Episode 13: To The Hospital This Time
I looked at Sally. She nodded and so I told the nurse to let the officers in. They were pretty much a Mutt and Jeff pair and both were fairly young, not much older than me. The Jeff guy was the talker.
“Good morning, Mr. Reynolds. Hope you’re feeling better. We just have a couple of questions about last night and we’ll be out of your hair.”
“Okay,” I said, “but Sally knows a lot more about it than I do.”
“Yes, well, we’ve already got her account of what happened, we just need a little bit of information from you.”
“Okay, I’ll tell you what I can.”
“Do you know who hit you last night?”
“Yes, a man named Chuck Blight.”
“Do you have any idea why he would attack you with a weapon.”
“It was a fungo bat, if you consider it a weapon and I’m quite certain of why he attacked me. It wasn’t the first time, either.”
“Will you give us the reason, please?”
“He thinks I stole his girlfriend. She isn’t his girlfriend and hasn’t been for over a year. She broke up with him because of his out-of-control behavior, but that’s her story to tell if she wants to.”
“I see, well, we have Mr. Charles Blight in custody and we are charging him with assault and battery with a weapon. Do you wish to press charges?”
“No sir, I don’t. It won’t make things better between us and this issue has to be resolved.”
“Hmm, well that is your decision, but whether or not he is charged will depend on the prosecuting attorney and his staff. I’m sure if you do press charges he will be charged and tried.”
“I think you should press charges, Jack,” Sally’s voice was sharp. “He needs to learn a lesson. My parents say he should go to jail for a few days and I agree.”
“I don’t want vengeance, Sally. My mom taught me that vengeance is a God thing. I just want us to be left alone.”
“Then I hope God takes vengeance on Chuck. I will most definitely pray for that.”
The two officers finished their note taking and said good-bye. They wished me a speedy recovery and I thanked them.
Within minutes of their leaving, the nurse came back in. “Miss Day, if you would wait outside for a few minutes I’m going to get Mr. Reynolds up. We’ll walk to the restroom and back. I’ll come get you when we’re done.”
I noticed that the nurse was holding a kind of wide cloth band and wondered what that was for. She unplugged my IV, pulled down the sheet and took my right hand and helped me sit up.
“How’s that, Mr. Reynolds? Dizzy?”
“Whew, a little,” I said. “But it’s getting better.”
In a minute she steadied me on to the floor. I stood still and felt a little wobbly but not too much. She waited some more till she was sure I had my balance and then tied the cloth band around my waist.
“You ready?” she asked.
I nodded. I hoped so. She took the band in her right hand and held it up tightly.
“I’ve got you, take a small step and stop.”
That’s how we got to the bathroom and back. I won’t discuss the rest of the trip. I made the round trip and that’s what counted. I was earning points to leave the hospital. The nurse retrieved Sally who was accompanied by her mother. Her mother held a box that looked like it came from a certain diner and the smell was delicious.
“Hello, Jack, Mr. Day thought you might like a real breakfast instead of hospital food.”
“I haven’t been offered any food yet, but if they say I can eat I sure would enjoy some of Ray’s Diner cooking.”
“What about it, Nurse?” Mrs. Day asked.
“Do you feel nauseous or any stomach upset?” she asked me.
“No,” I said quickly, without giving it much thought. The smell of those eggs, bacon and hash browns was getting to me.”
It was the best breakfast I could remember in a long time. It also endeared me to the Day family more than ever. All the time I was eating, Mrs. Day, with Sally’s help, kept up a running conversation. I think she was disappointed that I didn’t recall what happened exactly, especially the part Sally played in defending me.
“That beast could have hurt her,” she exclaimed.
“No, Mom, he was too busy trying to escape and I don’t think Chuck, as mad as he was, would have hurt me.”
“Are you going to press charges, Jack?” Mrs. Day asked.
“No ma’am, but it’s not up to me anyway, the policeman said.”
“Well, Ray and I sure are ready to press charges. Our daughter was at risk as well as you. I don’t see why you won’t stand up for yourself.”
“This situation between Sally, Chuck, and I needs to be resolved peacefully, and not with more anger and vengeance. If I cause Chuck to go to jail, it will only harden his heart a lot more by the time he gets out. We need to get everyone together and talk this out.”
Mrs. Day would have said more but there was a knock on the door. The young nurse opened the door and a man and woman about the Day’s age came into the room. I had never seen them before but obviously Sally knew who they were.
The gentleman stepped next to the bed and stood next to my head. Before he could speak the nurse intervened.
“Mr. Reynolds, would you like to sit up to talk with your visitors?”
Seemed like a good idea as I felt somewhat intimidated lying flat on my back. I was happy to hear that I could sit up. The nurse pulled me up and helped me swing my feet off the bed. She stood next to me as a safety precaution, I guess.
I smiled at the gentleman and the lady and said a not so loud hello.
The man spoke, “My name is Benjamin Blight and this is my wife, Evelyn, Jack. May I call you Jack.”
“Yes, sir, that’s my name. How can I help the two of you?”
“We are Chuck’s parents, Jack, and we just recently learned from the Nampa Police what happened last night outside the Rollerdrome. We are so disturbed that Chuck has done this. I don’t know what came over him. I’ve never known him to be violent…except on the football field. We have come to ask for your forgiveness and to request that you not file charges. You have our word that we will handle the matter internally and that nothing like it will happen again.”
“This wasn’t the first time, Mr. Blight,” Sally interjected.
“What?” Evelyn blurted.
“Chuck attacked Jack once before and has threatened him several times. Jack has done nothing but defend himself.”
“Is that right, Jack, has Chuck attacked you prior to this?” Mr. Blight asked.
“Yes, one night outside of Sally’s house, we had a fight. He went home scratched up and so did I. I had hoped that would be the end of it.”
“Would one of you young people please explain what is going on, I think we are confused.”
Sally spoke up first before I could gather my thoughts.”
“It’s all about me, Mr. and Mrs. Blight. All about me.”
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