Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 22:00:52 -0400
From: Sequoyah <sequoyah@charter.net>
Subject: CF-15

		  ASP--The Concord Five--Chapter Fifteen
	     This chapter opens on Tuesday, November 14, 1995

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				 Comments

This is the second chapter covering the Thanksgiving break for the Oberlin
Five so their story will be included in the Concord Five and until they
rturn to Ohio, there will be no postings of OF.

Take a look at the Yahoo site devoted to Working It Out if you have read
the story and if you have not, it is highly recommended.

A note is always appreciated: sequoyah@charter.net. Also check out the
Yahoo groups devoted to the story at
Sequoyahs_Place@yahoogroups.com. (interesting reading, but no longer
active) and SequoyahsPlace@yahoogroups.com.

ASP--The Concord Five--Chapter Fifteen--Michael

I got up as usual Tuesday morning, showered and dressed and went
downstairs. Dad was fixing breakfast and Mom was feeding one of the
twins. The other was lying in a carrier on the kitchen table. "One down and
two to go," I said as I sat down. "Dad, you have anything you want me to do
today? I know I won't spend all day on school work. I don't have that
much."

"You could work up the hay in the river bottoms. I'm really surprised that
we got a cutting this late, but the weather has been so warm, I cut it
Saturday so it's ready to bale and bring to the barn. If you get it done
today, we won't have it to do Saturday. And you might help your mom with
the girls. One baby is a full-time job and there are two here. You might
even learn how to diaper one," Dad laughed.

"I really could use some help after breakfast bathing the two. If you'd
help me with that, I'd appreciate it," Mom said.

"Mom, in time I might learn what and how to do for the girls, but you are
going to have to tell me when there is something I can do. I won't just
know it."

"I'm sure you will learn very quickly, Michael," Mom said. "When they cry
it generally means they are wet, messy or hungry. That's about all babies
care about--eating and staying clean--and you can hardly do anything about
feeding them so long as I am producing enough milk."

"Mom, you make yourself sound like a cow!"

"Well, cows and I have something in common. We are mammals and mammals feed
their young with their own milk," Mom laughed, "and I don't think you can
help out with that."

The twin Mom was nursing had gone to sleep with a nipple in her
mouth. Without thinking I said, "Man, I'd never do that, go to sleep when
there's a nipple available". As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I
realized what I had said. I could feel my face burning as Dad, then Mom,
gave me a look and started laughing.

"Michael, I think you have great difficulty hiding much from us because you
speak without thinking," Mom said.

"I do a lot of thinking but, you are right, too often I just blurt
something out. Not very wise."

"Certainly not at all wise when you are talking--I assume--about Jens' baby
girl. The Danish troll can be pretty terrible when he sets his mind to it."

Dad put breakfast on the table and we sat down. Just as dad finished the
grace, Elizabeth let out a howl. "Food, mess or wet?" I asked.

"Not food, because she was just fed," Mom said. She slipped a finger under
the leg of Elizabeth's diaper, pulled the diaper aside and said, "Not wet
or messy. I guess that leaves a gas bubble." She put Elizabeth on her
shoulder and started stroking her back. I was surprised when the baby
burped. It was not a tiny little delicate burp at all.

After breakfast, I cleaned up the kitchen then bathed the twins under Mom's
supervision. They were so tiny I was afraid I would hurt them. Mom kept
reassuring me, telling me they were not china dolls. It didn't do a lot of
good because by the time I had finished with the two, I was a nervous
wreck. Mom promised me I would get used to handling the girls. "And,
besides," she said, "they will get stronger and be able to hold themselves
together."

By the time we had finished bathing the babies, the morning dew was gone
and I could go to the river bottoms. Dad had bought a well-used hay baler
several years ago, the old-fashioned kind which made neat square bales--not
the huge rolls most modern balers make. We make plenty of hay, but not
enough to justify purchasing a new baler. I went to the shed by the barn,
started the tractor--which was also old, but kept running like a top by
Dad--hooked up to the baler and headed for the bottoms.

The river bottoms--the broad flood plain along the river--is exceptionally
fertile for the same reason the Nile's flood plain is fertile. Floods
deposit soil from up-river, covering the flood plain. The river seldom
floods, but over the years it had created the fertile river bottoms. When I
reached the bottoms, I saw Dad had cut the hay, but had not raked it into
windrows. That meant I had to go back to the house and get the rake to do
that. I was in no hurry, the day was sunny and quite warm for
mid-November. I unhitched the baler and drove back to the house, hooked up
the rake and returned to the bottoms.

I enjoyed work like raking and baling hay. It required little thought and
you could see what you had accomplished. I liked the fact that I didn't
have to concentrate on the work so I could think. It was solitude for me
and that was important. I needed time to myself just to think.

As I circled the meadow, I wondered what was happening at school. I was a
little embarrassed when I realized I was thinking about how school was
getting along without me and assumed the answer was "not well". I had
assumed I was so important the school would collapse if I wasn't there
running things. "What a swell-head you have become," I said to myself. As I
continued raking hay, I took that thought further. If I weren't present, at
least the Fellowship was. But it didn't take me long to remember we all had
been gone for almost a week over Halloween, and when we got back the school
was still standing and running very well, thank you.

I guess I had finally come upon an answer to a problem Mary Kathryn and I
faced. We were so busy with school we had neglected each other, but it was
our fault, not the school's. The women's group Linda and Mary Kathryn had
started was going very well and they had turned it over to a couple of
other women to run. I could see that there were other things in which Mary
Kathryn and I were involved that needed to be turned over to someone
else. For example, I didn't want to drop out of the peer counseling
program, but there was no reason why the leadership should not go to
someone else. By the time I had all the hay in windrows, I had thought of
several ways Mary Kathryn and I could gain some free time while allowing
others to experience leadership.

It was near lunch time when I switched to the hay baler and started making
the rounds of the meadow again. As I did, I asked myself why I was there
instead of being in school. I had slugged a fellow student who, no doubt
about it, was a first-class asshole, but me slugging him didn't change
that. It hadn't helped Billie Sue at all. Nothing had changed so far as she
was concerned or, for that matter, so far as Phillip Curran was
concerned. I will admit landing one on the asshole's jaw made me feel
better, but I didn't need to get all self-righteous about it. It had done
no-one any good. All I had really accomplished was getting tossed out of
school for three days. "Bad move, Golden Eagle," I said to myself.

I took a lunch break and when I got to the house, Mom was busy feeding
Mary. Elizabeth was demanding attention at the top of her lungs. "She
probably needs changing," Mom said. "Think you can manage that?"

"Sure." Mom had showed me how to diaper a baby and I had gotten good at
it. Not to say I liked changing a messy diaper, but I could do it. When I
got her changed, I held her and she started rooting at my chest, looking
for a nipple. "Hope you get over that before you're a teenager," I laughed.

When Mom finished feeding Mary, I took her, put her over my shoulder and
stroked her back until she burped. When she did, she promptly went to sleep
and I took her to the nursery. By the time I had Mary down, Mom was about
finished with Elizabeth. While she finished, I fixed lunch for us.

When she came back to the kitchen, Mom said, "Obviously I don't approve of
your behavior yesterday and I don't want you out of school, but you sure
are a big help. Think if anyone could really tell you how demanding babies
are the human race would die out in a generation. I've just started with
these two and have the teen years to look forward to, but maybe they will
be as little trouble as their brother. Thanks, Michael, not only for
helping now but for always." Mom gave me a hug and kiss on the cheek and I
blushed. "Why the blush, Michael?" Mom asked.

"Because I got to thinking this morning that I was beginning to think I was
a lot more important than I am." I then told Mom how I had realized I was
starting to think I was indispensable.

We talked about that and Mom assured me I had never acted like I thought I
was the be all and end all, "but I'm glad you did that bit of
reflection. It will help keep you from becoming self-important and you
don't want that."

"Well I need to get busy with the hay. I think I can at least get it all
baled today." As I circled the meadow with the baler, I resolved to be much
more aware of myself, so I wouldn't slip into thinking I was something
special--well I was special, but you know what I mean.

The last day of my suspension, I worked really hard. I took the tractor and
trailer to the meadow and loaded the newly baled hay. I had four loads and
each one had to be taken to the barn and stacked in a shed. It really was a
two-person job--one on the trailer handing off the bales and the other
stacking them--and I knew Dad expected me to wait until he could help, but
I decided to go ahead and get it done. I dropped the bales off the trailer,
then had to pick them up and stack them in the shed. After I finished, I
knew I had been working! I would definitely have sore muscles. When I got
to the house, I took a long hot shower which soothed them somewhat.

When Dad came home, he was surprised and I was tired and sore. "Michael,
you could have waited until I got home or until Saturday, but I'm glad it's
done." After supper, Dad said he would give me a good rub-down and it felt
very, very good. When he finished he said, "Your school suspension was over
when school was out today so I guess your grounding's ended as well."

"Thanks, Dad," I said as I rushed upstairs and called Mary Kathryn.

"Michael, no-one at school could believe you got suspended. Several people
said they thought since you were so 'in' with the administration, you're
get by with slugging Phillip. I think you did more for the student
government by slugging that jerk and getting suspended than you have any
other way. Just showed there are no favorites. I went to the trial this
afternoon and Phillip was found guilty of showing disrespect to Billie Sue
and using derogatory language. He's really upset because he was supposed to
play in the Independence Invitational game, Thanksgiving Eve, but was
sentenced to sitting on the sidelines. He got a sophomore judge, a girl,
and I think he thought he could make eyes at her and get off light. She
said he was not a good representative of Independence and would not
represent us on the field. I think all the football coaches had fits. He's
not the best on the team, but he's good. I heard the coaches stormed into
Mr. Allan's office expecting the ex-coach to suspend the sentence, but he
didn't." Mary Kathryn finally stopped to catch her breath and then asked,
"But why are you on the phone? I thought you were grounded."

"I have been released. How about going into town for a shake to celebrate?"

"I'll call you back after I ask. Think all the Fellowship would like to see
you. Want to invite them?"

"You afraid of me or don't want to be alone with me or something?"

"I'll get you alone later, but an ice cream parlor is hardly a place where
being alone makes a difference. Call Bill and get the tree going." After
one particularly frustrating game of phone tag, Bill had suggested we
create a "phone tree", you know, where I call Bill and Linda and each of
them calls two people. That way you only have to make two phone calls and
everybody is contacted. Well if someone isn't home, you call the next two
people. When I called Bill, he said he knew Chris was working that night
and suggested we meet at Demetri's cafe--Cosmos.

Dad told me to remember it was a school night and I had to be home by
10:30.

I picked up Mary Kathryn. We were pretty good about not showing affection
in front of Jens since it made him uncomfortable, but not having seen Mary
Kathryn in a couple days, I give her a pretty passionate kiss when she met
me as I walked into the house. "I'll have her back by 10:30," I said as we
started out the door.

"Bill told me Chris was working at his granddad's place tonight. He said
since it was Wednesday and church night for a lot of people, it was never a
busy night and asked about us going there instead of the ice cream
parlor. I told him it sounded good to me and that was the message we gave
everyone."

When we reached the Cosmos Cafe, there were only a couple customers besides
Bill and Linda, Jacob and Susan. Chris had put several small tables
together for us. "Dan can't make it," he said. "This is his second day with
the EMS. Michael, you can tell your dad he is really pleased with the
job. Rachel and Jack will be here shortly. Jack had to call to get
directions and it took him a while to get Jacob's dad to give his approval
for Rachel to come. What'll you have Michael? Mary Kathryn? I have some
Greek cookies and am making metrios--sweet Greek coffee. Don't know whether
anyone would like the coffee or not. It's very strong and very sweet.

"I'm game," Mary Kathryn said. "I'll at least try the coffee."

"Since I don't take sugar in mine, I don't know that I would like it, but
I'll definitely give it a try," I said.

While Chris was getting the coffee and cookies, Rachel and Jack came
in. "Who called this meeting?" Jack laughed and added, "Michael, you are
either a hero or villain at Independence," as he turned a chair backwards
and straddled it. "I think the football team is gunning for you since they
blame you for getting Phillip sidelined. Think you are a hero for most
everyone else because you took your punishment. I guess it was generally
thought that you could get by with anything."

"What will you have, Rachel? Jack? I have Greek coffee and we're all having
cookies. The coffee is strong and sweet."

"The way I like my coffee and women," Jack said as he gave Rachel a squeeze
about the waist.

"I'll have coffee," Rachel said. "Jack, you may get your coffee strong and
sweet, but not this woman. Strong, yes. Sweet, only if treated right."

"I see the gang's all here," Keith said as he came in the door. "The usual,
Chris."

"You come here often?" Linda asked.

"Ever since I was a kid. Dad used to bring me when he came. Demetri and I
are old buddies. Where is the old Greek, Chris?"

"Wednesday nights I'm pretty much on my own. Few customers and I can handle
any cooking--usually very little--which comes up," Chris said, as he set a
plate of cookies on the table and served the coffee.

"Michael, you are very popular for being suspended," Keith said. "I was
really surprised at how students think you are special because you were
punished for slugging that bastard Phillip Curran. I guess everyone
thought, since you were so big in student government, you'd get by with
landing one on him. Of course the football team is ready to beat your ass."

"Don't think you are joking about the football team, Keith. Michael, I'd
advise you to watch yourself. There are a couple or three of the
Neanderthals on the team who have really been worked up by Phillip. It's
sad to see how easily manipulated they are, but I'd watch it," Jack said.

"So how were your two and a half days of leisure?" Bill asked. "Sleeping
late, all that good stuff."

"I wish. I helped a bit with the twins--by the way, if you decide to have
sex without protection, you need to spend a couple days with babies. They
are a handful and selfish as sin. But what I really did was rake and bale
the hay in the bottoms and put it in the shed. Doing that by myself was
real fun, NOT! But I'd like to get serious for just a few minutes." I told
the Fellowship what I had been thinking when I was baling hay.

"Been thinking almost the same thing," Bill said. "We really need to start
turning stuff over to the freshmen and sophomores or there will be a big
gap when we start leaving."

We talked about that and came up with some people who we thought should be
moved into leadership positions.

We didn't take long to get a good list and when we had, Susan said, "Enough
chit-chat, let's get to something important. Keith, how's Marc?"

Keith blushed and said, "He's doing fine. He thought he'd be up this
weekend, but there has been a delay with his plane. He has been assured it
will be delivered a week from Monday. That's cutting it close since he
plans to fly in the following Wednesday afternoon, pick up Paula's mother
and go on to Ohio to get the crew there. It's a six-seater so I'll be going
up with him."

We talked about Thanksgiving and what we planned to do over the holiday
while the Oberlin Five and Marc were in Concord, but mostly we just engaged
in teenage chatter--nothing important in content, but definitely important
to maintaining our friendship.

The Cosmos closed officially at 9:00 and after Chris closed the doors, we
all pitched in and helped him get things cleaned up. He didn't want to take
our money for what we had, but we all insisted. While we all cleaned the
floor and re-arranged the tables and chairs, Chris closed out the cash
register, put the money in a bank bag and was ready to go. When he turned
out the lights, Susan said, "Same place next Wednesday?" and we all
agreed. Bill told Chris he would take him by the night depository at the
bank. Chris thanked him and said he'd walk home from the bank so Bill could
get everyone home on time.

It was just a few minutes before 10:00 when Mary Kathryn and I reached her
place. It was a mild night for November but too cold to sit on the porch,
and the Tracker wasn't made for making out. We went to the porch and got in
some passionate kisses, but finally it was just too cold to stay
outside. We went in and found Jens and Gabrielle watching something on TV
in the family room. We went to the living room and were making out ok, as
ok as it could be with parents next door, especially when one is a Danish
troll. Too soon it was almost 10:30 and Mary Kathryn's curfew--and mine for
that matter. I think I am the only guy at Independence who has a
curfew. Mary Kathryn walked to the door with me and, after a long, great
goodnight kiss, I went home.

When I walked in, Dad had one baby and Mom the other, pacing the floor with
them.

"What's with the girls being up past curfew?" I asked.

"I guess they are just problem children," Mom said. "I think I ate
something which disagreed with them."

"You ate something and they got upset?" I thought I had misunderstood.

"Sure. Where do you think milk comes from?" Mom laughed. "There are plenty
of things I might eat which could disagree with them."

"Do you think there is any way to let kids know about babies? The more I
find out about them the less I look forward to becoming a dad."

"You'll change your mind when the time comes," Dad said. "At least I hope
it's the right time."

"Right," I said. "Well, I'm going up and leave you four waltzing. Don't
have any school work due tomorrow and am ahead on some, but want to be sure
I'm well ahead when Thanksgiving break comes and the crew is here."

"Michael, that reminds me. We are doing Thanksgiving dinner at the
Greywolfs' this year. Yong Jin and Greywolf both asked that we invite
everyone who was in Ohio--first and second time. Will you take care of
finding out who will and who will not be there for dinner? It will be at
6:00 Thanksgiving Day."

"Sure, Mom."

When I got upstairs, I decided I would take care of that right away so I
wouldn't forget it. I talked to Keith and asked him to check on Douglas,
Janet and Marc, and told the others to check with their parents. I thought
most of the parents would be having Thanksgiving at home and wouldn't come
to the Greywolfs', but all would had been invited.

School Thursday was an interesting experience. Students who had never
spoken to me did, some even saying they were surprised I took my
punishment, others that I was punished at all. That was one group of
students. The cheer leaders and football players either ignored me or made
some pretty nasty remarks when they passed me in the hall. A couple of the
football players threatened me and told me I better watch going into dark
places. I generally ignored them and their tough-guy attitudes and threats.

I only saw Phillip once and he was down the hall when he shot me a bird. I
thought I was being a real man when I ignored him, but if he could have
heard what I was thinking he would have known I thought he was a slime
ball.

Before homeroom Bill said, "Michael, I think you better watch yourself. I'm
sure some real boneheads have been talked into doing you damage if they get
the chance."

"I guess if they want to, they can take me on. Don't know how I would do
against one or two, but I'll not roll over and play dead."

"Just be careful," Chris added to Bill's warning.

At lunch, Jack warned me again to watch myself. "I think there may be
others not playing the Thanksgiving Eve game," he said. "There is sure to
be a fight before the day's over unless what I hear is wrong."

"I hope not," I said. "I don't think I could take on the whole football
team."

"It won't be the whole team," Bill said, "you can depend on that. Most are
too smart to get involved in a fight, but there are a couple or three
Neanderthals, who aren't smart enough to know they are being manipulated
and used, who will probably do the dirty work. Just be alert."

I didn't give the warning a lot of thought because I was sure it was a lot
of talk and bluff.

After school I had a meeting with Coach Dye, the track and field coach. He
wanted me to be an assistant to him since track and field was not a big
crowd pleaser so he didn't have assistants like the football and basketball
coaches. We talked for about half an hour and I finally agreed to be his
assistant since I would be with the track team anyway. "I just can't give
up much more of my time and, in fact, I am trying to cut back."

"Don't think this will require much more time than regular track practice,
but there will be more responsibility," Coach had said.

After our meeting, I was walking out of the gym when Billy Maddox--a
football player who was a nice guy, but dumb as dirt--called me. "Hey,
Michael, I need to talk to you." He was standing by the corner of the gym
so I walked over to where he was and, just as I got there, two football
players, Arch and Duffus, jumped me.

"What the hell is this?" I asked.

"You got Phillip benched and we don't like it. He's one of us," Billy said.

"Then you need to teach him some manners. Because of what he did, my baby
sister got stolen. Is that the kind of friend you have?"

"Phillip didn't steal your baby sister. He didn't do nothing to you,"
Duffus said, "and you got him benched for our big Thanksgiving game."

"I say he did do something to me, but that's none of your business, is it?"

"It is our business. He's our buddy, ain't that right, Arch?" Duffus
asked. "There's college scouts at the Thanksgiving Eve game and we gotta
kick butt and you done took one of our goodest players," Arch said. "Now we
gonna teach you some sense." As Arch spoke, he and Duffus grabbed my arms
and pulled them behind my back. "This here's for Phillip," Billy said as he
doubled up his fist and punched me in the stomach, knocking my breath
out. While I was doubled over, trying to regain my breath, Billy grabbed an
arm and Duffus took his place in front of me. I knew what was coming and
tried to steel myself, but the second blow to my stomach knocked my breath
out again. I was seeing stars and was ready to throw up when I realized
Arch was now standing in front of me, ready to deliver a third punch to my
tortured middle. As his fist landed, he suddenly fell to the ground.

I collapsed on the ground as Billy and Duffus turned me loose. From there,
I saw Bill had put an arm around Arch's neck and put him on the ground. I
fell because Keith, Jack, Jacob and Chris had also come to my rescue and
put the two who had been holding me on the ground. As I looked up, I saw
Chris take off around the building followed by Keith. "You three stay put,"
Bill said. I almost laughed at the idea that Bill, Jacob and Jack could
make the three brutes who had attacked me do anything. "Sit down, now!"
Bill ordered the three and they looked at each other and then at Bill and
started laughing and stood up.

"Who you to order us around?" Billy asked. "You not our daddy."

"For which I am eternally thankful," Bill answered. "Now sit!" As Bill
spoke, Jacob gave Billy a kick behind his knees, causing him to fall on his
butt. "I said sit!" Bill said, as Jacob took down another player with a
shove to the back of his legs. Jack put the third one on his butt and the
three guys stood over the sitting football players, each with a foot on the
fallen thugs' chests. As Jacob, Bill and Jack made sure the three stayed on
the ground, Chris and Keith came back, each holding one of Phillip's arms
twisted behind his back.

"Seems Mr. Curran got this all set up and was watching from behind the
building, but he made the mistake of poking his head out to have a good
look at the wrong time," Chris said. "So you three guys are in trouble
because of Phillip. Wonder what will come of this?"

As Chris spoke, Ms. Jones and Mr. Allan came running over to where we
were. As soon as they were close enough, Phillip said, "I don't know why
Billy started a fight. I had nothing to do with it. These two came around
the building to pick on me."

"We were just doing what you told us to do, Phillip," Billy said.

"Yea, you told us we needed to beat the shit out of Michael Andrews because
he's a faggot who got you benched so we would lose the game. We just did
what you told us. Ain't that right, Billy?" Duffus asked.

"I don't know what you are talking about Duffus. I didn't tell you to do
anything."

"Yes you did so too," Arch said. "You told us that we needed to beat the
shit out of Michael Andrews because he was keeping us from college
scholarships and besides he was queer and might kiss us or something."

I just thought I had been sick from the beating! When Arch said I might I
kiss him, I got the mental picture of it and I was really sick!

"Billy, Duffus, Arch, you three are suspended until you can appear in
student court or, if you choose, before a school board tribunal. In either
case, you will be charged with fighting on school grounds. You are to come
to school tomorrow morning at 8:00 with a parent and decide whether you
want to face a school board tribunal or a student court."

"Phillip, you are much worse than these three poor guys. You have duped
them into doing your dirty work. You will be charged with inciting to
fight, accessory before the fact and use of derogatory language. You are
suspended until a parent appears with you and you decide how you want to be
tried. Duffus, Arch, Billy, you will be required to testify about Phillip
telling you to fight Michael. Now all four of you get off campus and come
directly to the office tomorrow morning at 8:00 with a parent. Do you all
understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," the three attackers said.

"Phillip?"

"I heard you," he answered with a snarl.

"Then I will see you in the morning--with a parent."

As the four started walking toward Phillip's car, Mr. Allan asked, "Are you
all right Michael? I think we forgot you had been slugged a few times."

"I think I'm ok, but I bet I have a blue belly tomorrow."

"Sorry we didn't get here in time to prevent you getting jumped. I didn't
think something like this would happen," Mr. Allan said.

After I assured Ms. Jones and Mr. Allan I was ok, they walked back into the
school building. "Thanks, guys," I said. "I thought I was in for a real
beating."

"I think you got one," Keith said. "Just glad we got here when we did. Wish
it had been sooner. Wonder what will happen to those three? They are just
dumb enough to be easily manipulated by someone like Phillip. And Phillip?
This is his second offense and a very serious one."

"I won't be placing any bets on Independence winning the Thanksgiving Eve
game," Keith said. "By the way, Chris, you did some fast running there when
Phillip took off. Think your workouts are producing results. You need to
try out for the track and field team next spring."

I think I was hurt more than I thought because when Bill and Keith helped
me to my feet, I could barely stand, much less walk. They helped--actually
just about carried--me to my car and Mary Kathryn drove me home.

When I got home, I stepped out of the Tracker and fell down. "Damn, my legs
are like rubber. You gonna have to help me, Wild Woman." Mary Kathryn put
an arm around me and I leaned on her as we headed toward the house. I
thought I was doing fine, but then my rubber legs got me again and I
fell. Mary Kathryn kinda caught me, but couldn't hold the dead weight I had
become.

"Margaret, I need help," she yelled. When Mom didn't come, she ran into the
house.

Mom came rushing out, stretched me out on the ground and started examining
me. "I think I'll be all right in a few minutes", I said. Mom was probing
around my belly and she hit a tender spot. "Ouch! Holy shit, Mom, that
hurt," I shouted.

"Michael, I hope I'm wrong, but I think there's some internal damage. You
need to go to the hospital and get checked out. I can't tell anything
definite because I'm not Superman with x-ray vision. Mary Kathryn, get
Michael's phone for me and I'll call David. I think an ambulance is needed
so more damage is not done."

"Mom, I don't think all that is necessary. I'll be ok in a few minutes."

"Michael, you are worse now than you were a few minutes ago. You are
getting worse, not better," Mary Kathryn said as she came back from the
Tracker with my phone.

Mom dialed a number and said, "David Andrews, please. This is
Dr. Andrews... David, Margaret. Michael got jumped at school today and took
three blows to the stomach from three of Independence's football
players. He's unable to walk on his own and I fear there may be internal
damage. He's going to need to come to the hospital to be checked out... Ok,
we'll be looking for you." Mom closed the phone and said, "David will be
here shortly. Meanwhile, I think the best thing to do is just to cover you
up here and keep you as still as possible. Mary Kathryn, if you will stay
with Michael, I'll check on the twins and be right back."

"Sure." Mary Kathryn got a blanket from the Tracker and covered me with
it. "Michael, why did you go to the gym area when you knew some of the
football team were laying for you?"

"I just wasn't thinking, Mary Kathryn. Coach Dye had asked to see me, so I
went. I didn't even think about the warnings I had been given. But how did
the gang know where I was?"

"Bill saw me in the hall after school and asked why I was still around and
I told him you had a meeting. You didn't tell me it was with Coach, so I
wasn't sure where you were. Bill said he and the guys would hang around
until it was clear you were safe. We were all in the parking lot and Linda
yelled when she saw you being hit. I think all of them could be track stars
the way they ran toward you."

"Mary Kathryn, I'm going to be sick!" I said and just managed to turn my
head and raise it a bit before I upchucked big time. I think the torment
vomiting did to my stomach brought on another wave of nausea and I
upchucked again. Mary Kathryn was holding my head so I didn't vomit on
myself. When Mom came out of the house, Mary Kathryn yelled what was going
on and Mom went back and got a cloth to wash my face in cool water.

"Michael, if you vomit again, I'll give you something to stop it, but I'd
rather not until we know what's going on."

"I think it's over," I said as the EMS ambulance's siren could be heard
approaching.

When the ambulance stopped, Dad jumped out and rushed over to where I was
lying. He and his assistant asked what had happened and I told them I had
been beaten. Dad asked Mom some questions and then he and his assistant got
me on a stretcher, all buckled in. They lifted the stretcher and slid it in
the ambulance. "Margaret, I suspect he will be kept overnight at
least. I'll let you know how things are as soon as I know something," Dad
said and hopped in the back of the ambulance with me and we headed to the
hospital. As we rode to the hospital, Dad checked my vital signs, asked for
details of what had happened and asked a bunch of questions about how I
felt, where I hurt and that sort of thing.

"To tell the truth, Dad, I hurt all over and I feel like shit. I keep
thinking I'm going to barf again."

"All over and like shit won't fit on my forms," Dad smiled. "How about
being more specific?" Dad probed here and there asking, "Does that hurt?"
My answer was usually in the affirmative.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>A note would be appreciated sequoyah@chater.net.<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<