Chapter 37
The screaming woke Kevin up. He bolted up and averted his panicked gaze
to Brian, who was thrashing about. AJ
and Howie were stirring as well. Kevin grabbed Brian and started shaking him,
trying to wake him up. “Brian WAKE UP!
WAKE UP!” Brian continued to scream and
to fight off Kevin’s arms. AJ jumped up
and ran into the pantry. “Howie stop
gawking like an idiot and help me hold him down!” Howie blinked, then snapped
back into action. He grabbed one of Brian’s legs.
AJ came jogging back in with a bottle of water and
poured its contents over Brian’s head succeeding in splashing Kevin and Howie
too. Brian’s eyes snapped open
instantly, and they flitted around the room in a frenzy. He looked at Kevin, Howie, and AJ who were
all leaning over him.
“Where’s... where’s Nicky?” he asked in a small
voice.
Kevin, Howie, and AJ all glanced at each other then
back down at Brian, “He went home Bri.”
“No, no, where’s Nicky?” Brian demanded again.
Kevin shot a worried glance to the others, “Brian,
Nick is gone. He’s with his parents
now.”
Brian’s blue eyes were uncomprehending, “I heard him
scream... He’s scared...”
“Brian you were alseep, you were dreaming,” Kevin
said softly, “It wasn’t real.”
“He was screaming!” Brian said slowly, “It was really
dark, and it was just me in this place...but then I heard him Kev. He’s looking
for me.”
Brian felt hands through his soaked curly hair, “He
knows where you are Brian, and he’s safe where he is.”
Brian looked dubious, “Then why...” his eyes misted
over as his tears spilled over his face.
His shoulders shook as he began to cry, “I wanna go home...”
Howie looked at Kevin nervously, “What the hell’s
wrong with him Kev?”
“He’s... he’s losing his mind,” Kevin said taking
Brian into his arms and patting his back.
“And I’m losing that water I just drank...” AJ bolted
up from the pallet and Howie followed after him.
Howie sat rubbing AJ’s heaving back for a good 10
minutes. AJ groaned and leaned his head
back on Howie’s shoulder, “God, how many times can I do that?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t know you could throw up
water,” Howie said touching AJ’s forehead and frowning.
“I did,” AJ said simply, then he shivered, “It’s
freezing down here. What say we bang on
the door upstairs and ask for some heat!”
Howie smiled lightly at AJ, glad he was in such good
spirits... but in reality the room was average temperature. “Kev?”
Kevin looked up from Brian who was settling down in
Kevin’s lap for more sleep, “Yeah?”
“I wanna go home too...”
“What the hell are they doing here?” Harold Littrel
ogled the Carters as they came to join the police around the premises.
Jackie looked too, and almost doubled over with
shock, “After the way we treated them... What are they doing here?”
She turned to face her husband to find him
missing. Her heart sank as she saw him
heading off in the direction of the Carters who probably there to show them
their support.
“What the hell are you doing back here?” Harold
Littrel was in Bob Carter’s face before one word of greeting could be spoken.
“What do you mean what are we doing back here? We
care about the other Boys too...” Jane said.
“Yeah, you care huh? Then why won’t you let Nick
answer any questions? The answers to
those questions may mean life or death to our sons in there...” Harold began
but was interrupted by Bob’s hand connecting with his face.
“You no good excuse for a human being! You have no idea what our son has went
through and is going through...”
Harold roared in rage and charged at Bob nearly
knocking him over,“What your son has went through??? What is my son going
through? He’s still in there if you
haven’t noticed!! Your son may know of some door, some window, some
weaknesses...”
Hands of FBI, police, paramedics were pulling them
apart. Harold was still screaming in
rage about how Bob and Jane with holding vital information from the FBI.
“How’s Nick?” Denise McLean pulled Jane Carter
aside. Denise scowled at the mess the
men were making. Hoke Dorough was now
throwing himself in between the argument trying to calm the arguing men.
Jane’s expression said it all.
“What happened?” Paula Dorough now stood in the
huddle, “I thought he left the hospital this morning.”
“Yeah, and he isn’t too pleased with the doctor’s
diagnosis. Before it was just
allergies, now its asthma....it’s only seasonal, but Nick’s taking it hard.”
“Poor kid,” Denise said running her fingers through
her disheveled hair, “So it’s not serious?”
“Not at all, just a discomfort,” Jane said with a
sigh, “But the asthma is not what I’m worrying about.”
Jackie Littrell joined the huddle...
“He wouldn’t let me leave the room the night he woke
up, and he wouldn’t let anyone turn off the lights. And sometimes, sometimes he gets this look in his eyes like he
can’t tell where he is anymore, outside, or in that horrible basement place,”
Jane shivered.
“They’re being kept in a basement?” Jackie asked
cringing as she thought about her Brian huddled up in a small dingy basement.
Jane nodded, “Yeah... that’s all we could really get
out of him. Jackie, Denise, Paula,
Ann... I know you’re angry with us, and...and want us to let the police take
Nick and question him... but..but. God
we’re so scared. He’s so fragile. His
eyes get so dark... If someone says something vaguely pertaining to the... the
kidnaping.. Like this morning on the drive back we saw a bus...” Jane quieted,
“I just... we just.... We want to protect him.”
Paula nodded, but Pollyanna burst in, “But your
protecting him may be what gets the others killed! If Nicky knows something, he
should talk about it. It could help
him.”
Jane’s eyes narrowed, “Help him! He’ll hyperventilate, and when he
hyperventilates...!” She broke off to cover her face, “Oh God...” the other
mothers were quiet watching as Jane Carter slowly began to break down. She
looked up at them slowly with mascara running down her face, “He’s been through
so much that he never should have had to go through.. They all have.... Please
don’t judge me.. But he’s not ready yet. He just got out of the hospital and I don’t
want to have to send him back right away. The doctor wants him to see a
psychiatrist...”she sobbed, “I promise we’ll let him talk to the police, or
we’ll talk to him... just please don’t pressure us or him.”
“But...” Pollyanna was beginning, but Paula shushed
her. She wrapped her arms around the
younger mother and held her close, “Shhhh... shhh.. Honey. Do not feel
pressured by us. If Nicky’s not ready, then he’s not ready. But when he is, you
know where to bring him.”
Jane nodded sobbing into Paula’s understanding arms,
“I’m so sorry...”
“It’s not your fault honey,” Jackie said softly.
“But your husband thinks it is,” Jane said.
“My husband thinks a lot of things and only about a
handful of those things are right,” Jackie said bitterly. She rolled her eyes
at her husband, and then narrowed her eyes as she saw the SUV pull up with her
oldest son and two nephews inside. From
the looks on their faces they had been somewhere they had no business, and she
was going to find out where.
“What was all the screaming?” BJ and Leslie barged
into the room, where Aaron and Angel sat perched on the bed Nick was sleeping
on. He was now in a different position
than the one he was in earlier.
“A bad dream,” Angel said softly staring at Nick, “He
just started screaming for Brian all of a sudden, then he stopped.”
“Weirdest thing,” Aaron said looking quite pale, “He
scared the crap out of me though. I think maybe he heard you yelling? Who was
that out there?”
“Oh,” BJ rolled her eyes and moved to remove Nick’s tennis
shoes, “No one important, just a trio of jerks.”
Leslie nodded in agreement. She went to help BJ with Nick’s other shoe, “Maybe we should get
out of here guys. He’s really knocked out, and I don’t want to be the one who
wakes him up.”
“But he...”
“Aaron, he’s asleep now. It’ll be ok,” BJ assured him.
She laid Nick’s sneaker beside the sneaker Leslie had just removed and
set on the floor, “Lets go.”
Both she and Leslie headed for the door. Aaron stayed put until he saw his twin
getting up from her place on the bed, “They’re right Aaron. We really should
leave him alone for a little, let him get some rest. He looks so tired.”
Aaron sighed and really taking in his brother’s pale
face drawn with fatigue, “Ok,” he said reluctantly. He stood and followed his sisters out the door, turning the light
off as he left, “Sweet dreams Nick.”