I'll Stand by You (8 page)

Someone honked a horn and shouted her name. She looked up and saw Pansy Jones, her neighbor from across the street, smiling and waving. She smiled and waved back as she entered the store.

Intent on wasting no time, she grabbed a shopping cart and headed straight toward the baby aisle. She turned a corner by the deli aisle and walked straight up on two girls from her old class who were there with their mothers.

The minute the girls saw Dori, they gave her a body scan that would have made Homeland Security proud, smirked, then looked at each other and giggled. Their mothers just stared.

Dori gritted her teeth and kept moving, hoping they would ignore her, but such was not the case.

A curvy redhead named Jenn actually stepped in front of her cart to stop her.

“Well, hi, Dori!”

The last thing Dori wanted was for them to think she was running away.

“Hi, Jenn. Hi, Leigh. It’s good to see you.”

“Yeah, uh…you too,” Jenn said. “So how’s it going?”

Dori smiled. “Oh, good, and you?”

Leigh giggled and fluffed her blond curls.

“We’ve been shopping for prom dresses. It’s only a couple of weeks away.”

“Are you still dating Freddie?” Dori asked.

The girls rolled their eyes at each other and then giggled again.

“Ugh, no. You are so behind times, girl. But that’s to be expected, considering…”

Normally the hateful tone would have sent Dori ducking her head in shame, but something had clicked in her today. Maybe she should have gotten angry a long time ago. She laughed, which made everyone stare.

“Speaking of being behind…are you still failing chemistry? I mean, I used to tutor you, remember? But since I’m not in school anymore, I just wondered if someone else was helping you pass.”

Leigh’s eyes widened. Her lips parted, but she was too shocked to answer. Her mother decided to take offense for her daughter and grabbed Dori by the arm.

“See here, Dori Grant. You have no right to criticize my girl. After all, she’s still in high school and you’re…you’re not. You’re nothing but a dishwasher.”

Dori smiled even wider as she pushed the woman’s hand from her arm.

“Mrs. Glover! So nice to see you again. I know I’ve jumped the gun a bit on growing up, but it’s not as bad as you might think. Actually,
I
have already graduated high school. I passed the GED and am taking college classes online.”

Mrs. Glover blinked. She glanced at her daughter and then back at Dori Grant, trying to figure out how all that could happen in light of her fall from grace.

Dori just kept talking. “I’m leaning toward website design. It’s something I can do from home and make decent money at the same time. As for washing dishes, aren’t women always the ones washing dishes? The only difference between me and you is that I’m getting paid for it. I’d love to chat, but I need to finish shopping and get home. I don’t mind my job, but I sure miss my baby boy.”

Mrs. Glover’s cheeks turned pink, but there was little she could say. She
did
wash the dishes at home and got little thanks for the effort, and for that matter, got little thanks for anything. She watched Dori Grant for a few seconds and then turned and glared at her daughter.

“It’s time we got home. I have a thousand and one things to do yet today.”

“But, Mama, I thought we were going to get some of that yummy banana pudding from the deli to take home.”

“You’re always wanting to spend my money. If you were working for your money, you’d have a different idea about how to spend it, I can assure you. If you want banana pudding, we’ll make it at home.”

Leigh was not pleased, but she knew that look on her mother’s face and didn’t argue. She glanced at Jenn and rolled her eyes, then followed her mother out of the store while Dori was standing in line to pay for diapers at the checkout.

Dori waved at them as they passed by her, but they ignored her presence. She couldn’t remember when she’d felt this good.

* * *

Unlike Dori, Blessings’s youngest criminals weren’t feeling all that great. Because of their transgressions and subsequent arrests, their futures were still in free fall.

The twins had been dropped from the track team.

Lewis Buckley was no longer part of the basketball team.

Coach Sharp had personally kicked his own son off the football team that he coached.

And Peanut Butterman’s presence on behalf of Brooks Pine was keeping the parents anxious. They hadn’t voiced a single complaint about paying the medical bills and knew they would continue to be responsible for any and all medical treatments until Brooks Pine’s doctor had released him.

They were certain Johnny Pine was going to sue them for damages and suffering, because if the shoe had been on the other foot, they would have done it to him. Because of the ages of the perpetrators, the district attorney had agreed to a closed hearing. The ruling disappointed the warring factions in Blessings. Fresh fodder would have done wonders for the fires of their indignation.

* * *

Two days later, Dori came home from work to find Luther Joe fussy and her granddaddy worn out. She apologized profusely that the baby had been a bother, took him out of Meeker’s arms, and told Meeker to go to bed. Meeker didn’t argue.

By nightfall, it became apparent that Luther Joe was sick. Dori suspected an earache because he kept pulling at his ear as he cried. Shortly after midnight, Meeker was back up with her, and they took turns trying to comfort the baby throughout the rest of the night, but to no avail.

Along toward daylight Dori finally got Luther to settle. He was dozing in her arms but whimpering in his sleep.

“I’ll take him to the pediatrician in the morning,” Dori said and then looked at the clock and sighed. “Lord. It’s already morning.”

“I can take him so you don’t have to miss work,” Meeker said.

Dori frowned. “I don’t know, Granddaddy. I think I should—”

“Honey, we’re in this together. I don’t clock in anywhere but here with my two favorite people. You go to work, and I’ll get him to the doctor. By the time you get off work, we’ll at least have one dose of medicine in him and you can take over from there.”

Dori still felt guilty. “This is my responsibility,” she said.

“And we’re still family,” Meeker countered.

Luther Joe whimpered again and then let out a wail. Dori put him up on her shoulder and began patting his back and rocking him in her arms.

“My poor little man,” Dori murmured and then caught her grandfather’s look and gave in. “Okay, you take him to the doctor, and I’ll take over when I come home. Tomorrow is my day off and that will give me two whole days to get him feeling better.”

“That’s the ticket,” Meeker said. “I’m going to make coffee; then I’ll take over and you get ready and go to work. I’ll call after we get back from the doctor, okay?”

“Yes, okay,” she said as the baby continued to fuss. She kissed him on the cheek and then started down the hall toward their bedroom. “Let’s go get a dry diaper, okay?”

Less than an hour later, Dori was out the door and on her way to Granny’s Country Kitchen. She’d missed sleep before, and it would happen again. All she had to do was make it through her day.

She didn’t know until she got to the restaurant that today was the day of the closed hearing at the courthouse.

Dori could only imagine what Johnny Pine was dealing with and said a quiet prayer as she started washing a new load of dishes. Her thoughts slid back to her own little boy, and she wished she were the one with him at the doctor’s office. It was times like this when she was reminded adult life could really suck lemons.

It was almost noon by the time Meeker called her.

“Hey, honey. It’s me. Luther has an ear infection.”

Dori groaned. “Oh, that’s what I was afraid of,” she said. “So what did they do?”

“The doctor gave him a shot to head it off and some medicine for him to take orally. He’s asleep right now, and we’re fine.”

Dori frowned. “A shot! He’s never had a shot before. Did he cry?”

Meeker chuckled. “Hell yes, he cried. He let them know how pissed he was, while he was at it.”

Dori felt sick. His first shot and she hadn’t been there for him. “Poor little guy. You don’t have to sound so proud of it.”

Meeker chuckled. “It’s a guy thing, honey. He’s good. We’re both good. See you later.”

“Yeah, see you later,” she said and ended the call.

Walter had been listening to her call without apology.

“Is your boy sick?” he asked.

Dori nodded. “Ear infection.”

“That’s tough,” Walter said.

Dori nodded. “He got his first shot today. He cried and I wasn’t there,” she said and then burst into tears.

Walter looked a little anxious and went back to his grill. Crying women made him nervous.

* * *

By the time 2:00 p.m. rolled around and Dori’s day was ending, Johnny was on his way to the courthouse with the boys. It would be the unveiling of Brooks Pine’s injuries.

Once the citizens of Blessings figured out they would not be present during the hearing, they regrouped and began gathering out on the courthouse steps as well as lining the halls inside, their curiosity shining for all to see.

Johnny was as prepared for what lay ahead as he could be. He had dressed the boys in clean jeans and new red T-shirts, and made sure they’d combed their hair before leaving the house. But there was a knot in his stomach as he drove uptown. Confronting the boys who’d caused Beep so much pain was going to be hard for all of them. Beep was scared to see them again, and Marshall was in big-brother protective mode. Johnny needed to know justice would be served.

By the time they arrived, the parking spaces were filled up on both sides of the street, and the growing crowd in front of the courthouse was daunting.

Marshall leaned forward.

“Why are all these people here?”

“Minding everyone’s business but their own,” Johnny muttered and circled the courthouse to look for an empty parking space.

As he stopped at a stop sign, he noticed a young woman waiting to cross and then recognized Dori Grant. He watched her glance toward their car as she started to cross, and he could tell by the look on her face that she’d recognized him too. To his surprise, she smiled shyly and waved. Before he could wave back, she was gone. A little startled that he’d momentarily lost focus, he turned the corner and finally found an empty space.

Marshall got out on his own as Johnny helped Beep out of the car. He could tell by the way his little brother was stooped over that he must be in pain.

“Hey, Beep, are you hurting?” he asked.

Beep shifted the plastic mask on his face to a more comfortable position and then ran a hand across his tummy.

“A little.”

“Do you want some help? I’ll carry you in if it’s too far for you to walk.”

Beep looked at Marshall and then ducked his head.

“They’ll think I’m a baby,” he muttered.

Johnny frowned. “To hell with them. We don’t care what they think.”

Beep eyed the set of his brother’s jaw. “You said a bad word.”

Johnny sighed. “Hold my hand, okay?”

Beep nodded.

“You can hold mine too,” Marshall whispered.

Beep latched on to both of his brothers and up the sidewalk they went.

The sun was warm on their faces as they walked past bushes of blooming azaleas rife with honey bees and butterflies. Intent on what they had yet to face, they also missed seeing the hummingbirds darting in and out of flowers. A squirrel was sitting beneath the old oak on the courthouse commons, scolding all who walked past, while another was on the back of a bench beneath it. It was an idyllic scene in the midst of chaos.

Johnny shortened his stride for Beep, who was moving like a little old man stiff with arthritis. Marshall stayed in step right beside him with his chin up and a frown on his face, a miniature version of his big brother.

The crowd at the front of the courthouse was noisy and bordering on disturbing the peace. With nothing but a sidewalk separating the people wanting justice for Beep from the others wanting it all to go away, it wouldn’t have taken much for trouble to begin.

But then someone noticed the Pine family coming up the sidewalk and word began to spread. Voices lowered and then trailed off into total silence as the full extent of Brooks Pine’s injuries became apparent. Shock spread silently through the crowd. It was no longer about the haves and have-nots. It was about a very small boy who appeared to have been beaten within an inch of his life.

A woman from the back of the crowd called out, “God bless you, child.”

A man took out his handkerchief and quickly wiped his eyes and blew his nose.

Embarrassed by the stares, Beep stumbled and then cried out in pain from the jolt. If Johnny and Marshall had not been holding on to him, he would have fallen.

Ignoring the countless onlookers, Johnny stopped and knelt. “Are you okay, buddy?”

Beep was holding his belly.

“It hurt me here,” he said, rubbing his side where the ribs were broken.

“Put your arms around my neck and hold on,” Johnny said and slid his arms beneath his little brother’s backside as he stood.

Beep hid his face in the curve of Johnny’s neck. He’d had enough notoriety for one day.

Marshall was anxious. He didn’t know what to think about all the people staring at them and was grateful when they finally got inside.

They had to stop at the door and go through a metal detector, which slowed down their progress even more, but there was a bright spot on their horizon. They were no longer on their own. Butterman was waiting for them on the other side of the detector. Johnny caught his gaze and Butterman winked. It reminded Johnny to relax. They weren’t the ones in trouble.

They passed through the halls without looking once at the people lining the walls, and when they reached the judge’s office, Butterman led the way inside.

When Johnny realized the boys and their parents were already there, he paused in the doorway, giving all of them a look none would challenge.