Nightmares Silenced
Chris was working at his desk, going over reports when the phone rang, giving him a welcome distraction. As far as he was concerned, reports were a necessary evil, to be avoided when ever possible.
Picking it up, he answered with his usual brusque, “Chris Larabee.”
The voice that answered him was young and female, not anyone that he would have expected to call him at the office. “Mr. Larabee, this is Mrs. Chege, Ezra’s teacher at Mountainside.”
She sounded worried to Chris, and he was already starting to stand as he asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Well, there been an incident involving your son Ezra, and Vin hasn’t been able to calm him like he usually can. Would it be possible for you to come to the school?”
As soon as Chris had heard the words incident and Ezra in the same sentence, he had been on his way out the door, not bothering with his coat or anything other than making sure he had his keys and wallet. As he passed Josiah’s desk, he hit it hard to get the man’s attention then pointed to the ceiling, signaling that Josiah was to go tell the Judge that something was up. The thump on Josiah’s desk had attracted the attention of the other two, and Chris waved for them to come with him. All this was accomplished before the teacher had been able to finish her explanation.
“I’m on my way,” Chris assured her before signing off. “There’s something up at school with Ezra,” Chris explained to his team without slowing or turning. “Even Vin hasn’t been able to calm him down.”
Upon hearing that, matching grim expressions came to the other three men’s faces. Josiah broke off to go tell Judge Travis something was up and they’d contact him later. He’d catch up to them at the school. The other three hurried to the parking garage and their vehicles, Chris bolting out of the elevator straight for his Ram and Nathan and Buck heading for Nathan’s Bronco. Both drivers pealed rubber on their way out of the drive, causing several cars to honk their horns in outrage.
<<<~7~>>><<<~7~>>>
Chris slid the Ram to a halt right outside the front door of the school then sprinted into the building, Buck and Nathan right behind him.
The location of the problem was quite obvious as there were several teachers standing outside a small storage room. Mrs. Chege, who Chris recognized immediately from their previous meetings, was among them. Her face, lined with worry, cleared a little when she saw them coming and she hurried to meet them.
“We’re not sure what happened. Ezra was in study hall, and asked to read one of the newspapers we have come daily.” Chris nodded his understanding, since Ezra did the same thing at home everyday. “He only had it for a few minutes when he suddenly threw it down and ran from the room. One of the teachers followed him, but he’s wedged himself behind one of the sets of shelves. We got Vin to try to talk him out, but he won’t come out. He has called for you a couple of times though.”
Chris nodded as he headed into the storage room, telling Buck over his shoulder, “Get that newspaper, I want to see it.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another teacher handing Buck the newspaper, and mentally congratulated them, they were quick thinkers.
Entering the small room, he immediately saw Vin squatting down to talk to Ezra, who was hidden from view behind an old metal shelf unit. He could also hear the whimpering sobs that he had come to associate with Ezra’s nightmares.
“Vin,” Chris called softly. Vin looked up at him, his eyes filled with worry, before standing and moving aside quickly.
Chris quickly knelt in the space Vin had vacated. “Ezra?”
The only answer at first was whimpers and sniffles, but Chris kept calling and eventually a tiny voice floated out, “Da?”
“Yes, Ezra, it’s Da,” Chris assured him. He had barely finished the sentence when he found himself hit full force by an auburn-haired projectile. Ezra clung to him, tears still streaming down his face, babbling so fast that Chris couldn’t understand him. “Whoa, easy, son, easy.” Chris soothed as he held the boy close and rubbed his back. It took a few minutes, but Ezra finally slowed down and Chris was finally able to make out what he was saying.
“She’s coming back, just like she said! Don’t let her take me away, Da! Please, don’t let her take me!” Ezra begged, his whole body trembling in fear.
When Chris finally understood what Ezra was talking about he tightened his arms around his son and rested his cheek against the short curls on his son’s head. There was no way in hell anyone was going to take his boys away. Gently, Chris whispered in Ezra’s ear, “It’s alright, Ezra, she’s not taking you any where.” Even though it took another fifteen minutes for Ezra to be able stop crying, that simple reassurance was all that was needed to stop the frantic pleading.
For his part, Chris was determined top follow through on that promise. There was no way Maude Standish was going to get her hands on that boy again. Looking up he saw Vin still in the room watching them, and from the expression on his face, he had heard Ezra’s words. Chris nodded at him and motioned toward the door. Vin indicated he understood, then slipped outside to tell them that Ezra was out.
Chris shifted the still trembling Ezra, but didn’t release him. Ezra had gained weight in the last year and a half, but he was still light enough for Chris to carry him. Very carefully, Chris stood carrying Ezra, who was still wrapped around him. Walking out of the room, he found that most of the teachers had left, but Mrs. Chege, the principal, Mr. Ellis, Nathan, Buck, Josiah, and Vin were all still there.
“Mrs. Chege, can you show Buck where Ezra’s locker is? We’ll need his gym clothes,” Chris requested. She immediately agreed and led Buck down the hall toward the gymnasium. Turning to Mr. Ellis, he asked, “Is there some place a little more private we can take this?”
“The school nurse’s office is just a few doors down,” the man offered.
“That’ll do. Come on,” Chris led the group toward the door the man had indicated. Since his hands were full, he had to stop and wait for Nathan to get in front of him to open the door. Heading on in, he found it just as he remembered from his tour of the building the year before. Chris went over to one of the treatment rooms at the back, “When Buck gets back, send him on in here.” Nathan didn’t quite understand, but he went ahead and opened the interior door and let Chris go in.
Chris used his elbow to turn on the light, before going over to sit down on the cot with Ezra. They remained silent until Buck came in with the small gym bag Ezra kept at the school. At Buck’s entrance, Ezra was startled and started to whimper, until he recognized Buck’s soothing voice.
“It’s just me, Short stuff,” Buck joked weakly, not knowing what to do, but not wanting Ezra to be afraid of him.
Ezra slowly turned his head from its place pressed into the side of Chris’s neck to look at him. He smiled just a touch at the familiar nickname.
“There, that’s better,” Buck praised softly.
“Buck,” Chris said quietly. When Buck looked over at Chris questioningly, he continued, “I need to talk to Ezra, then I’ll be out.” The implied message that he wanted to be alone with Ezra came through clear and Buck headed out.
After the door was shut, Chris hugged Ezra close for a moment, then released him. The boy was still a little shaky, but he was getting better.
“Ezra, I need to go talk to the principal and your teacher for a few minutes. Buck brought your bag so you can change your clothes.” Chris said kindly.
At first Ezra looked at him a little confused, then he looked down at himself, and for the first time he realized than in his fear he had lost control of himself. Ezra’s face flushed bright red in shame and he turned his face away from Chris, but Chris would have none of that. Very gently, Chris turned his face back toward him.
“There’s nothing to be ashamed of, Ezra. Sometimes you just can’t control your fear or your reactions to it,” Chris tried to comfort him.
“But…” Ezra tried to protest, but Chris cut it off with a finger to Ezra’s lips.
“No, buts. I might not react the same way to fear that you do, but when I do, it’s just as hard to control. I’ve had a lot more time to practice than you have, and it’s still hard.” Chris caressed Ezra’s hair gently, before pointing toward the door and continuing. “You’ll safe in here. There’s only one door and I’m going to be standing right outside it until we’re ready to leave. You just come on out when you’re ready.”
Ezra looked from Chris to the door, then around the room just to make sure. “Okay, Da.”
Chris stood and set the gym bag down beside Ezra on the cot. Before turning away, Chris ruffled Ezra hair in affection, and smiled when Ezra made an attempt at smoothing it back out, while squawking, “Da!”
Ezra would be all right. Now, to make sure he stayed that way. Chris headed for the outer office to find out what the hell had scared his son so badly.
<<<~7~>>><<<~7~>>>
Chris’s face was set in grim lines when he stepped through the door into the nurse’s office.
“What have you got, Buck?” Chris demanded as he strode over to where they had the offending newspaper spread out on the desk.
“These are the pages they think Ezra was looking at when he ran,” Josiah informed Chris as he moved between Nathan and Buck.
Chris looked at the copy of the Rockies Gazette; a newspaper
that he himself didn’t subscribe to as it reported frequently more about the
lives of celebrates than it did real news.
Scanning it, he found his gaze pulled to a picture at the top of the
left page. It showed a couple getting
out of a black limousine, the man he knew by vaguely sight as a business man of
some renown in
This was Maude Standish!
Buck, Nathan, and Josiah all saw the growing rage on Chris’s face and were worried that he was going to blow at any moment. The fire in his eyes when he looked up at them made them all take a step backward.
Chris looked up, ready to blast someone for what had happened to his boy, but really there was no one to blame. He was the only that had ever seen the sketch of the woman, and that had been an accident. Swallowing his anger, Chris forcibly calmed himself and spoke evenly and distinctly. Stabbing the picture with one finger, Chris ground out, “That is Maude.”
As one, Buck, Nathan, and Josiah responded, “WHAT!?!”
“Yes, I saw a sketch Ezra did of her last year, and that’s her,” Chris confirmed, his voice promising the woman a world of hurt if she came anywhere near that precious boy again.
