Joel: Book Eight ~ The New Patriarch

"You guys did a good thing today," I said.

"I guess," Lenny said. "We just did what we learned."

"It was kinda exciting when it was all over and the EMT guys got there," Larry said.

"Yeah, they asked us what we had done and where we learned to do it," Chris said. "They acted like it was strange that we were the ones who had done the CPR instead of some of the older people."

"I heard one of the older guys that came and watched what we were doing say that no one else there knew how to do it," Lenny said. "I think he was one of the workers at the club."

"Well it was lucky for Mr. Williams that you guys were there," I said. "You know everybody at home will want to hear of your adventure."

"I hope nobody at school finds out about it," Chris said.

"Why?" I asked.

"'Cause they'll make a big deal of it and, you know, everybody will be looking at us," Chris answered.

"Well, I doubt that you can do anything about that. Someone will surely know about it at school and get the word out," I said. "Chin and Cho know."

"Maybe Linda Bennett will notice you," Larry said with a giggle.

That started some good-natured wrestling in the back seat until I suggested, rather forcefully, that they save it for when we got home.

As we drove in the driveway, there was a van parked in front of the house. It had the logo of a TV station in San Antonio. "I think your anonymity is about to be blown," I said. "Go put your stuff away and then come downstairs. I'll find out what's going on."

They grabbed their racket bags out of the trunk of the car and raced up the back stairs to their rooms. I passed through the kitchen area and stopped to find out what was going on from Gilda. As I suspected, the TV crew wanted to interview the boys about their life-saving efforts this afternoon.

I walked into the living room and saw a familiar TV reporter, whose name I could not remember, but knew by reputation. His reputation was one of exaggeration and exploitation. He and a cameraman were sitting and talking to Donald. When the reporter saw me, he signaled his cameraman to begin taping me. A microphone was pointed in my direction.

"Mr. Johnson, I'm Rod Casey of Channel 6, we're here to interview the young men who saved Henry Williams' life this afternoon."

I held up my hands to indicate that they stop. "Very well," I said. "But, there are a couple rules that you must agree to before they will be made available."

"Like what?" Rod asked.

"First, your questions will be limited to the activities that happened at the health club today. Second, you will not reveal the address of where the boys live. Third, and most important, the three boys in questions are minors and if you stray from the rules I have outlined, the interview will be terminated and you will be escorted off the premises and my lawyer will meet you at the station. Before you indicate your acceptance or rejection of the rules, I need to find out what has happened before I arrived.

"Donald, have they been taping and/or interviewing any of the other children?"

"They've only been here a few minutes before you came in. I believe they did tape the house when they arrived and before they were let inside. They had just begun to ask me questions when you got here. Since the other boys are all out back with Cary, they shouldn't have been taped. Lenore was sitting on the couch when they came in and might have been taped," Donald said.

"Okay, one more rule, if any of the children's faces have been taped, they will have to be blurred before the tape can be shown. This rule will not apply to the three boys involved in the events at the club," I said. "Do you agree?"

"Can't we get more background on the boys?" Rod asked.

"Sorry, but that is not part of the bargain. The private lives of the boys are just that - private. That's not negotiable."

"Haven't you ever heard of freedom of the press?" Rod sneered.

"Yes, I have, but there is also a right of privacy and in this case and in my home that trumps everything. Understand?"

"You know you could come out looking very bad in the story if this is your attitude," he said.

"Wait just a minute," Donald interrupted. "Is Craig Watson still your station manager?"

"Yes, what of it?"

Donald didn't answer. Instead, he took his cellphone from his pocket and appeared to be scrolling through his list of contacts. A few seconds later he selected one and apparently touched the dial icon. He placed the phone to his ear and presently the party he called answered.

"Craig, Donald Baker." ... "Yes, it has been a long time. We'll have to get together for lunch sometime." ... "Look, the reason I called is one of your reporters, Rod Casey, is being a bit of, shall we say, a problem." ... "He came to interview the boys who performed CPR on Henry Williams this afternoon." ... "That's right, they saved his life. Anyway, the boys' father has put out some rules for the interview that are aimed at protecting the boys' privacy." ... "The boys are fourteen." ... "I agree. Let me put him on."

Donald handed his cellphone to Rod. He took it and walked out of hearing range.

"How well do you know this Craig Watson," I asked.

"Quite well," Donald said. "I do a lot of advertising on Channel 6 and have gotten to know him because of that. My advertising probably represents a good 5 or so percent of the station's revenue. That makes him amenable to any suggestions or requests that I put forth."

"Oh, a little extortion," I laughed.

"I wouldn't exactly put it that way," Donald responded in kind. "I prefer to think of it as a mutually beneficial business arrangement."

Rod Casey returned and handed Donald back his phone. "He wants to talk to you."

"What's the verdict?" Donald asked into the phone. He listened for a minute or so before ending the call.

"Are you in agreement with rules Crane outlined?" Donald asked Rod.

"I wasn't given a choice," Rod responded. "He's even going to review the final edit before it gets aired. He's never done that before. You must have a lot of influence for him to do that. Okay, let's get the interviews over."

I had heard the boys come downstairs while Rod was on the phone, but they had remained in the kitchen, probably persuading Gilda to give them a snack. I held up my hand, indicating for Rod to wait, and went to get the boys. I returned with them shortly, having made sure that there was no evidence of the snack they had just eaten.

"Guys, this is Rod Casey. He is going to interview you about the incident at the health club," I said, and had them sit down on the couch. When they were seated, I introduced each one and let the interview begin. Rod took the chair at the end of the couch that was at a right angle to it. The cameraman stationed himself so that he was able to get a shot of the three boys and Rod simultaneously and easily adjust the angle to focus on each individual.
 
While I had gone to the kitchen to get the three musketeers, Donald had slipped out through the patio door and had the other boys and Cary file in quietly and had positioned them out of sight of the camera so that they could see and hear what was going on. Evidently, Donald had warned them that they had to be quiet until the interview was over.

For the next ten or fifteen minutes, Rod questioned them. I had to admit that he did an excellent job of getting the boys to tell their story. When it was over, he turned to me and asked, "For the sake of accuracy, will you repeat the names of the boys from left to right? I wouldn't want to get them mixed up and being accused of misrepresentation."

I did as he asked, before escorting him and his cameraman to the door and then watched as they got into the van and drove off the property. I was glad that was over. When I returned to the living room, the six boys were all squeezed onto the couch. The younger ones were conducting their own interview of their older brothers.

"That is some story," Donald said. "I couldn't be more proud of them if they were my sons. I'm sure you are."

"Yes," I said, smiling at them. "They continue to amaze me every day."

"I think I need to fix something extra special for them for supper," Gilda said from behind us.

"Anything you fix is special," I said.

"I'll second that," Donald said.

"That was an amazing story," Cary said. "It certainly was fortunate for Mr. Williams that they were there and knew how to do CPR. I didn't know schools taught that."

"The school started it a couple of years ago," I said. "It's a voluntary class, but I can't imagine anyone not wanting to take it. I insisted that the boys take the class. When TJ is a couple of years older, he'll take it as well."

I hadn't noticed that Donald had retrieved his video camera and had taped the entire interview that Rod had conducted. I had been concentrating on the interview process and was oblivious to everything else. When I saw the video camera sitting on the end table, I asked if he had taped it to confirm my suspicions.

"Yeah," he said. "You know the saying, 'Trust but verify'. Well, I just wanted to make sure that the intrepid reporter didn't try anything stupid. I know he saw what I was doing."

"I wish I had thought of that," I said.

Gilda did go all out with the supper she fixed. Everything on the table was a favorite of the twins and Chris.

"Wow, that was good," Lenny said, patting his stomach.

"It sure was," Chris said. "Thanks Gilda, you're a great cook."

We excused the boys and the six of them began clearing the table and putting the dishes in the dishwasher. Lenore helped by taking her dish to the kitchen.

Donald and I had poured cups of coffee and had taken them with us to the living room when the phone rang. I answered it. I was not surprised to hear it was Joel.

"Hi, dad," Joel said when I answered.

"How are things at college?"

"Great, I had two tests this week and got A's on both of them."

"What subjects?"

"Calculus and Compiler Design. Calculus wasn't that hard. I had already covered most of the material in the AP class I took in high school. Compiler Design was harder. I had a working knowledge of how compilers worked, but most of the computer classes I had before were a different kind of programming," he said. "It's an interesting class, but it makes me really hit the books."

"What else have you been doing besides studying?"

"I played golf today with those same guys I did last time. I didn't play as well this time and ended up four over par. I hit a couple of bad shots. It was hot though. I think it was in the 90's by the time we finished."

"Your brothers had an exciting day today. They went to play tennis with some friends. They played at a health club that the family belongs to. Anyway, a man collapsed on the court next to where the twins and Chris were playing. He wasn't breathing and they performed CPR on him and evidently saved his life. When I brought them home, there was a TV reporter here wanting to interview them."

"Wow! Tell them how proud I am of them. I wish I had been there to tell them in person how proud I am. That must have been exciting. If the interview gets on the news, can you tape it for me? I'd like to see it when I come home."

"The twins and Chris will probably Skype you later tonight and they'll tell you all about their adventure."

"I hope you don't mind them doing that," he said. "It's nice to talk and see them, even if it's only through the computer."

"When do you think you might make it home for a weekend?" I asked.

"I've been thinking about weekend after next," Joel said. "The schedules, which most of the professors have handed out, look like it's going to be an easy week. We'll see how it goes. I miss everybody."

"Everybody here misses you as well. I love you, son. Study hard and let us know when you're going to come home."

"I love you, too, dad. Give my love to everybody else. I guess I had better go hit the books. Bye."

"Goodbye, son."

"Joel said to tell you guys how proud of you he is," I said. "If you Skype him tonight, I'm sure he'll want all the details."

"We could do it now," Lenny volunteered.

"Not now, he said he was going to study. Contact him in a couple of hours."

"We can do that," Larry said.

My coffee had gone cold while I was on the phone. I went to the kitchen to replace it with a fresh cup. When I returned, Donald was talking to Cary.

"I was just asking Cary if he wanted to go to the ranch to ride the horses in the morning," Donald said.

"I don't know," Cary said. "I want to go to church with Gilda, so I don't know if I'll be back in time to go with you."

"Manfred and Luke are going to come after they get home from church. I'm sure they would be glad to have you come along with them," I said.

"I haven't ridden a horse for probably ten years," Cary said. "Have you got any gentle ones?"

"Don't worry, all the horses are well behaved," I said. "We wouldn't let the kids ride them if they weren't."

Lenore climbed onto Donald's lap and laid her head on his chest. "What's up, sweetie? Do you feel okay?"

She murmured something that was inaudible.

"I couldn't hear you. Tell daddy what it is."

"You're gonna go ride the horses," she said.

"That's right. We ride them every Sunday."

"I wanta play with Penny?"

"Why don't we ask Hildy?" Donald asked. "Let's call her on the phone and you can ask her."

"Okay."

Donald picked up the phone and dialed the Strasser's number. A moment later he said, "Manfred, it's Donald. My daughter would like to talk to Hildy." ... "You can guess, I'm sure." ... "Hildy, my daughter has something to ask you. Here she is." He handed the phone to Lenore.

"Hi," she said. "Uh huh." ... "Can I come play with Penny tomorrow?" ... "I'll ask daddy." ... "Can I go to church with them?"

"Sure you can, sweetie," he answered.

"He said yes," Lenore said into the phone. She listened a minute and then handed the phone to her dad.

"Since your car will be full with your four, I'm sure Gilda will be happy to take Lenore in her car. I think Cary will be going with her as well," Donald said, noting Gilda's nod of approval. A minute or so later he told her goodbye and hung up the phone.

The interview with the boys did make the ten o'clock news and I had the video tape machine capturing the whole thing. The boys had gone to bed earlier and didn't get to see themselves on TV. There would be plenty of time in the morning for them to watch the tape.

As Donald and I were getting ready to go to bed, the phone rang. "Who the heck could be calling at this time of night?" I muttered. I answered it and then handed it to Donald. "It's for you."

"Yes," he answered. "This is Donald Baker. Who's calling?" There was a long pause before Donald said anything. "How is he?" ... "Who did this?" ... "Where is he?" ... "Thanks."

"What is it?" I asked.

"My distant cousin, Kelly Baker was carjacked and beaten up pretty badly. He's in the hospital."

"Is he all right?"

"He's suffered a pretty severe concussion, a couple broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder, plus some other cuts and bruises," Donald answered. "He's still unconscious."

"Did the police get the guys who did it?"

"No, but they have some surveillance video covering the street and sidewalk in front of the business where the attack occurred. They hope to be able to identify the culprits from that."

"What are you going to do?"

"First I'm going to call my pilot and have him get the corporate jet ready to go. Then I'm going to call the hospital where Kelly was taken and see that he has the best possible care on the west coast."

"What hospital? I'll look it up while you call the pilot."

"Providence Hospital in Oakland."

I went into my office and logged on to my computer account and queried Providence Hospital in Oakland and found a phone number. I returned to the bedroom and gave the info to Donald. He had just finished speaking with his pilot. "A car and driver will be here in about twenty minutes to take me to the airport. Tell William and Lenore what is going on. I'll call when I have more information. Would you pack me clothes for a couple of days while I call the hospital?"

"Of course," I said and went to pack his small bag.

When I returned with the packed bag, he was in the process of wading through the hospital bureaucracy to find out the current status of his cousin. I could tell that he was frustrated and getting more upset by the minute. "Listen to me, madam, I don't give a rat's ass about all that crap. I am Kelly Baker's only living relative and I want to know how he is. I am the one who will be paying his hospital bills, unless you want to treat him as a charity case. Let me speak to his attending physician. NOW!"

He looked at me and shook his head. I went to watch for the car and driver. It wasn't long before a car arrived at the gate. Before the driver had a chance to press the call button, I activated the gate opener. I disabled the house alarm and went to the front door to speak with the driver. I told him that Donald was on the phone and would be here shortly. I went back in to inform Donald that his ride was here. His back was toward me so I had to wait because he was still on the phone. From the sound of his conversation, he had at last been able to speak to a doctor.

"Thank you, Dr. Kang. I will be there in about eight hours. In the meantime, I'm authorizing you to engage any and all specialists that you feel would be beneficial. I am not concerned with the cost. I want him to have the best possible care. Have Kelly put in a private room or suite, whatever is available." ... "Don't worry about the hospital administrator. I'll handle him."

When Donald saw me standing there he quickly ended the call. I indicated his ride was here and he grabbed his bag and rushed out the front door. I watched until the car had cleared the gate and I closed it after them. I reset the house alarm and went into the bedroom and shortly I was asleep.

"Where's my daddy?" Lenore asked after Gilda had gotten her dressed and brought her downstairs.

I picked her up and sat her on my lap. "Your daddy had to make a quick trip. Do you remember Kelly?"

She shook her head.

"He was the young man who drove the car for us when we were in New Orleans and your daddy was in the hospital."

"Yeah, I remember, now. He was nice."

"Kelly got hurt and your daddy had to fly out to California to see him. He said he would be back home in a couple of days."

"Can I still play with Penny?" Lenore asked.

"Sure you can," I said. "Gilda said you can stay with her while your daddy is gone." I had already cleared it with Gilda before she had gone to wake Lenore.

"He won't get to ride horses with us today?" William asked. "We still get to, don't we?"

"Yes, we are still going riding and no, your daddy won't be here to ride with us," I said.

After being pestered by the boys to go to the ranch, I finally gave in and said we would go early. I made a call to the ranch and Rosie answered. I told her we were going to be starting for the ranch in a few minutes. "I hope it's not a problem that we'll be there earlier than usual."

"No, it won't be a problem," Rosie said. "Bert's in the stables grooming the horses. I'll let him know you'll be on your way."

"Thanks, Rosie," I said and then turned to the boys. "Get your stuff and then help me carry the coolers to the van." I was sure they wouldn't want us to forget to take the food.

When we got to the ranch, Bert had four of the horses saddled and tied to the fence. The four horses belonged to the twins, Chris and TJ. As he went back into the stable, Jason came out leading another saddled horse. It was Peter's horse.

"Where's my horse?" William asked.

"I'll bet it will be the next one out of the stable," I said. I was right and my horse was right behind it. "Peter, William, I don't want you guys racing. You're just a little too young for that. I'll ride with you and we can still go fairly fast. I don't race, either. I'm too old." That made them laugh.

Bert and Jason joined the boys and the races were soon in full swing. Jason was riding a quarter horse that he had ridden from Charlie's place. It wasn't long before Ian and Lionel arrived on horseback.

Later, while the boys had stopped for something to drink, Manfred, Luke and Cary drove in. "This is nice out here," Cary said as he climbed out of Manfred's car.

"We like it," I said. "Let me introduce you to everybody and then we can get you on a horse." The process of introductions took several minutes. After that, I asked Bert if he would select a gentle horse for Cary and help him with his first ride in some ten years.

"I know just the one," Bert said with an evil grin. "El Diablo isn't being ridden. I'll see if I can get a saddle on him without being trampled to death."

"Sounds like he is just the kind of horse I need for my first ride," Cary said with a poker face.

"You're no fun," Bert said with a laugh. "Come on, I'll get you fixed up on one of the mares."

Our ride went as it usually did. The boys were not ready to leave when I said we needed to get home. Cary had done a respectable job of riding and appeared to have enjoyed it. We packed up all of our stuff after the boys and I had brushed down our horses.

As we were driving home, I said, "Okay, guys, it's either into the showers or into the pool. Everybody smells like a sweaty horse."

"The pool sounds like more fun," Larry piped up. It seemed that everybody was in agreement with that statement.

Within ten minutes of our arrival, the pool was crowded with six boys and two adult men. I had to admit, the water did feel good after riding a good part of the day.

Sometime later, Gilda came to the door and announced that supper would be ready in about thirty minutes. That was our cue to evacuate the pool and head for the showers. As I entered the kitchen after having taken my shower, Lenore was sitting on a stool at the kitchen island watching Gilda prepare our supper.

"I see you have a helper," I said.

"Yes, she did a good job setting the table," Gilda said. "Oh, I noticed the message light on the answering machine was blinking. I haven't had a chance to check it out."

"I better listen to it. It might be Donald," I said. I punched in the numbers and was informed by the female-sounding voice that I had two messages. I punched in the number to listen to the first message.

First unheard message, received today at one forty seven P M: "Mr. Johnson, my name is Eleanor Wilson. My husband is Henry Wilson. I was wondering if it would be possible to visit with you and the boys who saved my husband's life. Please give me a call at 830-555-6853. Thank you."

Second unheard message, received today at three fourteen P M: "Crane, I've been at the hospital since early this morning. Kelly is in serious condition. He's still in ICU. The doctors have him packed in ice to reduce his body temperature in hopes that the swelling on the brain will go down. I know you are probably at the ranch. I'll call later when you'll be home."