You and Only You (32 page)

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than the doctor came in carrying X-rays.

Dr. Quick had delivered Brooks Pine, and he was pretty angry about what had happened to the little guy. But criticism was left for others. His job was to fix him. He pulled a couple of X-rays out of an envelope, turned on the viewer light, and slid them up onto the screen as Johnny and Marshall moved up beside him.

“So, here’s the verdict, guys. Mr. Brooks here has some healing to do. Besides the broken nose, he also has two cracked ribs, a large contusion on his spine, and one on his thigh. Look here,” he said, pointing to the X-ray. “These fine lines on the fourth and fifth ribs are hairline fractures. Other than the broken nose and a couple of loose teeth that should reseat themselves, I don’t see any other injuries to his head or neck.”

Johnny felt sick. He wanted to cry, but he had to be the strong one.

“What do we do? How do you fix this?” he asked. “Are you sure that’s all? He’s getting sleepy. Are you sure he doesn’t have a concussion?”

“Adrenaline crash,” Dr. Quick said gently. “No concussion, no intracranial bleeding.”

“So he wears the nose guard to protect the nose, but what about the ribs?” Johnny asked.

Dr. Quick patted Beep’s leg.

“Just no roughhousing or lifting for a few weeks and they’ll heal. He’s young and kids’ bones are very pliable.”

Just to prove he wasn’t as sleepy as they thought, Beep piped up with a question of his own.

“Do I still have to take a bath?” Beep asked.

It was the perfect comment to lighten the moment. Dr. Quick laughed.

“As long as you let your brother wash your face so you don’t mess up the good job I did on your nose, you’ll be good to go. A warm bath might even make some of the aches you’re going to have feel better,” Dr. Quick said.

“Shoot,” Beep said.

“You have to take a bath,” Marshall said. “I wouldn’t want to sleep with you if you got stinky.”

Beep winced as the movement of facial muscles caused him pain.

“I sleep with you even when you fart,” Beep muttered.

Marshall looked embarrassed.

Dr. Quick caught Johnny’s eye. “Could we speak privately for a moment?” he asked.

Johnny followed the doctor out into the hall. His heart was pounding, and he felt sick to his stomach. “What’s wrong? Is something else wrong that you’re not telling me?”

“No, no, I’m sorry. I didn’t intend to frighten you. I wanted to tell you that I have reported this to the police and they are on their way to talk to Brooks.”

Johnny was relieved that decision had been taken out of his hands. He focused on what Dr. Quick was saying.

“I’m speaking out of line, but you’re pretty young to have the responsibilities you have, and I don’t want to see you railroaded. I think you need to see a lawyer to protect your rights. At least make sure the responsible parties pay for the medical bills and hope the threat of a lawsuit makes the school take the appropriate action.”

Johnny’s shoulders slumped. “I can’t afford a lawyer, Doc. I threw the word around a lot when I picked him up from school, but that’s not going to happen.”

“You know Peanut Butterman, right? He has the law office above the old bank.”

“Yes, sir,” Johnny said. Everyone knew Mr. Butterman. He was one of Blessings’s true characters.

“Give him a call and tell him I referred you. Every so often, he takes a case pro bono when he thinks someone is about to get railroaded. I think this would be one of those cases.”

Johnny was surprised and embarrassed. “I don’t want charity.”

Dr. Quick put a hand on Johnny’s shoulder. “This isn’t about your pride, son. It’s about Brooks’s and Marshall’s welfare through the rest of their school days. In other words, tie a knot in their tails now, before shit gets out of hand.”

Johnny got it. His pride didn’t matter as much as their safety. “Yes, sir. I hear you. And thanks.”

“You’re welcome. I’m very sorry this happened, but the police should be here soon. They will want to interview Brooks and let him say his piece. They’ll go to school and get those statements as well. You let Peanut work his magic, and you stay out of trouble in the process. Peanut will get the names of the parents, and the medical bills will go to them through him.”

Johnny went back inside the room as the doctor left.

Marshall was still holding Beep’s hand. “Are the cops gonna sweat Beep?” he asked.

Johnny rolled his eyes. Someone had big ears, and he didn’t know where Marshall got his vocabulary. That sounded like something out of an old gangster movie from the 1940s. “No, Beep is not in trouble, and the police are only going to want to hear his side of the story.”

Marshall frowned. “You can’t trust ’em.”

Johnny stared at his brother in disbelief. “Marshall! Where is all this coming from? Since when have you become an expert on bad police procedure?”

“I watch TV. I know how it goes down,” Marshall said.

“I think your TV choices could be better, and we’ll be talking about that as well in our family meeting. In the meantime, you will be quiet, and you will be respectful when the police get here. Do you understand me?”

Marshall ducked his head. “Yes, sir.”

Beep reached for Johnny’s hand. “Don’t leave me alone with the cops,” he said.

“What the hell?” Johnny muttered. “Have you been watching those shows with Marshall?”

“Yes.”

“Where?”

“At Miss Jane’s after we get through with homework. She watches old cops-and-robbers movies.”

“Good Lord,” Johnny muttered. He was going to have to have a talk with the sitter too. Could this day get any worse?

There was a knock on the door, and then a uniformed officer from the Blessings Police Department walked in carrying a tripod and a camera case.

Johnny breathed a sigh of relief. He knew and respected Lon Pittman. He would be fair. “Hey, Lon,” Johnny said.

“Hello, Johnny. Dr. Quick has reported an assault on Brooks Pine, who I am assuming is your little brother, Beep. Can’t say as I ever knew his real name before today. I am going to video his statement, okay?”

Johnny nodded. “Dr. Quick told us he called you. Beep will answer your questions. Won’t you, buddy?”

Beep blinked and tightened his hold on Johnny’s hand.

Lon was shocked at the condition of the little guy’s face and hated that his presence was adding to his discomfort. He quickly set up the camera and once it was in place, he moved just out of camera range. “It’s gonna be okay, Beep. You remember me from Career Day at school, right? I came in and talked to your class about obeying traffic laws and how you look both ways before you cross streets. I just want you to tell me what happened.”

Order Sharon Sala's next book
in the Blessings, Georgia series

I’ll Stand By You

On sale now

About the Author

Sharon Sala, who has also written under the name Dinah McCall, has more than eighty-five books in print, published in five different genres—romance, fiction, young adult, Western, and women’s fiction—and her young adult books have been optioned for film. She has been named a RITA finalist eight times by Romance Writers of America, and in 2011, they named her the recipient of the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award. Her books are
New
York
Times
and
USA
Today
bestsellers and published in many different languages. She lives in Oklahoma, the state where she was born.

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