Accidental Momma
By Tyrone Slothrop
Chapter 1: Sweet Home
Toby was crying again. Bobby knew he sounded hungry and he
knew Momma was passed out again. He had heard the clinking of glass during the
night which indicated she had been drinking again.
Bobby got up from his cot, pulled on his last clean T shirt,
tied his hair back and went to get Toby. It was five am and the little guy
smiled as soon as he got into his sight. At six months old, Toby knew his
brother and always gave him a big grin, his dark eyes sparkling with delight.
Bobby shuddered. Toby had been put to bed without being
changed and probably little to eat. Momma had been getting worse since Dad had
gone missing last month.
After patting Toby’s tummy and smiling back, Bobby changed
the diaper, noticing the rash developing. Cleaning up at the kitchen sink he
noticed they were just about out of formula. And Momma had said they were out
of money until the next check came from Dad’s company. She had enough for
bourbon and beer though, Bobby thought grimly.
Toby looked at Bobby while he was feeding him in that unique
way that babies have, the one that rivets your attention until they look away.
Bobby rocked him on his shoulder until Toby burped, and then held him until he
was asleep.
Bobby looked at Momma in the chair, her eyes shut, her mouth
open and her makeup smeared all over her face. Momma had never been a good
drunk. Bobby remembered the beatings he got whenever she was loaded, which was
whenever Dad was away on the oil rigs. He could take the beatings, but the
erratic behavior drove him crazy.
She would act fine, and tell him she was sorry, and he would
then have a few days where he could almost stop watching his back at home. Then
she would begin again, usually when he got home from school. One time, when he
was eleven, he remembered opening the door to their house to see Momma there
with another man, her blouse all undone. The man saw him and pushed Momma away,
pulled up his pants and left, shoving Bobby aside.
Momma was furious. “You little pest! You see what you’ve
done! What are you doing, coming in on me like that! Why aren’t you in school?”
“School’s over now, Momma. Who was that?” Bobby had said.
Momma staggered up on her feet and hit Bobby on the side of
the head with her hand holding a cocktail glass. The glass shattered, cutting into
his skull and upper neck, along with Momma’s hand.
Bobby fell over and somehow stayed conscious. Momma loomed
over him. He knew she was drunk but still alert, the most dangerous time.
“You little shit, I wish I’d never had you. You’ve done
nothing but tie me down since you were born. Now look at you, with that long
hair and all, you look like a little fag.”
“Dad’s got long hair, he said I could have it how ever I
wanted!” Bobby spat back, knowing enough not to get up.
“Your Daddy has a beard and big muscles and looks like a
man, at least when he bothers to stay home. If you tell him about this, I’m
gonna tell him you were trying to give blowjobs for money. In fact I’ll turn
you in myself. Sheriff Turner will back me up.”
Bobby knew Momma spent time with the Sheriff. He also knew
the Sheriff was working for the Disciples, his Dad’s old gang. Dad had left
the gang on not exactly friendly terms after he did some time in prison.
Momma left to go lie down. Bobby got up and cleaned his
cuts, trying to make sure he got all the glass out. When Momma was asleep, he
washed her cut hand and bandaged it.
Chapter 2: When Things Can’t Get Any Worse, They Find A
Way
Bobby was thirteen now, and Momma had made him pay dearly
for catching her that time. When your own mother spreads rumors about you
having a “problem liking boys”, you end up being branded at school by the other
kids. Adults assume you are in denial if you tell them you are not gay. Girls
won’t go near you, or if they do it’s out of weird curiosity.
Even Dad, when he got home for his six months off, was not
sure. Bobby could tell Dad loved him and told him whatever he was was fine with
him. Bobby idolized his father, who had turned his life around when Bobby was
born. He used to be a biker, running drugs and bashing heads. Momma was his
woman and they had Bobby when they were just twenty one. Dad had been in prison
shortly afterward, doing a two year sentence for narcotics smuggling. When he
got out he went straight and started working the offshore rigs. He was away a
lot, but came back for extended stays. Those were the good times for Bobby.
Momma never drank, and they were like a real family.
Meanwhile Momma took out some marriage insurance by getting
pregnant with Toby. Just to make sure she kept her man in case Bobby somehow
convinced his father what she was doing while he was gone.
Toby was a joy to the family. Dad and Bobby did all they
could to help Momma and Bobby got to spend a lot of time with his new brother.
Since his life outside the home was questionable at best, Bobby spent a lot of
his spare time playing with and caring for the baby.
Dad had to go on another job, this time to the Philippines,
when Toby was just three months old. Bobby saw his father actually crying as he
said goodbye to little Toby.
“Bobby, I wouldn’t be going if there was any other way to
pay the bills. This is the best I can do for the family and I need you to be
the one I can count on here. Take care of your Momma and Toby. I should be back
in about six months. Go to Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins if you have a real problem,
I’ve talked to them and they will help you. Goodbye, son.” Steve Dunbar was not
a demonstrative man, and he frankly looked terrifying to most people at six
four and two hundred sixty pounds, all muscle. To Bobby, he was Dad, and gave
his son all the love he knew how. After they hugged, Momma drove Dad to the airport.
Bobby could hear the screaming match in the car as they drove away.
After two weeks Momma started drinking again. At first,
Bobby thought she was under control. Then he kept hearing about her mumbling
“Post Partum Depression” and the drinking got worse.
The day the man from the company came and told them that
Steve Dunbar was missing after an explosion on the oil platform in the South
China Sea, Momma broke down. Bobby took Toby to Mrs. Jenkins while the medics
took Momma to the hospital.
The Jenkins were an old couple that lived next door to the Dunbars.
Mr. Jenkins was a retired cop, still in good shape for seventy one and Mrs.
Jenkins had been a nurse. Mrs. Jenkins was devastated to hear the news. She
looked at Bobby.
“Bobby, you look like a skeleton? Aren’t you eating
anything?” She asked.
Bobby was about five foot nine inches, having just had a
growth spurt, but was skinny in his arms and legs. His brown hair hung just
past his shoulders and hung limply. It was true, Momma had not left him much
money for food and he had to make sure Toby got fed first. When Steve was gone,
Momma stopped making any meals, preferring to be taken out by her many
gentleman friends. Bobby spent his summer cleaning the house and caring for
Toby.
“Not much. Mrs. Jenkins. I don’t get hungry much.”
“Toby will be fine. You sit down and I’ll feed you. Then
we’ll go to the hospital to see your Momma.”
Bobby spent more time with Mrs. Jenkins over the next two
months as the summer progressed. She gave him some relief in the care of Toby.
Chapter 3: When Things Look Their Darkest, You Can Go
Blind
Momma came home, with a pile of pills to keep her calm. They
did not mix well with bourbon.
Bobby knew never to enter the house when men were there, and
he knew the cars and motorcycles of the Disciple members who were Momma’s new
friends.
One day, as he was approaching the house with some formula
for Toby he spotted a pickup he knew in the yard. He overheard Momma
complaining to Sean Cottrell, one of the new Disciple leaders.
“They won’t pay his insurance, dammit! He’s not declared dead
yet, they say. How am I supposed to get on with my life without that money and
two kids hanging around my neck?” Momma was just starting up the bourbon, and
probably was on some of the meth that Sean manufactured and distributed.
“Just give me the word, babe. You’ll have no problems
anymore. Hell, abortions legal up till age sixteen, right?” Sean grinned.
“I’ve got a better way. I’ve been planning it for a while.
Bobby’s going to drown the baby, and you stop him after it’s too late. He’s
such a weird kid anyway. Sheriff Turner will be right here to lock him up. “ Momma
said, taking a pull off the Jim Beam fifth.
Bobby knew he had to get Toby out of the house. He was
furious with himself for leaving him with Momma for the hour it took to walk to
the store. He approached the back door as quietly as possible. Fortunately for
him, Sean was driving off as loudly as the pickup truck could make it.
He heard the water running in the bathtub. Through the
window, Momma was putting on the dishwashing gloves, something she never did
unless Dad was home. Bobby waited until she left the kitchen and then slowly
opened the back door. He heard Toby begin to cry.
“I’m sorry baby, but I need to start clean. This is the best
for you.” Momma said softly as she began to immerse Toby into the tub.
Bobby swung the baseball bat as hard as he could, catching
Momma on the shoulder. She screamed, but fell to the side, gripping her wounded
limb. Bobby dropped the bat and pulled Toby out of the water. The infant
sputtered and struggled to breathe.
“You leave him alone! You’re not gonna kill my brother!”
Bobby ran out of the house, carrying Toby, water streaming off the baby.
Chapter 4: Showdown
Both of the Jenkins were home. Bobby ran inside their house,
and looked for a towel for Toby. He got out the story in between gasps for
breath, while he and Mrs. Jenkins wrapped Toby up.
They heard Sean’s pickup truck pull up next door, with a
couple of Harleys trailing behind. Mr. Jenkins opened a drawer and pulled out
his handgun. He dialed the phone and began talking to someone at the state
police station.
“I know it’s local jurisdiction, but the sheriff is in on
this. I’ll hold these children until you can get someone out here. Now hurry,
goddammit!” Al Jenkins was still steady in a crisis. He grabbed a pump shotgun
and gave the pistol to his wife.
Bobby’s mother was screaming and flailing around outside
their house, attempting to relay what had happened to Sean and the two with
him. Bobby saw Cottrell pull an automatic from behind his back and start
marching over to the Jenkins’ house. Momma was hanging on his arm. Sean pushed
her off.
“Bitch, you’re more trouble than you’re worth. Since Steve
is gone, I guess I can clean up some loose ends.” Sean said, firing two bullets
into Momma’s head. He only stopped firing because of a misfeed, jamming the
action of the 9mm.
The two other Disciples stormed the front and back doors of
the Jenkins house. The first one was almost cut in half by the shotgun blast
from Al, but the one at the back stitched Al Jenkins up with a burst from a MAC
10. Bobby hid under the coffee table with Toby in his arms while Mrs Jenkins
shot her husband’s killer right in the ten ring.
Bobby heard more Harleys in the distance. Mrs. Jenkins
scribbled a note and thrust it into Bobby’s hand.
“Try to get away, Bobby. I know you can drive, so get a car
and go here with Toby. It’s a good friend. Tell them I sent you, tell them what
happened. You need to hide there. Now go! I’ll keep them occupied. Be careful,
these gangs are everywhere. And they will want you dead.”
Mrs. Jenkins fired three times at Sean, who had picked up
another handgun. Bobby went out the back door with Toby, who chose this time to
start crying. He heard another shot and then Mrs. Jenkins screamed. As he
circled around the house he was grabbed from behind.
Sean Cottrell looked at him.
“You little faggot. I only wish old Steve knew I was doing
you in. But I need some more bullets. So wait here, kid.”
Cottrell threw Bobby down, the boy still clutching at the
screaming Toby. He stomped on Bobby’s groin with his boots, and then kicked
Bobby in the ribs.
“That ought’a keep you here.” Sean said as he walked away.
Bobby was in a haze of pain, but still holding Toby. He
crawled to his feet, just as he heard another shot. He saw Sean swivel and fall
to the ground, and Mrs. Jenkins, standing on her porch, holding the automatic.
Her housedress had a blood splotch spreading on her stomach. She fell over.
Bobby got to his feet and carried Toby over to Sean. He was
still alive and would probably live so Bobby grabbed a rock and swung on Sean’s
jaw. He heard teeth crack and saw blood pour from his mouth. Bobby grabbed the
truck keys in Sean’s hand and got into the F 150 as fast as his pain would
allow. He settled Toby in, binding him with a seatbelt and started the engine.
He could see the parked Harleys and saw two more coming down
the road. He put it into drive and first drove into the front wheels of the two
parked choppers. Satisfied they were out of commission, he began driving up the
road as fast as he could, swerving into one of the oncoming bikes. The biker flew
into the roadside ditch, with his machine landing on top of him. The other bike
stopped to help. Bobby sped away and got onto the interstate.
Chapter 5: Crime Scene
Sheriff Turner was very upset. He was supposed to have been
on the scene first, like Cottrell had said. When he arrived, there was no
Cottrell, five dead bodies and State Police investigators all over the place.
“Sheriff, we have a court order placing this crime scene
under our jurisdiction. You have been implicated as being compromised in this
investigation and you are to render only the assistance requested of you.
Consider this a formal notice.” Max Atherton, a senior officer with the
Investigative Unit said, stuffing the paper in Turner’s face.
Turner was still livid about that. When he ascertained that
the bodies were two Disciples, the Jenkins and the Dunbar whore, and Cottrell
was gone, he left.
He passed the ambulance as it was pulling away with the biker
who ended up in the ditch. The other biker had not been forthcoming about what
happened.
Turner assumed he was under surveillance and picked up his
throw away cell phone. After dialing a number, he left a message.
“This is T, I am being watched. Contact with care.” He left
the message on the coded voicemail system.
Turner called in off shift and went straight to the Indian
Casino. He figured he was due for some time off.
Miles away, in a nondescript warehouse complex, Reed
Cottrell, Sean’s younger brother was screaming into the phone.
“I need a doctor and a dentist, you asshole, ones who we
control. Sean’s been shot and had his jaw all smashed up and we need to keep
this strictly off the books. Use the Nevada organization. He’ll be there in
four hours.”
Reed was the smarter and colder of the two, working the
business end of the Disciples while Sean was out front for show. While people
feared Sean’s unpredictability, Reed terrified them in pure cold bloodedness.
He turned to the group around him in the warehouse offices.
“I want the Dunbar kid found and I want him dead. He saw too much and we lost
control of the evidence. The State is going to be on this one hot and heavy and
the two idiots who let a bunch of old farts take them down are known members.
Good for us the kid is running and we think he’ll be afraid to go to the cops.
He knows Turner is ours and word has it he’s a smart kid.
“Find Sean’s pickup, kill that kid and get back the cash
that was in it. Any cash missing better be made up however you can. Use all our
contacts and get someone in the State Police near this investigation.
“Do this one slow and quiet, people, we’re gonna have a ton
of heat on our ass for at least a month. Now how hard will it be to find a
thirteen year old boy with a baby?”
The group looked down at the floor to avoid Reed’s stare.
“Get fuckin’ going, you assholes!, Now!” Reed said in his
normal motivational; style.
Chapter 6: Runaway Into The Night
Bobby was drained. His groin was throbbing with intense
pain, his ribs were on fire whenever he took a breath and he knew Toby had wet
the towel. He couldn’t stop, he had to follow Carol Jenkins last instructions.
He stayed in the right lane and drove five miles under the speed limit, trying
to get to his destination without getting stopped by the cops. He assumed they
could all be like Sheriff Turner. He knew how hard it was to go up against the
Disciples, and all the people he trusted were dead. So he clung to the last guidance
Mrs. Jenkins had given him.
He finally gave up and pulled into an empty rest area,
about sixty miles from where he started. Toby was soaked, so he took him into
the men’s room and was happy they had warm water. He washed the baby as best he
could, and then realized he needed some kind of blanket, since the towel was
soaked beyond hope.
A search of the truck provided a clean fleece blanket rolled
into the emergency kit. Toby thought this was fine after he was wrapped up.
Bobby had Toby drink some water fountain water out of a cupped hand, getting a
big smile from the little guy.
“Toby, we’re in deep crap now. I hope the people Mrs.
Jenkins told me about will help us.” Bobby said. Toby gurgled.
Searching the truck revealed a large duffel bag. Bobby was
stunned when he opened it, revealing a 9mm handgun sitting on top of a pile of
money. Stacks of twenties. Old but banded into stacks of fifty bills. Bobby
counted up to $55000.
“Toby, we may just have some help in this mess. Sean’s
already going to try and kill us just like Momma and the Jenkins, so we can at
least use his money. But we gotta be careful.”
Bobby stuffed the bag under the seat and drove back onto the
northbound interstate. He had another ninety miles to go. He started looking
for a convenience store off an exit.
Rolling up to the Circle K next to the gas pumps, Bobby
grabbed a twenty from the stack he had kept out, picked up Toby and went
inside.
Toby kept pulling at his hair while he was looking for
diapers, formula and bottles, so Bobby undid the clip and let it fall freely.
Toby loved that, occasionally pulling when his little hand got a grip.
At the checkout, the girl fussed over Toby, cooing at him.
She began asking Bobby if Toby had been breast fed, and Bobby said no, Toby had
been on formula since he was born.
“Well I have my little girl at home and she just didn’t want
to give it up. I guess it’s all in whether you want to or not.” The girl was
looking at Bobby’s loose sweatshirt, thinking that Bobby was not very well
endowed for a mother. Oh well, he looked young too.
“Those bruises on your face don’t look good, honey. Do you
need some help?” The cashier asked, a note of concern in her voice.
Bobby caught on that the girl thought Toby was his baby
which meant she thought Bobby was a girl. He decided that he’d rather this
checkout girl remembered a girl and baby rather than a boy and a baby. He held
Toby in such a way to cover his chest, smiled when she gave him change for the
twenty and left, carrying Toby on his hip like he had seen Momma do. “No thanks,
I’m fine. I need to get my little one home now.”
Bobby made a bottle for Toby on the front seat of the
pickup, hoping the room temperature bottled water was ok for him mixed with the
formula. He put a diaper on Toby and proceeded to feed him, scanning the
parking lot for anything suspicious.
Finishing up, Bobby took some aspirin and despite the
wracking pain, secured Toby with the seatbelt and drove off.
“We can buy you a real car seat now, buddy. It’s much safer.
“ He said. Toby looked at him and smiled.
While sipping on his coffee, he saw the big “Sunny Serve”
sign coming up in the distance. He hoped Mrs. Jenkins’ friends were able to
help.
Chapter 7: Temporary Refuge
Bobby pulled into pumps of the truckstop. Mrs. Jenkins note
had told him to go to the Filler exit and ask for a man named Bobby Filler. He
would help him if he explained he was sent by the Jenkins. He was to tell him
everything.
A pretty young woman approached the pickup. Her nametag said
‘Joelle’.
“Can I help you, honey? Do you need some gas?” Joelle asked,
sweetly.
“Is there a Bobby Filler here? I need to see him.” Bobby
said, the pain showing in his voice.
“Are you alright, Miss? You look like someone’s been going
over you. Is that your baby?”
Bobby picked up Toby and got out of the truck. He staggered
over to the Sunny Serve office, tears running down his cheeks from the pain in
his groin. The swelling made it hard to walk.
Joelle chased after him, steering him to the chair at the
desk.
“Bobby Filler. Hide the truck, can’t let them find us. Get
to Bobby Filler.”
Bobby said as he was passing out. Joelle grabbed Toby
before Bobby collapsed.
She called the café and a minute later saw a pink waitress
uniform run over to the Sunny Serve office.
“Terri, this poor girl drove up, asked for Bobby and
collapsed. It looks like someone beat the crap out of her.
The waitress grabbed Toby, who seemed fascinated by the very
large breasts the waitress uniform displayed.
“We need to get this baby some clothes and you need to get
Doc Schlange. He and mom are at her house. Bobby’s due back in an hour. Maybe
he knows who this kid is. It’s slow over at the café and Thelma can handle my
shift for now. I’ll get this little fella handled while you stay with her until
the Doc comes.”
Joelle watched Terri walk away towards the town store,
holding the baby and calling on a cell phone, probably to warn Joelle’s uncle to
open the front door. She always loved watching Terri walk away, with those big
hips moving back and forth. She was completely in love with Terri, and had been
since they were kids.
Bobby Dunbar was sleeping on a bed in Betty Springer’s home,
the one she usually shared with Doc Schlange. Doc was talking to Betty, Terri,
Joelle and Bobby Filler, who had just arrived. Toby was sleeping in a playpen
Terri had set up, clothed in his new sleeper. Joelle had given him a good bath,
and with more food, he had fallen sound asleep.
“Well, someone beat our visitor up real bad. The baby seems
fine, but the young girl you called me here to look at has some surprises.
First of all, I doubt that they are mother and daughter.” Doc spoke in his
normal deep tones.
“How do you know that, Doc?” Joelle asked.
“Well, because I’m a good doctor, and while I’ve handled
some strange cases before “ He looked at Terri, who giggled, “ I doubt that boy
gave birth. “
The crowd gasped. A thin, long haired smooth skinned kid
carrying a baby led them to a lot of assumptions. Doc continued.
“He’s had some ribs broken, but his biggest problem other
than borderline malnutrition is his testicles have been smashed pretty good. It
looked like he got stomped by a boot heel. The strange thing is the baby is
healthy and well fed, but this boy has not been eating well. You say he came
here asking for Bobby?”
Joelle nodded. “He also said to hide the truck. When I drove
it into the bays, I found a duffel bag with a pistol and over $50000 in
twenties. Do you think he’s a robber?”
Bobby Filler, stood up, his wrinkled face and lanky body
uncoiling from the chair, and he limped over to the resting boy.
“I think he is on the run from someone who was trying to
hurt him. We’ll know more when he wakes up. Call me, I’ll have my phone on.”
With that, he spun around and left.
“Doc, can you help him? How bad are the injuries?” Betty
asked.
“We need to let the swelling go down for now, and then I
need to bring him in for an ultrasound to inspect the damage. The ribs will
heal, but will hurt like hell for a while. I fear he may be permanently
affected. I’ll have to wait and see. Right now, let him sleep. I’m going to
call some friends for a consultation.”
Chapter 8: Underground Railroad
Bobby Dunbar felt better than he had in months. He’d eaten
food, showered and was given clean jeans, a T shirt and new sneakers. He’s
tried to pay but nobody would take his money.
Toby was having the time of his life, with at least five or
six women mothering him every second. He seemed to really like Terri, the
waitress with the really big boobs.
He and Bobby Filler were sitting together with Doc Schlange,
in Bobby’s home. Charlene, Bobby’s wife was running the businesses while Bobby
figured out what to do.
“Are you sure you’ve told us everything, Bobby? Every detail
could be important.” Bobby Filler said. Bobby Dunbar sensed he was a man of few
words.
“All I can remember. I need to take care of Toby. He’s all
the family I’ve got and he deserves better than what we had. And the Disciples
will never stop until they find us.” Bobby said, stoically. For some reason
these two men reminded him of his Dad. Big, steady and caring.
“Al Jenkins was a Marine with me and Terri’s dad. Then he
was the best cop this state every saw. And Carol Jenkins was one of the best
women I knew. I’m not surprised they went out like they did, they were tough as
nails and really good people.” Bobby Filler said.
He continued. “Carol asked me to help out a friend of hers,
someone she knew as a Navy nurse. The woman has a big mountain lodge way the
heck up in the Sierras and helps people. Usually not like you, but given your
situation, I think she’d do it for Carol’s memory. They are sent to me and I
kind of filter them out and act as a go between to get them to her. I’ve
already called her and she wants you to bring Toby up there and stay.”
“What kind of people?” Bobby Dunbar asked.
“Usually women beaten up by their men, a lot with babies and
nowhere to go. It’s gotten a little better, with some new laws, but the ones we
see now are a lot of migrants and others, who are afraid to go to the law. If
you go there, you follow her rules and do not do anything to put those people
at risk. Understand?”
Bobby shook his head.
“Bobby, I need to monitor his condition, and I’m going to need
to take him for some tests.” Doc chimed in.
“I know Doc. That’s why I’m bringing you into this. Plus I
know you can keep your mouth shut. Now Bobby, I’ve got a duffel bag of money
which is yours free and clear, and given your situation, I’m letting you keep
the 9mm. Can you use it?” Bobby Filler said.
“Yes, I can. My Dad taught me how to shoot when I was ten.”
“Okay. The truck has been repainted and driven three hundred
miles to Arizona, Phoenix actually. The paint washed off in a car wash and we
hope it will be found abandoned. The Disciples probably have people in every
police station and we hope they think you are down south and east of here. Now
gather your things, both of you. You’re going to meet Lady Jean Thomas. “
Chapter 9: Sanctuary
Bobby Filler drove the 6X6 up the logging road, taking care
to avoid the most jarring holes and rocks. Bobby Dunbar and Doc Schlange were with
him, and Toby seemed fine in his car seat.
After about an hour of twists and turns, Bobby drove off the
road on what looked like pure brush undergrowth. He stopped the truck, told the
two to get everything they were bringing.
A set of steps went up about twenty feet, cut into the
rockface. Bobby banged the stair rail with a rock and Doc saw a stair elevator
platform begin to descend. They boarded, Bobby banged the rock again and the
platform slowly lifted them up.
Bobby Dunbar saw the most beautiful house he had ever seen.
Huge, it must have twenty rooms or more. The wood finish blended in with the
surrounding pines, which towered overhead. Several decks ran along the
outside, at least three levels he could see. What was strange is that it had
been totally invisible from the road.
“Somebody was worried about defensive perimeters here.” Doc
muttered.
“When you meet Jean, you’ll see.” Bobby Filler said,
chuckling.
They approached the house and two young women dressed in
jeans and workshirts met them. Bobby waved and it was clear they knew him.
“Is this our new arrival, Mr Filler? “ the tall one asked.
“Yes, Tracey. This is Bobby Dunbar and Toby. The other big
guy is Doc Schlange. He’s a friend.”
“Doctor, Lady Jean wants to meet you right away. Bobby,
please bring Toby and we’ll get you two settled into your room. Mr. Filler, can
you take him to the library?”
Bobby nodded to Bobby Dunbar, who followed the two women to
the left, while he led Doc to the right. The interior was magnificent and Bobby
had to keep pulling Doc away from the paintings and artifacts strewn through
the lodge.
They entered the library which looked like something
transplanted from an English manor house. Dark wainscoting and books shelved to
the ceiling, with rolling ladders on the walls. A tall woman with long brown
hair strewn with gray rose from a stuffed chair. She was dressed in a prim and
proper sleeveless high neck dress which came to her knees. She had a remarkable
figure and moved with grace.
“Bobby I’m glad to see you. How is Charlene?” The woman
said.
“She’s going crazy, Lady Jean. She says she will quit
smoking for sure this time. I just stay out of her way, like everybody else.”
Bobby said.
“I really doubt you can stay away from her that long,
Bobby.”
She turned to Doc. Doc Schlange stared at her, knowing she
looked very familiar, but could not place her.
“I’m Jean Thomas. The ‘Lady’ means I married lucky. Lucky
until he passed on. Haven’t you placed me yet, Walter?” Lady Jean stood in
front of Doc, smiling.
Doc’s face exploded. “Jean Koslowski? You were at FireBase
Mary? I haven’t seen you in almost forty years! Goddamit, Bobby, why didn’t you
tell me?” He hugged Lady Jean enough to pick her up off the floor.
“Didn’t know until I gave Jean your name to see if she would
allow you up here. Then she told me to keep it a surprise.” Bobby said,
grinning enough so his worn wrinkles moved around.
Doc, or Walter as Bobby now learned was his name, had served
as Doctor with Jean as chief nurse in a field hospital where a detachment of
Marines was reinforcing an Army position. Firebase Mary got nicknamed “Bloody
Mary” after it almost was overrun at least six times.
They sat down and Jean told her story. She knew Doc’s history
and had been totally surprised when Bobby had told her he had been a frequent
visitor to Filler, just fifty miles away, and had married into the Filler
‘family’.
After falling in love with an Aussie officer she helped
patch up, she accepted his offer to return to Australia with him. It turned out
he was a British Lord, Knight of the Empire and all that, but also heir to a
reasonable fortune. They lived a wonderful, happy life until he his heart gave
out fifteen years ago. Lady Jean decided to return home to the Sierras, and
built the lodge on some property they owned. She became involved in various
causes, but settled on funding shelters for battered women and children. As she
got more involved, she found there were cases in which the danger level was so
high, she did not want them in a regular shelter.
The ‘Extreme Cases’ as she called them she tended to
personally, with a small staff at her lodge. She knew Bobby Filler, Al and
Carol Jenkins from the war and enlisted them in being her go betweens. She
also made sure that her lodge would not be overrun like Firebase Mary.
“Walter, Bobby, right now I have only five girls in
residence, two with babies. I have the room for Bobby but we are not really
set up for young boys. How long will he have to stay here? “ Lady Jean asked.
“Given the Disciples reputation, he and the baby have to
disappear forever. With Al gone, I have no way of knowing who to trust in the
police. I’m afraid to even try the one guy who was close to Al until this thing
cools off. We need Bobby to become someone else. Can you trust your girls?”
Bobby said.
“I hope so. I don’t think any will be leaving in the next
year, anyway.”
Doc spoke. “There is another complication. Bobby’s injuries
to his groin are severe and probably permanent. He will almost certainly not be
producing enough testosterone to even trigger the rest of his puberty. After he
heals, I may need to begin supplements if he wants to retain any normal
function. I will need to take him for an ultrasound exam soon.”
“No need to remove him, Walter. I have two ultrasound
machines here. We have a very well equipped lab and a part time resident OB
GYN. You may want to confer with her, however, given she may be a bit out of
her specialty. Lord Harry left me more money than I can possibly spend.”
Chapter 10: New Friends
Bobby Dunbar was walking Toby around on the deck, looking at
the valley below. Toby loved the sunlight and shadows through the trees.
Bobby felt a little better. His face was still bruised but
not as swollen. His ribs still ached but he felt it was lessening. His groin
was encased in a diaper like padded garment, with cold packs to try to reduce
the swelling. It still throbbed, despite the pain pills Doc and the other Doc,
Karen had given him. He felt a bit silly wearing the loose fitting shift which
came to his knees, but had to admit it was the only thing he could wear outside
over the diaper. Besides, he had come to the conclusion he needed to look like
someone else other than Bobby, for his and Toby’s sake.
The girls there had been great. They loved little Toby and
made him feel welcome. They all were here escaping from a brutal situation and
regarded Bobby as one of them.
He was the youngest. Dawn and Tracey were nineteen and
Tracey’s baby was Toby’s age.
Melinda was seventeen and her little boy was just nine
months. Barbara was sixteen and Madeline was fourteen.
Bobby found his room next to Madeline’s, and she visited a
lot when she was not doing her studies or chores. Bobby had no chores while he
healed, which annoyed him since he had been running a household since he was
ten.
Lady Jean spent hours listening to Bobby talk. She was
amazed at the combination of adult maturity and responsibility and the child
like vulnerability in the young boy. His attachment to Toby was more than a
brother, Bobby admitted he felt more like Toby’s Momma now that Momma was gone.
“Bobby, your Momma had problems. You know that, don’t you?”
Jean asked gently.
“Momma fell apart when Dad wasn’t there. But even when he
was, she was mean and only really cared about herself. Mrs. Jenkins used to
tell me to be strong for her and Toby, ‘cause Momma lost her way. So I did my
best, but I had to stop her from killing Toby. I didn’t want to hurt her.”
Bobby broke down and Lady Jean held him.
Jean could not believe what this child had been through. An
abusive mother. A father who seemed to care but was gone a lot. Being viewed as
gay by the whole town. Beaten up and humiliated. The people who were supposed
to help were either hurting him actively or absent. And then watching his
mother neglect his brother, and then try to kill him and blame him for it. The
most violent criminal gang in the country after him and wanting him dead.
And now he would have to be told he might never be a normal
man. This was not a problem child, this was a child that had problems dumped on
his head. And still, a core of incredible strength and character shown through.
He would not abandon his helpless brother at any cost to himself. This child
would be saved, cherished and protected, if she did nothing else before she
died. Lady Jean Thomas, the aloof, powerful woman wept openly , holding the boy
in a gentle embrace.
Chapter 11: New Identity
Jean was sitting in her office with Doc Schlange, Doctor
Karen Peters, her staff doctor and George Romany, a psychiatrist who
specialized in transgendered boys. George was part of a very shadowy group that
Jean could never seem to trace, but their purposes often coincided with hers
and she liked George. He was a bit of a fanatic if you wound him up, but he
really cared for the kids he treated.
“Jean, you are right not to trust the police. My contacts
have told me the Disciples have penetrated almost every force around. Not
enough to change things but enough so they know everything the cops know. You
tell the cops where Bobby is and he will be dead in two days. Along with
everyone near him. The group makes so much money from
their meth labs and other things they can afford to pay off
or threaten their way into anywhere.” George said, glancing at the group’s
reaction.
“I read from your statement that Bobby needs to be prepared
to assume another identity for the foreseeable future, maybe permanently,
George. I have discussed this with him, as well as Walter’s diagnosis. He has
expressed the desire to masquerade as a girl.. He is quite a mature boy and he
understands his injury. He also identifies as filling in for Toby mother as a
worthy life choice. I have never seen such a selfless person, anywhere. Walter,
Karen, what do you think?” Jean asked.
“I think appearing as a girl will be relatively harmless for
now, if the other girls never engage in humiliation of any kind. It should be
done lovingly and with his full consent. I assume Walter can address the effect
of holding off testosterone therapy, but we need to keep his options open as
long as possible.” Karen said, nodding to Doc.
“Delaying Bobby’s puberty will be helpful to the masquerade,
and as long as we monitor him, we can hold off a decision for a year. At that
time we either point him one way or another. If he wants to continue the
masquerade, then he needs to decide if it should become real.” Doc said,
nodding to George.
“If we follow the normal process, which this does not, we
would have Bobby live as a woman for quite a while before we push this that
way. What’s a problem here is the involuntary nature of the injury. Bobby needs
to come to grips with the decision, but the sooner he decides, the better he
will be growing up as his selected gender. I recommend we wait no more than
that year and then push for a choice. In the meantime, I can provide some help
with his appearance.” George said, tears welling up in his eyes. This case was
personally difficult since George believed in letting the person come to grips
with their gender gently and slowly, but Bobby’s choice was thrust upon him.
“So be it. Bobby becomes Carol, the name he chose to honor
Carol Jenkins, who saved his life as her last act. It was his, or rather her
idea.” Jean said, sharing George’s tears.
Carol was beginning to get comfortable in his new role. Lady
Jean had explained the situation to all the household and they embraced Carol’s
identity change as a group challenge. It had been a month and he was finally
getting the hang of hair styling, with coaching from Tracey and Melinda. His
hair was now jet black and his complexion was darker by a combination of sun
and makeup. He really wondered if sleeping in rollers was necessary, but they
assured him it was a necessary part of his training.
Although they had only trimmed his hair, it was
unrecognizable in the curly style they had him practice. It floated off his
shoulders, just brushing them as he swung his head.
He had adapted to earrings and dresses, but found high heels
really uncomfortable. He made sure he did at least two hours a day practicing,
under Lady Jean’s watchful eye, which included walking with a book on his head
in the library. Lady Jean and some of the staff who were also teachers were
patient but firm with Carol. If he lapsed on his behavior, they were quick to
settle him down and discuss why he was doing it. There was a calm inevitability
communicated to Carol that he would become a feminine girl with help and
support, and that he was perfectly capable of doing it well.
Carol was treated like a special little sister by all of the
girls. They made sure he had help when he needed it, but including him into their
group as a full member was crucial to making Carol comfortable. Gossip, jokes
and general girl talk became easy for Carol, and seemed normal after a short
while. Carol had found a family again.
Mr. Romany was very helpful and seemed to know everything
about dressing like a girl. He confided in Carol that he often did it himself,
and one day showed up in a skirted suit and wig. Carol thought he looked
beautiful. Lady Jean just treated him as another woman. It was amazing. Carol
studied how George changed his hand gestures, and body language when he dressed
up. George had explained that attitude and the silent forms of communication
were the key to appearing believably female.
George had fitted Carol for breast prostheses, showing him
how to use the adhesive and the remover. Carol’s ribs were still sore but found
applying the breasts less painful as time went by.
It was strange having boobs, but Carol soon adapted,
especially since the girls fawned all over him, letting him know how good he
looked. He became familiar with brassieres and never went without one during
the day.
The girls showed Carol no mercy in appearing and acting girlish,
and he was always the most feminine appearing of the entire group. Of course, his
injury and padding almost made wearing dresses the easiest choice for him.
The only person he could not fool was Toby, who took it all
in stride. He had cried when Carol’s hair went dark, but quickly adapted. The
rest of the changes he was oblivious too, except he seemed to love to grab at
Carol’s breasts and pinch them.
Chapter 12: School Days
Lady Jean had to admit, Carol was the hardest working
student she had ever seen. He just burned through the material, seemingly
driven to make up for lousy schools, apathetic teachers and no motivation all
in one year. At fourteen he was already caught up to his grade level, and all
this while being a full time mother.
Toby was a handful, still smiling and good natured but
curious and crawling into everything. He was a handful by any stretch of the
imagination. Carol played with him while studying material, never ignoring him
or even showing any temper.
Madeline became Carol’s closest friend. Jean, Karen and
George observed a continual adaptation to the role of young mother and teenage
girl with little or no difficulty. It was like Bobby just became Carol over the
space of a few months.
Jean was proud of her girls, and a leaving ceremony was
always a tearful occasion. Dawn and Tracey had been at the lodge for three
years and were quite different from the scared and beaten girls who had shown
up at her door. Jean had determined the danger for them had passed and was
starting them off in a new life. The girls were starting a catering business in
Denver, a place far from their past.
Carol had used some of his stash of money to buy dresses for
everybody for the ceremony, including George. Jean thought it over and then
approved. It was the first time Carol had even thought about the money in the
whole year he had been there.
The formal gowns were very pretty, each one tailored to the
measurements sent in by Carol who had done it as his gift to the departing
girls.
Jean led the ceremony with some traditional words and all of
them lit the candles they held. Tracey and Dawn were in tears and it was
contagious. They said a few words indicating their love, their appreciation for
Lady Jean, and the unique rescue that had happened. George was sobbing openly,
his mascara running. It was short and poignant.
Chapter 13: Direction and Discovery
Carol sat with Lady Jean. He was dressed up since he viewed
this as important, and his hair was a mass of permed curls. He smoothed his
skirt as he sat across the desk from her.
“Carol, you know the decision you need to make. Three
doctors who love you are all saying you should grow up one way or the other. I
wish there was another way. But Dr.Schlange is a leading expert on this and
says if you delay any longer you may end up halfway between man and woman. We
gave you a year to try living as a girl and frankly you are better at it than
most natural born girls.
“You may be just short of fifteen, but you are old enough
to make this decision. Just please do me one favor. Do this for you, not for
Toby. He’s a wonderful child, but he would not want this on his head when he’s
old enough to know what you gave up.” Jean said, looking directly into Carol’s
eyes.
Carol/Bobby went quiet.
After the longest ten minutes Jean could remember, he
spoke.”I don’t think I would be as good a man as the woman I could be.
I can’t be sure, but I think I want to be Carol. Can I do that? “
Jean hugged her newest girl.
Max Atherton had never given up on nailing Al and Carol
Jenkins’ killers. He had to let the sheriff go, with the only evidence being
Al’s call to the police. He knew the key was the Dunbar boy.
No one had found him, or the baby. It was like the earth had
swallowed them up. He knew the Disciples were still looking also, so he took
comfort in believing they were still alive. If the gang stopped looking, they
were dead.
Max called in the lone investigator who was still working
the case. Fred Washington was a massive man who was like a bulldog with a bone.
When he got a case, he never let go.
“Fred, did we check out everybody who went to the Jenkins
funeral? I mean everybody?”
“Yes, Max. We did. Three times. So did the Disciples through
the PI’s they’ve hired. But I have an idea I’ve been working on and I need your
help.” Fred said in his slow but penetrating voice.
“Ok, shoot.”
“My latest theory is who didn’t go to the funeral who should
have. The murder got nationwide attention, so most people would have found out.
I’ve gone through Carol Jenkins address book and I have a list of cop and
marine buddies for Al and old friends of Carol. I’m going to start tracing them
down. If any of them are sheltering the boy, they would not have been at the
service to avoid the Disciples’ attention. Now do any names strike you?”
Max scanned the list. Two popped out, both Vietnam buddies
of Al’s. Bill Ferny and Bobby Filler. Both were in state and both would have
come for the funeral if they could.
“Okay, Max, I’ll check them out. I have three names to track
from Carol Jenkins’ friends. Barbara Holman, Jean Koslowski and Bebe Newhart.
The rest are dead or in very bad health.” Fred continued.
“Fred, do this yourself. I really don’t want that damn gang
using your work to find them and kill them. If that happens, I’d rather we just
drop the whole thing.” Max said.
They found the listening device in Max’s office the next
day.
Chapter 14: Return
Sheriff Turner was basking in his new hot tub. The income
from his role in the Disciples allowed him to make his lifestyle a bit more
comfortable. He was about half asleep, sitting over the water jets with a beer
in his hand.
Suddenly he was yanked out of the water and thrown into a
bag, tied shut and heaved up on a shoulder.
“Make a noise and I’ll break your skull wide open, scumbag.”
This was all Turner heard. He decided to be quiet.
After being thrown into a car trunk, Turner remembered
driving for what seemed like hours. The bag was impervious to his efforts to
break free.
He felt the car stop and the trunk open. He was hoisted out
and carried somewhere. A few minutes later, he is strapped up and hung on a
hook, suspended a foot off the ground. He heard two men.
“Turner, we need to go over what happened at the Dunbar
place. We need more clues to find the boy. Now start from the top and don’t
leave anything out.”
“What? Are you crazy? I work right for Reed and Sean. They
already know everything I know. This is a mistake!” Turner said, a whimper in
his voice. He heard some dogs, big snarly ones.
“Look asshole, Reed and Sean have fucked this up. We are
looking over their shoulder, so to speak. Now, do you answer or should I pour
beef gravy on your crotch and let the dogs loose? They haven’t eaten for a day
and a half.” The voice was cold and frightening.
Turner felt his bathing suit being cut away and felt
something warm and thick being poured onto his genitals. The dogs got louder.
Turner talked. He covered everything.
When he was done, he was punched in the face and gut, taken
off the hook and told “Don’t breathe a word about this to anyone, asshole, or
next time we won’t be so nice.”
Turner was told to not remove his mask for ten minutes or he
would be dead. He knew the gang actually did that to guys, leaving behind a
gunman with a stopwatch. They unstrapped him and he then heard a car drive
away.
Maybe a half an hour alter, he unmasked and found himself
naked, in the desert, miles from anywhere.
Chapter 15: Good Police Work
Max Atherton was in a rush. He knew the Disciples were
driving against the leads Fred had developed and blamed himself They had not
killed anyone yet, but the people they could find had been visited. And threats
were implied.
Bobby Filler had captured two PI’s who had gotten a little
rough. The State Police retrieved them and charged assault against an officer
of the law, Bobby being the Filler town sheriff. He told the troopers that his
favorite song was ‘I Fought The Law And The Law Won’ when they drove away.
Bobby started carrying his revolver again.
Max Atherton paid a call on Bobby.
“Bobby, I worked with Al Jenkins for twenty years. He was
the best damn cop this state ever had. And I let him down. If I can find that
kid I know I can put away Sean Cottrell for a long time.” Max said.
“Mr. Atherton, even you get Sean Cottrell, from what I
understand he’s just the top punk. The damn gang will go on and kill that kid
just like stomping on a bug.” Bobby said, shuffling papers on his desk.
“We could protect him. Oh, that’s bullshit., I know. But
what else can I do? I’ve got to get the guys that took down Al.” Max said,
exasperated.
“Sounds like you need to go a bit outside the law, Max. If I
hear anything, I’ll call you.”
Fred had just connected Jean Koslowski to Lady Jean Thomas.
He was not going to tell anyone except Max, but was not aware there was spyware
in his computer, sending out his activity to a hidden location on the local
network. Someone was going to pick that up that evening.
The State Police Sysadmin was running maintenance routines,
trying to track down some anomalous behavior on the servers. He found the
hidden files just as they were leaving the system. He was able to trap the
files before they deleted themselves and tried to trace where they went.
Failing that, he picked up the phone to call the Duty Officer.
Max Atherton was called a half an hour later.
Chapter 16: Firebase Jean
Lady Jean got the call from Bobby, who got the call from Max
Atherton. She immediately started shutting down the lodge. When she decided to
handle the ‘Extreme Cases’ here , she knew she might attract some very bad
people. Fortunately there were only four girls and two toddlers, plus three
adult staff. Plus Jean. She hoped Bobby could get here soon with some
reinforcements. She opened the armory and issued weapons to the staff, grabbing
a Colt 1911 ACP for herself, along with an M-16 with full auto. She was running
through the defenses in her head. Claymores, motion sensors, video cameras and
other booby traps.
She debated collapsing the staircase, but decided it made a
better kill zone if they tried to use it. Her staff cook was an expert with a
SAW (light machine gun) and was assembling it as she watched.
Lady Jean had almost been killed several times defending a
position almost forty years ago and was going to be damned if she would let
them through hers now. She remembered when the nurses had been offered rifles
and asked to help hold the line. It was never supposed to happen, and never
had, officially.
Sean Cottrell was angry every time he closed his jaw. The
reconstruction was never quite right, and the source of constant pain. That kid
had caught him just right and smashed the hinge joint beyond recognition. He
had spent the better part of the year going to oral surgeons, who he found,
were much more professional at giving pain than he could ever aspire to. His
brother had told him he wasn’t allowed to kill the doctors when he was
finished, and that really pissed him off.
Sean was going in from the air. There were two helos, each
carrying two Disciples to climb down a rope and enter the lodge. Reed had about
twenty guys working their way up the hill, ready to go in and lay waste on
Sean’s signal. The money paid to the cops IT people was worth it, it kept them
one step ahead.
Carol and Toby were in a central room. Carol held the 9mm
Bobby Filler had let her keep. She always thought of herself in the feminine
these days, since she had committed to the hormone therapy. After just a few
months, her body was already taking shape. She knew it would take some time,
but she wanted her own breasts so she could ditch the prostheses. So far, her
nipples were changing and she showed some growth. Despite the mood swings, she
was happier than she had ever been. Until today.
Madeline, Melinda and Barbara, along with Melinda’s toddler
were also there, and Melinda had a pump shotgun aimed at the only door.