BOMAW Vol. 10-12 (153 page)

Jake turned to Paul, "What's gotten in to you?"

Paul looked at him blank for the moment, then about to answer, Jake stopped him, "Don't answer that! Geez, one at a time please." He threw his door open, looking over the top of the truck for his son, who was striding towards the exit gates. He also saw his mother's car, and Derrick's van pulling into the gates at the same time.

"KEVIN! KEVIN!! WILL YOU STOP THROWING TANTRUMS - GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE!!" He shouted to him.

Kevin kept walking.

Gert, having little choice but to notice what was going on, also able to hear with their windows opened, pulled up next to Kevin. Vivian was in the front seat with her, Shanna in the back with Joseph. "Young man, where are you going? Why is your father there, shouting in this parking lot after you?"

While he would walk away from his father, he'd never disrespected his grandmother, "I'm going for a bus, so I can go home and get my car." He explained grudgingly.

"Lord'o'mercy, not today! Shanna's taking Ben and Mundo back for their cars, you might as well go with them. Marcus is going as well."

"No thank you, I'm gettin' a bus grandma." He returned, trying to be stubborn.

"Did you hear what I said to you young man?"

Kevin sighed, "Yes ma'am."

"I'm not gonna have this messin' about today, my Meri's fighting for her life! Save this mess for another day and get in this car so you can go back with them, now that's that!"

While not liking it, he opened her car door and climbed in, slamming it - Gert drove forward, pulling into a space right down from Jake's truck. He walked over to the car, on Vivian's side opening it for her to get out. Everyone else followed suit except for Kevin, who sat where he was, arms crossed, pissed off.

"He'll get a ride with Shanna back to get his car." Gert explained to Jake, closing her door. She looked down to see Kevin still inside, "You staying there?"

"Yes ma'am I am, until they're ready to go." He returned immediately.

"Suit yourself." She turned back to look at Jake, "I don't know what's going on, but can we not have this today?" She petitioned him.

"Look, I just wanna go get some sleep - he's pissed because I won't rush down the road,
now
- so he can get his car. I don't need it today either."

"Either way, it's settled. How is Meribel and Sasha?" She asked.

"Meribel is the same, Sasha's in tears, blaming herself." He answered, looking from his mother to Vivian, pulling her against him, needing to feel her closeness.

"House is clear, here are the keys..." she tossed them over to him, he caught them, "...go get some rest, it's our shift now." Gert informed him, watching Shanna walk ahead of them holding Joseph's hand, "I better get inside." were her last words as she walked away.

"Thanks mom, see you later." With one hand holding onto Vivian's arm, Jake leaned down into the window, "You and I, we're gonna talk later."

"Yeah dad, like you said to Ben, now's not the time."

"You know what-..."

Vivian pulled him up and shook her head leading him away from the car, "Leave it for now baby, say anymore, it'll only get worse."

"He's fuckin' lucky, I talked to my dad like that, his foot would be up my ass!" He fumed stopping at the end of his truck.

"Like your mom said, save it for another day. Go get some sleep okay?"

"Yeah, I better, his attitude if fuckin' with my head." He leaned forward, kissed her lips, caressed her cheek, "See you in a few hours."

Vivian nodded, stepped back from him and then rushed to catch up with Gert, who was walking slow so she could.

Jake turned and looked into his mother's car, Kevin was facing the other way. He walked and jumped into the truck, started it up, noticing that now, Paul sat in the front seat. As he turned to back out, his arm across the seat his son occupied, he couldn't help looking into his eyes first, and then out the back window, asking as he backed out, "You know, what ever happened to you guys thinking I was okay? Remember that? After the funeral, ohhh dad, come on, you were the coolest, we had fun, ha ha ha, hee hee heeee, weee! What a load o'shit!"

Paul grinned in sympathy stating, "Dad, I do think you're cool, honestly." He encouraged as his father corrected the truck, turning it to pull up to the gate to exit, paying his ticket for overnight parking.

"Yeah right, and uh - what the hell is going on with you? What's with all the hardcore cursing and tellin' your brother off?"

"He pissed me off." he groused, feeling the sensation come back again.

"He pissed you off, huh? I see. Hmmm, mind me saying, that's not like you. Care to tell me what's going on with you?" He asked, pulling out of the hospital parking lot, onto the road, heading for his brother's home.

"Nothing's going on with me."

"Bull! Still a virgin?!"

"What?!" Paul gasped, "Vivian tell you something?"

"Ah ha, so does Vivian know something about what I just asked you? Obviously she does, spill it."

Paul couldn't help himself, he blushed and then grinned.

"Yep! Bingo - boys popped his first official nut! I hope to hell you wore a condom! That lady Jackie? She the one?"

"Dad uh, I mean no disrespect, but - that's personal - my uh, business, I'm 18 remember?"

"Ah, so I see, this makes you a man now huh? Did you, or did you not - wear a condom?"

"Of course I did, I wore a condom." Paul answered right away, even though it hadn't been every time.

"So, it only happened once huh? And that once you were fully protected, dick covered from tip to balls, rights?"

"Dad! I said, I wore a condom."

Jake sat a moment quiet, thinking, driving, he yawned and right on the tail of it, "Yep, had a first time fuck fest and didn't wear a condom every time! When dick is engaged, all brain cells shut down, all good sense goes out the window."

Paul withheld comment - blushing deeper. Jake didn't have to look at him to know that he was right. "Paul - Raymond - McPherson, what have I told you? What have I told your brother's? What have I given every male McPherson on his 15th birthday and on every one after that one, and for Christmas too? I mean, I've invested a great deal of money in cock coats! While everyone else was giving you, stupid video games, new trainers, underwear, sweaters, jackets, socks, what did I give? You think it's cheap keeping all of you coated up for the hard times, and I do mean, the
hard
times! So that my very own son, the smartest of the bunch, first sign of a piece, says, hell with that, I'm gettin' in while the gettin's good! Why in hell would you do that? I know that's what you've done, I've been there! And you know what, I got stuck - trapped, caught - with no way out."

Paul remained quiet still, unable to argue with him on this one, and there was no sense in lying to him.

"Was she on the pill?" He took a breath to ask.

"I don't know."

"You don't know? Is she clean? Or would you know that?"

"Of course I know - she's clean."

"You Hope."

"I know."

"You Hope you know!"

"Dad!"

"Yeah, dad - dad, you get one dick! No where to pick up another, shield your one dick, you hear me?!"

"Dad, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't use derogatory street slang while discussing Jackie and I."

They were stopped at a light, Jake couldn't speak after that. He stared at the light a moment and then at his son, shaking his head, he didn't know why he did so, but out it came, "Sorry, for, talking that way to you, if, you don't like it."

"Thank you, I appreciate that."

"Nevertheless, while it may not be any of my business, I must inform you - that doing things like that can land you with a child - or - a disease. I hope your first time hasn't left you with either!"

Paul stared at him a moment, then slowly, he smiled. Glancing his way, Jake saw it and did a double take.

"Why are you smiling?"

"I'm not worried about some disease."

"Obviously not, smiling as you were. So uh, what's up with the smile?"

"Nothing."

"I hope to God, you're not hoping you left her pregnant. Good god-amighty Paul, you scare the hell out of me sometimes."

"Why does that scare you? I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself and any mistakes I might make."

"Mistakes mean, a change in plans, your plans are for earning an engineering degree, remember?"

"Yep, but - if I had a child, he or she would have to come first, just like we had to come first with you. Whether you wanted to do the right thing by us or not, you still did it."

"You don't think I favored Ben over you, and Kevin?"

"Emmm, well, yeah, you did dad. But, I do understand. I mean, neither one of us were planned. You were young and surrounded by girls-..."

"Who told you that?"

"My mom, your mom, your dad, your sisters - everyone that knew you."

Jake grumbled as Paul continued, "As I was saying, you hadn't planned for us, especially not me, mom cheated to get me from you, so - who am I to complain? Ben was your first, I guess he was bound to be your favorite."

Jake drove on thinking over his words. Finally they pulled up into his brother's driveway to park, "I'm sorry for that Paul. Because, in the end, it doesn't matter how you came about, the fact is, you're my son, that's all that matters. You aren't to blame for everything that's happened to me, and I do love you, I really do."

"Yeah, I know you do. We're gonna be okay, besides, with your other two, Ben and Kevin - you need one of us always on your side, I figure, it should be me, right?"

Jake grabbed Paul to him, hugging him as best he could in the front seat, saying, "My shits pretty damn potent to get one like you after being scraped out of a condom."

Paul laughed, "You poor thing dad, they're all out to get you, it's okay, I've got your back. But, you really must learn to be more of a gentlemen, using less of the expletives."

It was Jake's turn to laugh as he turned to exit the truck, "You think so? I'm not that bad am I?"

"Well yeah, you have your moments - work on that, okay?"

"I'll try, just for you."

"And Vivian, do it for her too, okay?"

"Gotcha, Vivian too."

"Yes, I'm sure she'd appreciate it,
and
if you're going to get the little girls you talked about." Paul reminded him, following him to the side door of his Uncles home.

"Oh yeah, you got me again, yep - I best get started."

*

Meanwhile, in the hospital...

Meribel; Shawn & Sylvia had just learned, after speaking with the doctor who had just left the room, explaining to them, that she'd suffered a skull fracture from her landing, a dislocated shoulder, abrasions to her face, three broken ribs, a small rupture to her spleen, thankfully they were able to save it in surgery; lower spine injury, a broken hip, her left leg broken in two places, a miscarriage and an urgent need for an emergency hysterectomy. They'd stood with the surgeon asking as many questions as they dare to fully get the big picture of what she was up against. Once he departed, they stood digesting that, with Shawn stunned, speechless. While Sylvia's head spun once more as if it were all a horrible dream. He finally turned to her, "You mind, heading back down to the gift shop, getting a large vase of flowers for Meribel, balloons, whatever you see, something for Sasha as well?"

"I can do that, it'll give me a few minutes to get myself together before I see her. On the way up, I'll get Sasha's room number and deliver her's first."

"Thank you," Shawn leaned and kissed his wife's brow, turning from her, he entered the room. Walking in, his eyes went to all present, his dad was in a chair towards the end of Meribel's bed, sitting quiet. Across from the foot of her bed, stood Royce against the wall, silent and observing, waiting for Shanna to arrive. Derrick was in a chair, pulled right up to the bed, his head down with his forehead resting on the small space left at Meribel's side. Shawn moved softly across the room up to the bed and heard his brother's sniffles. He looked from him to Meribel as she lay so still - her face swollen, bruised, head bandaged, her lower body partially wrapped and padded, her leg in a temporary cast. Worst of all , was the way her hip area had rods sticking out from each side, screwed into place to stabilize it and her lower back. It looked horribly painful and unnatural to see steel rods protruding from her; such an uncomfortable looking contraption. Shawn had to look up from it to her face again, a large lump formed in his throat at the sight of his brother's wife. His eyes filled to see her so badly hurt; he knew that he could not bear it if Sylvia was in such a state. He didn't know what to say to his brother. His eyes went to Derrick, who sat up long enough to grab some Kleenex & blow his nose. He wouldn't look at Shawn or acknowledge his presence. Shawn's eyes widened from the look of his brother. His eyes were swollen, red, teary with dark circles around them. He looked like a man who'd lost his soul, yet remained alive to move and breathe.