After the Fall

Chapter 4





John’s world came to a crashing halt. He heard Bree’s screams, as they all witnessed his precious son seemingly take flight off his horse then land on the dirt below. Mercifully, the shock and the hard landing knocked the red-headed boy unconscious. He neither heard nor felt the break. John, on the other hand, heard the telltale snap of bones breaking.

“Wait!” Brian commanded as John instinctively ran to his son’s side. “Don’t touch him,” Brian said wisely. Looking around to see if any farmhands were around, Brian saw Gus running toward them with Steve in tow.

“I called the rescue squad. They’ll be here soon,” Steve said gently, knowing John’s impatience, but also knowing that they could possibly do more damage if they moved the boy. Steve had a small horse blanket in his arms and proceeded to lay it gently over his grandson. “The dispatcher said we need to prevent shock,” Steve explained.

“Gus, why don’t you help your dad see to the other children, while I stay here with John and Patrick,” Steve suggested wisely. The kids were still atop their horses. Bree especially looked devastated and was crying. Gus nodded; he knew the horses had to be led back to the barn and cared for. It was all part of the lessons.

“Dad!” Gus prodded his father into action. Brian looked up to Steve for assurance and received a wise, gentle smile. Brian mustered up all his courage and executive skills and took charge of the remaining riders.

Gus, Brian and a couple of farmhand counselors, led the horses into the barn so that their saddles could be removed and brushed down. Someone had wisely called over to Claire, who came into the barn to reassure the frightened children. Falling off horses wasn’t uncommon. The children had to learn to face their fears before they took hold and ruined their enjoyment of riding forever. Claire and some of the farmhands regaled the children with their exploits with horses.

The rescue squad drove into the barnyard. The paramedics quickly immobilized Patrick’s arm then recommended instead of the long drive to Harrisburg, that they call ahead to Dr. Morrison who instructed them to bring the boy to his clinic. It was closer and he had the necessary equipment to x-ray the boy’s arm. Patrick was beginning to come around. To keep him calm for transport, the paramedics gave him a mild sedative. John rode in the ambulance with his son.

“Now what?” Brian helplessly asked Claire.

“Now we take the children back to the farm. Steve will call the cottage and we’ll have Ashley and Sheldon picked up. JR will help with Briana. Won’t you, honey?” Claire looked to the youngster for assistance. JR was twelve and had a firm grasp on the situation. She knew very well that her moms would freak if she ever got hurt. JR expected the same reaction from Patrick’s dads.

Within two hours, calm somewhat reigned again. Ashley and Sheldon were retrieved by their parents, and they had tentative plans for another riding lesson in two weeks. Claire stressed the importance of getting the kids back in the saddle as soon as possible. The parents, who had grown up in farming territory, agreed.

Justin had driven Bobby over to the farm. He had wanted to go directly to his father’s clinic, but Brian insisted they come to Claire’s first. After brief words and kisses, Brian drove Bobby to the Morrison Health Clinic, while Justin stayed with Bree, JR and Gus. Claire had organized the children into a baking brigade. There would be no idle hands or minds in her house. And Patrick would have a large batch of his favorite cookies ready to help him recover when he returned from the doctor.



*****



“Dad?” Bobby called out as he ran into the waiting room looking for any signs of his son and husband, Brian on his heels.

“Here we are!” Dan Morrison replied as he led a groggy little boy sporting a bright orange casted right arm in a sling, and his slightly shell-shocked father, out of the treatment room.

“Oh my little boy,” Bobby gushed as he scooped up his son who, at almost eight and taking after the taller Kinney side of the equation, was getting very heavy. Add to him the weight of the cast and Bobby was nearly bowled over.

“I’m sorry, Poppa,” Patrick said softly, bravely trying to hide his tears as Bobby set him down slowly.

“What are you sorry about?” Bobby asked.

“I didn’t listen to Daddy’s instructions and I got hurt.” Patrick had realized what his showing off had got him.

“We’ll discuss that later, I’m just glad you’re all right.” Bobby reassured his son then looked up to his own father for reassurance for himself. "He is all right, isn't he?"

Doctor Dan held up his hands. “It was a clean break; it should mend quickly. Come back in three weeks and I’ll x-ray the arm again,” Doctor Dan explained to the three concerned men in front of him.

“But he was unconscious,” John said worriedly.

“That was Mother Nature’s way of protecting small children. However, you all remember how to check on him, don’t you?” Dan looked at John and Bobby pointedly. They remembered from the time of their commitment ceremony when Brian and Justin got into the car accident and they were watching Brian for signs of concussion. John and Bobby nodded their heads dutifully.

“You can take him home now. My nurse will give you written instructions. You can give him some children’s pain reliever every four hours if he needs it. But I suspect he’ll need your TLC more than anything else.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Bobby whispered as he gave his father a hug.

“Thank you, Dan,” John said, as he held out his hand for his father-in-law to shake.

Dan pulled John into a hug. “It wasn’t your fault. Boys will be boys,” Dan counseled, knowing that John would be wracked with guilt. “Rachel isn’t the only spitfire in this family.” John looked into Dan’s eyes and saw only love in them.

“Take them home, Brian. Emily and I will be over some time tomorrow. Frankly, my Emily can use a few pointers from you regarding grilling steak. She never fails to turn a perfectly good t-bone into shoe leather,” Dan said with a twinkle in his eye.

Brian saluted, message received and understood. The family was about to rally. Brian slowly and carefully drove his family back to Claire and Steve’s.



*****



“Daddy, is Patrick going to die?” Bree asked her father. The farm house smelled like fresh baked cookies but no one had any appetite for them. Bree was waiting outside for her Dada to bring back Patrick.

“No, baby,” Justin answered quickly, realizing he was acting like it was someone’s funeral. They had gotten a call from Brian and knew they were on their way back. But no one had fully explained the situation to Briana. “Patrick has a broken arm.”

“Broken arm!” Bree exclaimed and the tears flowed freely down her little face.

“I won’t pretend that it doesn’t hurt. Patrick won’t feel good for a day or two but Doctor Dan made him better.”

“All better?”

“No, not all better. Patrick has a cast. It’s like a hard shell to protect his arm so that it will heal.”

“Like a bandage for my boo-boos?”

“Yes, something like that.”

“Can Patrick go riding?”

“Not right away.”

“Oh,” Bree said disappointedly. “Can I take care of Patrick while he gets better?”

“I think he’ll like that.”

“Okay, Daddy,” Bree said, as her smile returned to her face. “We gotta pack up the cookies for Patrick. They’ll make him ‘aaalll’ better.”

“I’m sure they will,” Justin said shaking his head, and following Bree back to the kitchen.



*****



“What’s wrong, Gus?” Steve asked the teenager as he stood by the old horseshoe pitch staring at his cell phone.

“Nothing,” Gus mumbled unconvincingly.

“Doesn’t sound like nothing.”

“Uncle John looked so scared this afternoon,” Gus commented after a prolonged silence.

“All parents get scared when their child gets hurt.”

“My Pop doesn’t get scared; he just gets angry.”

“Your Pop is no different from any other parent. He’s just better at hiding his feelings than most.”

Gus nodded in agreement. His dad was the hardest person to read. No one ever truly knew what Brian Kinney was really thinking, except maybe for Justin.

“This isn’t all about Patrick, is it?”

“No.”

“Gus, your parents love you, all four of them. And you have one of the largest families known to man. Whatever the problem is, there must be some family member you can confide in.”

“I know.”

“Good. Now, why don’t we get back to the house before your sisters eat up all the cookies,” Steve said with a smile, clapping the young, brooding Kinney on the back. “Gus, nothing is ever that awful that it can’t be talked about,” Steve advised, as he led the boy back to the house.



*****



“Patrick!” Bree screeched as she heard John’s Navigator drive up. Bree ran outside with Justin hot on her heels. She pulled up short as Bobby opened the back door and slid out. She watched her Unca John carry the sleepy boy into the house, the bright orange casted arm, cradled gently.

“Patrick,” Bree cried pitifully, tears streaming down her face once again. “Dada?” Bree looked to her older father for comfort. Brian picked up the petite blond then reached for Justin, Gus and JR.

“It’s okay, Squirt. Your Patrick will be just fine,” Brian murmured onto twin blond heads.

“Our Patrick, Dada,” Bree sniffled.

“Our Patrick,” Brian repeated as he brought his family back into the house to where Claire had begun cooking dinner and was waiting to begin the healing process.



*****



Unaware of the drama that was taking place several miles away, Curtis, Raph and Hector were enjoying a picnic at the small lake in the state park. They had had a picnic around four o’clock, having arrived at the park late. There had been a minor emergency at the veterinary clinic. It turned out to be nothing serious, but Raph had had to go in for a couple of hours. That had thrown their plans into a shambles. They were much later arriving at the park than they had anticipated. People were already starting to pack up and leave for the day.

Raph had been waiting for Curtis to mention swimming, since they were all sitting around in their bathing suits. The sun was already starting to get low in the sky and they would likely need to head out before too long. The day was cooling off.

“You want to try the water?” Raph finally asked when Curtis showed no signs of mentioning swimming himself.

“I … I’m not sure,” Curtis said looking at the water with a combination of longing and fear.

“We’ll be with you the whole time,” Hector said, trying to reassure the boy.

Curtis looked around. There were only a few people in the water. A lot of the beach had already cleared out. “Okay,” Curtis said hesitantly.

“Come on then,” Raph said standing up and extending his hand to Curtis to help him up.

Curtis took the hand, feeling the strength and security that Raph offered. Maybe he could do this. He looked at the water as they walked to its edge. Curtis had always been a little afraid of the water. He’d never had an opportunity to learn how to swim. He’d never even been to a park like this before Raph and Hector had brought him there. He watched a little girl kick and squeal as her dad held her up in the water. She seemed to float on her stomach, but Curtis could see that the father had his hands firmly under her, keeping her safe and above the water.

Raph watched Curtis watching the little girl. Something twisted inside him, as he realized that Curtis had never been treated like that. Raph intended to do his best to make up for that terrible oversight.

“That father has the right idea,” Raph said. “Squat down and get wet, Curtis, then we’ll see what Hector and I can teach you in one easy lesson.”

Curtis bent his knees and felt the cool water spread up his body. It felt pretty good even though the day was starting to cool a bit. When he was mostly wet, he stood up. “What should I do first?”

“Let’s go out a little farther where it’s up to your waist,” Hector suggested.

Curtis looked worried as they walked into the deeper water.

“We won’t go any farther than you want,” Raph said gently.

Curtis smiled at him. “Okay.” He hoped he sounded confident.

Once they were out to waist deep water, Raph stopped and turned to Curtis. “Do you think you could duck your head under the water and then come up?” he asked gently.

“Do I have to?”

“It helps if you get your face wet and feel what the water is like when it surrounds you. Remember to take a breath before you go under and hold it till you’re back on the surface,” Hector directed.

“Will you hold onto me?” Curtis asked. Hector gave him his hand. Curtis managed to get wet almost up to his forehead before he popped back up. He didn’t really want his eyes in the water.

“That was good,” Raph encouraged him.

“Really?”

“Yep. The first thing is to be able to get your face under the water. Try again.”

Curtis obliged, this time letting the water cover his eyes. He did this a few more times, smiling as he came back to the surface still able to breathe.

“Let’s try him on his stomach,” Hector suggested to Raph.

Raph nodded. “Curtis, I’m going to hold you under your chest and stomach. Hector will be in front of you. See if you can relax and float. I won’t let you go.”

Curtis looked scared but agreed to try. On the first attempt, Curtis immediately stood up flailing around as soon as his feet left the ground. They tried again. Raph managed to get Curtis is stay up for a minute before the same thing happened.

“I can’t do it,” Curtis said dejectedly.

“Sure you can,” Raph told him. “Each try you get a little better. Just do your best to relax. That will make it easier.”

This time Curtis stayed up for a couple of minutes. Hector told him to kick his feet and Curtis laughed with delight as he splashed water all over them. They did that for a while and then Raph told Curtis to stand up. Curtis was pleased to see that he could easily regain his footing.

“Try floating this time, Curtis,” Raph said. “I’m going to let go of you for just a few seconds and then I’ll support you again. Are you willing to try?”

Curtis nodded. Raph let go and Curtis started to sink. Raph immediately supported him again. Curtis looked scared, but then saw that Raph was there to help him. They tried that several times, and Curtis was able to float a few seconds longer each time.

“I think that’s enough for today,” Raph said after a few minutes.

“I suck at swimming, don’t I?” Curtis said as they walked out of the water.

“Not at all,” Hector assured him. “For the first time, you did really well.”

“I did?”

“Yes, you did,” Raph stated emphatically.

Curtis beamed. “I’d really like to learn to swim properly,” he said as they dried off.

“Maybe we should invest in some lessons at the YMCA,” Hector suggested.

Curtis frowned. “They’ll put me in with the little kids. I’ll feel like a stupid fool.”

“I bet they have classes for older people who never learned to swim,” Raph said. “We can look into it. You could try it and see if you like it. Otherwise, I’ll do my best to teach you.”

Curtis grinned. “You’re not a half bad teacher … for a vet.”

“Cheeky devil,” Raph said as they started gathering up their things to leave.

“Here’s the key to the car, Curtis. Will you put our cooler in the trunk while we go get changed? We’ll meet you in the change room,” Hector said.

Carrying the cooler, Curtis ran up the slope to the parking lot.

“He did quite well for his first swimming lesson,” Raph observed as he and Hector walked towards the change rooms.

“Yeah, but I think he could use some real lessons,” Hector noted.

Raph nodded in agreement. “You know that lesson today wasn’t really about swimming.”

“What do you mean?” Hector asked.

“It was about trust.”

“Did we pass?”

“I’d say so,” Raph said as they watched a happy Curtis race down the slope towards them.



*****



“Time for bed, kiddo,” Bobby said as John carried a tired Patrick into the house.

“Okay, Poppa,” the boy agreed. He was too worn out to argue. He had eaten some dinner at his Grandma Claire’s but now that they were home, he just wanted to sleep.

“But we have to wake you up a couple of times during the night,” John said.

“’Kay.” Patrick was too tired to care.

“I sleep with you, Patrick,” Bree stated, intending to take care of her cousin and best friend. “I take care of you.”

The phone took that moment to ring. Brian went to the kitchen to answer it. John looked at Justin and shook his head.

“Bree, Patrick needs his rest,” Justin said gently.

“I know, Daddy. I look after him.”

“He’s going to be restless and Uncle John and Uncle Bobby will have to wake him up a few times,” Justin tried to explain.

“I help.”

“Bree, you need to sleep in your own room tonight,” Justin said firmly.

“But Patwick needs me,” Bree practically sobbed. She reverted to her baby talk to make her point.

“I’ll be fine, Bree,” Patrick told her sleepily.

“I’m putting Patrick to bed now,” John stated and headed for his side of the house.

“Patrick,” Bree called after him.

“Let him go, Bree. You can look after him tomorrow,” Justin told her as tears started rolling down her cheeks.

“It’s my fault,” Bree wailed.

“What’s your fault, sweetheart?” Justin asked as he knelt down in front of his daughter.

“I told Patrick he couldn’t ride better than me. He was trying to show me that he could. It’s my fault he got hurt.” Bree put her arms around her father’s neck and sobbed on his shoulder.

“It’s not your fault. It was an accident.”

“I’m sorry,” Bree cried.

“I know, sweetheart, but it will be all right. You can help Patrick tomorrow. Okay?”

“Okay, Daddy. I sorry.”

Brian found them holding each other in the front hall. “What’s wrong?”

“Bree thinks it’s her fault Patrick got hurt.” Brian frowned. “I’ll explain later. Go put your pajamas on, Bree. Time for bed.” Bree scampered off down the hall, relieved that her fathers didn’t seem to be mad at her for what had happened to Patrick. She’d try to make it up to him tomorrow.

“Who was on the phone?” Justin asked as they watched her disappear into her room.

“Debbie.”

“What did she want?”

“Claire called her. Looks like we’re having a family barbecue tomorrow. The troops are rallying around our little fallen soldier.”

Justin shook his head. That ought to be a barrel of laughs.