No Particular Reason
Chapter 6
Joey sat alone on the hard, itchy patient family couch. The ride from Munford’s Park to Oakland General was something he would never wish upon anyone; except, perhaps, Frankito.
Jakob had lost so much blood that he had gone into shock. He could only moan in pain because his jaw was broken. Then his pressure dropped and his heart stopped for a moment.
The paramedics brought him back, but nothing could take the wail of that alarm from the heart monitor flat lining away from Joey’s mind. He had begun to rock himself on the couch in fear for his baby brother.
It was deathly cold in the waiting room and Joey was gripping his hands together to try to speed the blood up to warm them. Joey didn’t know what to do. He knew his parents were on their way and the police had been informed. They were probably at the scene of Jakob’s beating now. All Joey could do was wait and hope that Frankito would get what was coming to him.
“Joey ”
Joey snapped his head up to see his parents running towards him.
“What’s happened? What’s going on? Where’s Jakob?” Adrienne asked as she shook her eldest son.
“Adie, Adie, calm down.” Billie Joe pried her fingers off of Joey. “Joey, have they told you anything?”
Joey shook his head. “No. They’re still working on him. He’s pretty bad though. His heart stopped on the way here.”
“Oh no ” Adrienne moaned as she buried her face in her hands and then again in her husband’s chest. The men could here her muffled sobs. “My baby is dying. Who did it?” She ripped her face out of Billie Joe’s chest and landed her gaze squarely on Joey who had opened his mouth in preparation to voice his theory.
“Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong?”
Billie Joe and Adrienne turned to find a doctor in surgery scrubs before them.
“I’m Dr. Newman. I was working on your son, Jakob.”
“Oh God.” Adrienne sank onto the couch. “Is he okay? Can we see him?”
Dr. Newman came closer to the family. “I will not lie to you Mrs. Armstrong, your son was badly hurt and right now, he is in a great deal of pain but we’ve given him a drip to ease the pain. Your son has broken five ribs and cracked two. He is having some difficulty breathing because his left lung was punctured by one of the ribs. His left arm bone was partially shattered here.” He pointed to a area not too far below the elbow. “He has broken his jaw and his nose and has cracked his cranium. His ankle was twisted and he is covered in multiple lacerations and contusions. However, even through all of that, I have full faith that he will make a complete recovery, but he lost a great deal of blood and our blood banks are almost parched of type O. As the family of the victim, I will encourage all of you to donate blood to help him along.”
“Of course.” Adrienne nodded. “We all will. How long will his recovery take?”
Dr. Newman sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Jakob has had an extreme amount of injury done to his body. Right now, I would suggest an extended hospital stay to get some strength back in him. Still, rehabilitation is going to be very long, hard, and intense. We have also put him on a mild anti-depressant. Jakob has a long way to go but I believe he will be able to do it. He’s very strong. We almost lost him, but he always came back.”
Billie Joe, who had his arm wrapped tightly around his wife looked at the doctor. “Can we see him now?”
“Right now the police are with him.” Dr. Newman informed them. “They wanted to see Jakob first and get his side of the story of what happened. They will want to speak with you after they see me. Once they leave, you may go see Jakob, but please,” He emphasized the word ‘please’ with his hand. “Please don’t be frightened for shocked when you see Jakob. Most of what you see is just precautionary measures we’re taking for him right now. We have the drip for pain, a blood IV, the respirator to help ease his breathing, and an antibiotic IV. I will be in touch.” He walked away from the family.
Adrienne sniffed and wiped her eyes. “Okay. We have to be strong for Jakob. When we see him, don’t stare too hard, don’t say anything stupid, don’t. . .” Adrienne was beginning to loose her composure. “Why would someone do this? Who would do this?”
Billie Joe embraced his wife again. “The police are looking into it baby. We’ll get the person who did this.”
“I want them to suffer. I want them to die. I want them to feel the pain Jakob’s feeling now.” Adrienne cried into Billie Joe’s shoulder.
Joey said nothing but sat there. He was anxiously waiting for the police to come back and tell them exactly what he thought, Frankito Wright had attempted, but didn’t succeed, in killing Jakob Danger Armstrong.
“We need to call Mike and Andrea.” Billie Joe said softly into Adrienne’s hair. “They’ll want to know what’s going on and they’re going to help us through this because they’re our friends and they care about Jakob. Okay? I’m going to call them.” Billie Joe held Adrienne’s face so he could see into her eyes.
“Dad, I’ll call them.” Joey piped up. “Stay with Mom, I’ll call them.” Joey slowly got up and walked a bit away from his parents. He was going to call Mike and everybody, but first he had to call someone else.
Joey took a deep breath as the phone rang in his ear.
“Yeah?”
“Jakob’s still alive Frankito and the devil’s coming to pay the piper.”
Jakob had lost so much blood that he had gone into shock. He could only moan in pain because his jaw was broken. Then his pressure dropped and his heart stopped for a moment.
The paramedics brought him back, but nothing could take the wail of that alarm from the heart monitor flat lining away from Joey’s mind. He had begun to rock himself on the couch in fear for his baby brother.
It was deathly cold in the waiting room and Joey was gripping his hands together to try to speed the blood up to warm them. Joey didn’t know what to do. He knew his parents were on their way and the police had been informed. They were probably at the scene of Jakob’s beating now. All Joey could do was wait and hope that Frankito would get what was coming to him.
“Joey ”
Joey snapped his head up to see his parents running towards him.
“What’s happened? What’s going on? Where’s Jakob?” Adrienne asked as she shook her eldest son.
“Adie, Adie, calm down.” Billie Joe pried her fingers off of Joey. “Joey, have they told you anything?”
Joey shook his head. “No. They’re still working on him. He’s pretty bad though. His heart stopped on the way here.”
“Oh no ” Adrienne moaned as she buried her face in her hands and then again in her husband’s chest. The men could here her muffled sobs. “My baby is dying. Who did it?” She ripped her face out of Billie Joe’s chest and landed her gaze squarely on Joey who had opened his mouth in preparation to voice his theory.
“Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong?”
Billie Joe and Adrienne turned to find a doctor in surgery scrubs before them.
“I’m Dr. Newman. I was working on your son, Jakob.”
“Oh God.” Adrienne sank onto the couch. “Is he okay? Can we see him?”
Dr. Newman came closer to the family. “I will not lie to you Mrs. Armstrong, your son was badly hurt and right now, he is in a great deal of pain but we’ve given him a drip to ease the pain. Your son has broken five ribs and cracked two. He is having some difficulty breathing because his left lung was punctured by one of the ribs. His left arm bone was partially shattered here.” He pointed to a area not too far below the elbow. “He has broken his jaw and his nose and has cracked his cranium. His ankle was twisted and he is covered in multiple lacerations and contusions. However, even through all of that, I have full faith that he will make a complete recovery, but he lost a great deal of blood and our blood banks are almost parched of type O. As the family of the victim, I will encourage all of you to donate blood to help him along.”
“Of course.” Adrienne nodded. “We all will. How long will his recovery take?”
Dr. Newman sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Jakob has had an extreme amount of injury done to his body. Right now, I would suggest an extended hospital stay to get some strength back in him. Still, rehabilitation is going to be very long, hard, and intense. We have also put him on a mild anti-depressant. Jakob has a long way to go but I believe he will be able to do it. He’s very strong. We almost lost him, but he always came back.”
Billie Joe, who had his arm wrapped tightly around his wife looked at the doctor. “Can we see him now?”
“Right now the police are with him.” Dr. Newman informed them. “They wanted to see Jakob first and get his side of the story of what happened. They will want to speak with you after they see me. Once they leave, you may go see Jakob, but please,” He emphasized the word ‘please’ with his hand. “Please don’t be frightened for shocked when you see Jakob. Most of what you see is just precautionary measures we’re taking for him right now. We have the drip for pain, a blood IV, the respirator to help ease his breathing, and an antibiotic IV. I will be in touch.” He walked away from the family.
Adrienne sniffed and wiped her eyes. “Okay. We have to be strong for Jakob. When we see him, don’t stare too hard, don’t say anything stupid, don’t. . .” Adrienne was beginning to loose her composure. “Why would someone do this? Who would do this?”
Billie Joe embraced his wife again. “The police are looking into it baby. We’ll get the person who did this.”
“I want them to suffer. I want them to die. I want them to feel the pain Jakob’s feeling now.” Adrienne cried into Billie Joe’s shoulder.
Joey said nothing but sat there. He was anxiously waiting for the police to come back and tell them exactly what he thought, Frankito Wright had attempted, but didn’t succeed, in killing Jakob Danger Armstrong.
“We need to call Mike and Andrea.” Billie Joe said softly into Adrienne’s hair. “They’ll want to know what’s going on and they’re going to help us through this because they’re our friends and they care about Jakob. Okay? I’m going to call them.” Billie Joe held Adrienne’s face so he could see into her eyes.
“Dad, I’ll call them.” Joey piped up. “Stay with Mom, I’ll call them.” Joey slowly got up and walked a bit away from his parents. He was going to call Mike and everybody, but first he had to call someone else.
Joey took a deep breath as the phone rang in his ear.
“Yeah?”
“Jakob’s still alive Frankito and the devil’s coming to pay the piper.”