarrassed and after you left the party he said he wanted to be your friend but nothing more.”
He could sense Lindsay was getting more agitated.
“Of course you’d take his word for what happened. It is really all Justin’s fault. Did Tom tell you what Justin said about me?”
“Lindsay I don’t even know who this Justin is that you are talking about. Why would he tell Tom Bracken lies about you?”
“He HATES me. He is jealous of my relationship with Brian. Brian is the father of my son. I have the right to go to his house whenever I want. I don’t need an invitation. So now Tom is just one more man I trusted and disappointed me!”
“Lindsay. Please try and calm down. I think you and Tom need to have a discussion. I guess I don’t quite understand how you could feel so close to Tom after knowing him for just a week. He told me you had lunch together a couple times and went out to dinner once. From my perspective that doesn’t constitute a serious relationship. Is there more to this that I don’t know?”
“What’s the use! Tom has betrayed me, Justin continues to persecute me and you are going to side with them against me. I am all alone, as usual!”
“You seem quite upset. I think perhaps it might be best for you to go home for the day. Take a couple days to get yourself settled down and then we’ll meet to discuss how to proceed.”
“So I’m fired?”
“I think we both need to consider where we go from here. Let me call a cab to take you home.”
“I don’t need any fucking help from you. I’ll just get my things and take the bus.”
The Principal tried to reason with Lindsay but she walked back into the classroom. She said nothing to the students just grabbed her purse and briefcase and walked out of school.
The Principal stayed with the class until the bell rang. He headed back to the office, asked his secretary to try and arrange coverage for the rest of Lindsay’s classes. In his private office he called the District Superintendent to explain, as best he could, this situation.
Since it was the middle of the day there was a long delay for the next bus. Lindsay kept glancing across the street to the school and imagining Tom and the Principal looking out and laughing at her. When the bus arrived Lindsay stepped on.
“Before you shut the door I have to be sure Justin isn’t on this bus. Tom may have called him.”
The concerned driver looked her over trying to figure out if she was dangerous. There were only a few people on the bus so Lindsay could easily satisfy herself that Justin was not on the bus. She informed the driver that if he picked up Justin she would have to get off the bus. The driver just shrugged and Lindsay took a seat.
Her mother was surprised to see Lindsay home so early.
“Lindsay, what are you doing home? What’s wrong?”
“Justin spoiled things for me again.”
Nancy started to ask a question but Lindsay just walked upstairs and Nancy heard the bedroom door slam shut. Ron was out for the afternoon so Nancy just went back to the book she was reading.
After an hour Nancy closed her book and went upstairs. She knocked on Lindsay’s bedroom door and got no answer. She tried the door. The knob turned but the door did not open. Nancy called to her daughter but Lindsay just said to leave her alone.
Nancy prepared dinner and when Ron arrived home she tried again to get Lindsay to come out of her bedroom with no luck. Lindsay was the main topic of conversation during dinner. After dinner they sat on their patio drinking martinis. Finally Ron had enough and went upstairs. Nancy was close behind.
He knocked on the door and Lindsay said to go away. When the knob turned but the door didn’t open Ron lost it. He demanded Lindsay open the door. When there was no reply he kicked at the door until the bolt Lindsay installed pulled out of the wall.
When the door burst open Lindsay screamed. Ron walked into the room followed by Nancy.
Lindsay was on her bed holding a kitchen knife in her hands.
“Stay away from me. I won’t let you hurt me anymore. I’m older now. I’m not a helpless little girl!”
Nancy stood there with her mouth open.
Ron confronted his daughter.
“What are you talking about?”
Lindsay laughed bitterly.
“What I am saying is that I won’t let you touch me. All those years letting you do those things. Hoping that if I let you do what you wanted you would love me. It didn’t matter it was always Lynette that you loved best. You never tried to hurt her like you did me.”
Nancy went over by the bed.
“Lindsay, you aren’t making any sense. We don’t know what you are talking about.”
Lindsay climbed out the other side of the bed.
“You knew, you always knew but you never tried to stop him. You never let him go into Lynette’s room but you never tried to stop him from coming in here. WHY!!! Why did you protect Lynette and not me?”
Nancy and Ron exchanged a look before Nancy tried again.
“Lindsay dear, try and calm down and we can discuss this calmly.”
Lindsay just started to scream and when Ron walked towards her she brandished the knife while continuing to scream.
The phone started to ring and Nancy went to the master bedroom to answer. It was a neighbor asking what was wrong.
“Lindsay came home early with a headache and took a nap. Apparently she had a nightmare. We are trying to calm her down. Everything is okay.”
Nancy quickly hung up and went back to Lindsay’s room. Ron was standing by the hall door as Lindsay continued to stand on the opposite side of the bed and scream, tears running down her face.
Nancy tried to reason with Lindsay. She told Lindsay the neighbors could hear her and she needed to calm down. That had no effect on Lindsay as she continued to cry and scream.
They could hear police siren coming closer and then the doorbell rang. Ron answered the door and tried to get the two officers to leave. He explained that his daughter was having some kind of panic attack. They insisted on talking with Lindsay and reluctantly Ron led them up to her bedroom.
When Lindsay say the police she calmed down. She pointed to her father.
“Arrest him! He is a child molester. He abused me for years and today he kicked open my door. He is trying to hurt me again but now I’m an adult and I won’t let him.”
The police looked at Ron and Nancy. Nancy blushed and turned away. Ron shook his head.
“My daughter woke up and started yelling. My wife and I have been trying to calm her. This really isn’t a police matter. My name is Ron Peterson, I’ve played golf with your chief.”
The police officer smiled.
“We know your name sir. Your daughter seems pretty distraught. It looks like that door has been forced open.”
“Well she wouldn’t open the door. I had no choice.”
Lindsay stayed calm, feeling safe with the police.
“He used to always come into my bedroom and make me do things. When I moved back here temporarily I installed that lock to keep him out. I’m not safe here. I have nowhere to go. Justin Taylor has turned all my friend against me and got me fired from two jobs.”
The policemen looked at Ron who raised his eyebrows.
“You can see what we’re dealing with here.”
Lindsay gripped the knife tighter.
“YOU SHUT UP. YOU’RE A MONSTER!”
The policemen smiled at Lindsay. One of them moved a little closer to her.
“We are here to help you. How about you give me that knife. You are safe while we are here.”
Lindsay handed him the knife.
“I can’t stay here. I have nowhere to go. Now that he broke the lock I won’t be safe here.”
“You seem pretty upset Miss. How about we take you to the hospital so they can check you out. Maybe they can give you something to make you feel better?”
Lindsay considered that for a few moments.
“Okay. I guess I could do that. I have nowhere to go where I’ll be safe.”
One policeman took Lindsay downstairs. The other stayed with Ron and Nancy.
“We’ll take her for a psych evaluation. You can follow us in your car.”
Ron looked at Nancy who answered.
“My daughter recently broke up with her lesbian lover. I’ll call her and ask her to come to the hospital. I think her father and I would just upset her.”
The policeman looked amazed but asked for Lindsay’s partner’s name before he left.
Nancy went to a front window and looked out. She was horrified to see many of their neighbors out of their houses and watching Lindsay get into the back of the police car. Once the car pulled away Nancy hurried downstairs to lock the door and turn off all the lights.
She found Melanie’s cell phone number and called her to say that Lindsay had some sort of panic attack. Nancy said the police had taken her to Passavant Hospital. Melanie asked if Ron and Nancy were going to the hospital but was told their presence seemed to upset Lindsay so they were staying at home. Nancy said she had let the police know that she would call Melanie to let her know Lindsay was at the hospital for an evaluation.
Melanie called Ted explained the situation and asked if he could come stay with Gus and JR while she went to the hospital. A short time later Ted, Blake and Nina arrived at the loft.
Ted insisted on going with Melanie while Blake stayed with the kids.
