The Perfect Family (41 page)

“I—”

Maggie’s cell rang. Briefly she closed her eyes. “I hate to answer my phone these days.”

Anabelle squeezed Maggie’s hand. “Answer now while I’m with you.”

She fished her phone out of her purse. “Hello.”

“Mom, oh, God, Mom.”

“Jamie, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“I am. Luke’s not. Mom, Mom, he tried to… I found him in his garage with the car’s motor running.”

“Honey, no. Is he all right?”

“He’s alive. But he tried it, Mom, he tried to kill himself.” Jamie began to cry.

“Where are you?”

“Memorial Hospital.” Hiccups. “In the emergency department waiting room. I followed the ambulance here.”

“I’ll be right there. Hang on, buddy. Ten minutes.” She added, “I love you,” and clicked off.

Maggie stood and filled Anabelle in while she gathered her belongings.

“Call Mike,” Anabelle said. “Don’t shut him out of this.”

“All right.” As they made their way out of Starbucks, she punched in Mike’s number. The cell rang and rang and rang. Then the answering machine picked up. She shook her head at Anabelle. “No answer.”

“Leave him a message.”

“Mike, it’s me. Jamie’s at Memorial Hospital. Luke Crane tried to commit suicide tonight. I don’t know how bad it is. I’m heading there now.” Her voice quavered. “Meet me in the ER when you get this. Please.”

They’d reached the parking lot by the time she finished the call. “I’m coming with you,” Anabelle said. “I’ll drive. You’re too upset.”

As she got into Anabelle’s gold Saturn, Maggie prayed for Luke Crane.

*

The emergency department waiting room was crammed with people, filled with low moans, an occasional raised voice, and the ringing of phones. On one of the couches, Jamie clutched Luke’s cell phone and tried to be strong. The ambulance attendants had been hopeful.

His heart’s steady
, they’d said as they put an oxygen mask over Luke’s mouth and nose. The woman had glanced at the house.
It’s a good thing the garage is so big because it would take longer to fill up. And you got him out of there fast. That was critical.

Jamie closed his eyes, reliving the heart-stopping moment when he realized what Luke had done, the terror of getting him out of the car and the garage, the nightmarish ride as he sped over the roads behind the ambulance to the hospital. To block the images, he stood and began to pace. It was then that he saw his mother and Anabelle come through the double glass doors. When his mom reached him, he threw himself into her arms. They felt solid and strong.

“Oh, Jamie, sweetheart, I’m so sorry.” Finally he was able to draw back.

“Thanks for coming.”

“Of course I came.” His mom brushed a hand down his hair.

Anabelle was standing behind her. She asked, “How is he, Jamie?”

“I don’t know. Nobody’s come out to say. I’m not sure they’ll even tell me, I’m not family.”

“Did they contact his parents?”

“They just rushed him in without talking to me. After, somebody came out asked me his name and address, that kind of information. They know his dad, from working here. I gave them the home phone number, but I don’t know if they got in touch with the Cranes.”

Anabelle motioned to the chair. “Let’s sit.”

When they were settled, Jamie felt his chest tighten. “It’s my fault, Mom.”

“Oh, honey, no. You had every right to be friends with him.”

“It’s not that.” God, he could hardly say the words. “I knew he was thinking about this. A couple of weeks ago, I found pills.” His face felt like it was on fire, he was so ashamed at what he’d done, but he told her anyway. “I gave him the Gay Alliance information and we were both thinking about going. I should have pushed him harder to see the counselor there.”

His mom grabbed his hand. “Jamie, don’t beat yourself up about keeping Luke’s secret.”

Anabelle said, “You should have told an adult about the pills, Jamie, but it’s understandable why you didn’t. You made a mistake. And in the end, Luke called you, probably because he could trust you.”

“You think?”

“I do.” She pointed to the cell phone. “Is that Luke’s?”

“Yes.”

“We should try to get in touch with his parents. Their cell numbers are probably in there.”

“I don’t think I can do it.”

His mother held out her hand. “Give it to me.”

As she found the number in the menu, a doctor appeared in the doorway of the examining area. “Is the family of Luke Crane here?”

Jamie stood. “I’m not family. But I brought him in.”

The doctor walked over.

“Is he okay?”

“I have to speak to the family. His father is Lucas Crane, correct?”

Anabelle came to Jamie’s side. “Yes, we’re contacting him now. Please, at least tell us if Luke’s going to be okay.”

The doctor’s face was grim. “He’s stable. But he’s unconscious.”

“What does that mean?” Jamie asked.

“I really need to speak to Dr. and Mrs. Crane.”

His mom said, “I’ve got them on the line.”

The doctor took the phone. “Dr. Crane?”

Someone must have spoken.

“Your son’s here at Memorial Hospital. There’s been an incident. He’s stable but you need to get to emergency right away.”

After the doctor clicked off, he addressed Jamie. “The EMT said you found him and got him out of the garage. If he lives, you very well could have saved his life.”

“
If
he lives?” Jamie whispered to his mother as the doctor strode away.

“We’ll have to wait and see.” She glanced over his shoulder. “Oh, thank God.”

Jamie pivoted. His dad burst through the doors and hurried to them. He put his arms around Jamie and pulled him close. Jamie buried his face in his father’s chest.

“How is he?” his dad asked his mom.

“We’re not sure.”

His father kissed his head. “I’m sorry, Jame. I’m so sorry.”

*

Mike hadn’t answered his cell phone until an hour after he heard it ring because at the time of the call, Laura Simpson had been all over him. But he wouldn’t think about that now. Instead, he forced himself to be there for Jamie. And Maggie.

When his son let go of him, Mike gathered Maggie close. “Let’s sit. Tell me what happened.”

As they sat, he noticed another woman with Maggie. Her clerical collar told him who it probably was. She said, “I’m Anabelle Brooke.”

“I guessed. We’ll talk later.”

He kept his arm around Jamie while his son recounted the whole incident. When he was done, Mike took him by the shoulders. “Look at me, Jame. This isn’t your fault. Concentrate on the fact that Luke changed his mind about wanting to die and called you.”

“Okay, Dad.”

He clasped his wife’s arm. “You all right?”

She leaned into him. “Better now that you’re here.”

They kept vigil in silence until he felt Maggie nudge him. The Cranes had entered the emergency department. Dressed in a tux, Dr. Crane scanned the area. When he located them, he headed over like a bulldozer, ready to level whatever was in its way. In formal wear, too, Erin followed meekly behind.

“What the hell is going on here?” Crane asked.

Erin touched his arm. “Lucas, please, calm down.” To Maggie she said, “The doctor said an incident. And that Luke is stable. Was there a car accident?”

“No.” This from Jamie, who cowered next to Mike. “Luke…he…”

“Spit it out, boy.”

Mike circled his arm around Jamie’s shoulders again and answered for him. “Apparently Luke got in his car tonight, closed the garage doors, and started the engine. It looks like a suicide attempt, but he must have changed his mind because he called Jamie. My son went over and got him out. The ambulance brought him here. He’s stable but still unconscious. That’s all we know.”

Erin burst into tears and dropped down into a chair. Anabelle went to her side.

“You little bastard, this is your fault.” Crane lunged for Jamie, but Mike stepped in front of his son and grabbed Crane’s shoulders. “Lucas, this is not Jamie’s fault.”

Shrugging off Mike’s grasp, Crane was wild-eyed. “The hell it isn’t. If he hadn’t lured my boy into some perverted relationship, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“You’re upset. That’s understandable. Calm down and go see if you can find out what Luke’s condition is.”

“Get out of here,” Crane said, ignoring Mike’s advice. “All of you.”

“Dad, please, don’t let him make me go.”

Luke’s mother stood. “Stop this! For God’s sake, Jamie saved our son’s life. Now go find his doctor.”

Crane glared at them but finally stormed away. He disappeared into the emergency treatment areas, and the rest of them sat down again. After several minutes, Crane came back out with another doctor. They all stood in unison as he approached them. The doctor addressed Erin.

“Your son is in stable condition, but he hasn’t woken up yet. It’s odd, as I understand he was initially given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and the ambulance got there in a timely manner and administered oxygen. His carbon blood content is below thirty, which is manageable, and he’s breathing on his own now. But we just have to wait to see what the damage is.”

“D-damage?” Erin asked, gripping Anabelle’s arm.

“There are aftereffects of carbon monoxide poisoning. We don’t know how much he inhaled or for how long. At best, he’ll have nausea and headaches. Worst-case scenario—brain damage and organ failure. We’re lucky he changed his mind and alerted someone. And that he didn’t take any alcohol or drugs before he attempted this.”

“Alcohol or drugs?” Maggie asked.

“In most cases, when people chose to terminate their lives by carbon monoxide poisoning, they take drugs or alcohol so they fall asleep in the car before the fumes overcome them. They never have a chance to change their minds, like Luke did. The fact that he’s in top shape helps. But we’ll have to wait till he wakes up to see how he fared.”

“Will he wake up?” Jamie asked.

“I hope so.” He nodded to Dr. Crane. “I’ll be back out as soon as I know more, Lucas.”

When the doctor left, everyone except Lucas sat back down. Instead, the man crossed to the entrance to the treatment rooms and leaned against the wall adjacent to it.

Anabelle scanned the group. “Would you like to pray, Mrs. Crane?”

“Yes, please.”

They all linked hands. As they bowed their heads, Mike held on to Jamie and Maggie, and Anabelle grasped hands with Erin and Jamie.

Two hours later, the doctor came through the doors for the third time. Anabelle roused Maggie and Erin, and Mike shook Jamie’s shoulder. Lucas, who’d gone inside the treatment area to check for news several times, followed the doctor over. “How is he?”

“He’s awake.” The doctor gave a weary smile. “There’s no visible damage, though we’re still running some tests. I think he’s going to be all right. The suicide attempt has to be dealt with, though. A social worker is on her way to talk to you.”

“I want to see my son,” Crane said.

The doctor focused on Jamie. “He wants to see this young man first.”

“That’s ridiculous.” Crane again. “His parents should be with him.”

“I’m sorry, Lucas. He doesn’t want to see you now. He’s eighteen and can make that decision. Besides, we don’t know the extent of his injuries yet, so I’m not going to upset him.” The doctor finished, “Come on Jamie, I’ll take you back.”

Mike watched his son go through the doors. Then he watched Lucas Crane’s face pale at the fact that his own child had tried to kill himself and wouldn’t see his parents in the aftermath. The notion was staggering.

*

Maggie and Mike lay in the darkness of their bedroom, side by side, staring up at the ceiling. The drive from the hospital had been somber and the three of them had said little. When they’d gotten home, they’d filled Brian in on where they’d been and what happened. He wasn’t answering his cell earlier when they called him and left a message, simply saying they’d be late. Brian was shocked and horrified when he was told that Luke had tried to kill himself. They’d all talked some, then both boys finally went to bed.

“I can’t believe it, Mags,” Mike said into the darkness.

“The poor kid.”

“It makes me wonder about Jamie.” Mike’s voice was hoarse.

“I know, me, too. Before you got there, Anabelle took him aside and asked him point-blank if
he
was suicidal. He came right over to me to assure me he wasn’t.”

“That’s a relief. Still, maybe he should get some counseling. Not for being gay,” he was quick to add.

“We’ll talk to him tomorrow.”

Mike was silent.

She rolled on her side so she faced him. A sliver of moonlight filtered in and she could see the outline of his body. “Where were you tonight when we couldn’t get hold of you?”