died.
He died peacefully and soundlessly and with what seemed like a sigh. He stopped breathing and his heart stopped beating and Johnny stopped being.
Johnny’s mom wept. She had her head down with her lips pressed against his left hand. Brett held Johnny’s right hand, while Tim had one hand gently on the back of Brett’s neck and his other hand on Johnny’s chest. While Johnny’s mother cried silently, neither Brett nor Tim shed a tear. That would come later.
Mike and Stephen stood at the foot of the bed. Mike had his head down with his hands clasped tightly in front of him like he was deep in prayer, while Stephen stared at Johnny, shifting his gaze to Johnny’s mother, to Brett and then to Tim, watching them quietly, wondering what each was thinking and not understanding what his own feelings were. He stood next to Mike, his shoulder and arm touching Mike’s. He had the urge to slip his arm around Mike’s shoulders, probably more for his own support than Mike’s, somehow feeling the need to touch and be touched.
Jeremy stood in the doorway quietly observing the boys.
Next to Jeremy stood Skip Dahlke, head down, jaw clenched, hands balled into fists.
Behind Jeremy and Skip stood the boys’ parents; Tim’s, Mike’s, and then Stephen’s. Behind them all, stood Thomas and behind him, stood Victoria. The parents wept, except for Stephen’s father, Ted Bailey, and Thomas and Victoria. Ted looked rather bored, while Brett’s parents looked and acted bewildered.
After about fifteen minutes, which felt like fifteen days, Dr. Flasch came in and asked everyone to leave with the exception of Johnny’s mother. She lifted her head, nodded at Tim and Brett and tried to smile, but the smile dissolved into a grimace and more tears. The boys went to the other side of the bed and embraced her, first Tim, then Brett. After they were done, Mike and Stephen did the same.
Brett turned back to Johnny, brushed his bangs off his forehead and then bent down and kissed his cheek, murmuring something no one heard. That was okay because whatever was said was meant for Johnny. After Brett, Tim did the same.
That completed, the adults filed out into the hallway, while Brett and Tim lingered in the doorway.
Without taking his eyes off of Johnny, Brett whispered, “Maybe Johnny had the right idea.”
Tim shook his head, slipped his arm around Brett’s shoulder, kissed his head and said, “He never had a chance.” He kissed Brett’s head again and said, “He was too sick.”
“It doesn’t seem fair,” Brett said tiredly.
Tim didn’t say anything, but gave Brett’s shoulder a squeeze, turned and walked out of the room leaving Brett alone with Johnny, his mother and Dr. Flasch.
And it was then that Brett wept silently and alone. Not just for Johnny and his mom, but for himself and Tim, for Stephen and Mike, and for Patrick and the rest of the boys.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Chicago, Illinois
Kelliher’s cell beeped.
He pulled it out of his sport coat pocket and glanced at it. The sender was Deputy Director Tom Dandridge, and it simply read, Urgent! Get your team to a secure location for a conference call!
Kelliher phoned Cochrane to meet him in the conference room and then told Skip and Jeremy to follow him, leading the way back to the first floor and the other end of the hospital. Kelliher didn’t volunteer any information on the way down and neither Jeremy nor Skip asked for any.
They entered the room and sat down facing each other with Kelliher and Jeremy on one side and Skip and Cochrane on the other. Using the phone in the center of the table, Pete dialed up Dandridge and put him on speaker. The four of them tensed, listening to the phone on the other end ring.
“Hold on a minute . . . I’m having MB Wilkey join us from Indianapolis,” Dandridge
He died peacefully and soundlessly and with what seemed like a sigh. He stopped breathing and his heart stopped beating and Johnny stopped being.
Johnny’s mom wept. She had her head down with her lips pressed against his left hand. Brett held Johnny’s right hand, while Tim had one hand gently on the back of Brett’s neck and his other hand on Johnny’s chest. While Johnny’s mother cried silently, neither Brett nor Tim shed a tear. That would come later.
Mike and Stephen stood at the foot of the bed. Mike had his head down with his hands clasped tightly in front of him like he was deep in prayer, while Stephen stared at Johnny, shifting his gaze to Johnny’s mother, to Brett and then to Tim, watching them quietly, wondering what each was thinking and not understanding what his own feelings were. He stood next to Mike, his shoulder and arm touching Mike’s. He had the urge to slip his arm around Mike’s shoulders, probably more for his own support than Mike’s, somehow feeling the need to touch and be touched.
Jeremy stood in the doorway quietly observing the boys.
Next to Jeremy stood Skip Dahlke, head down, jaw clenched, hands balled into fists.
Behind Jeremy and Skip stood the boys’ parents; Tim’s, Mike’s, and then Stephen’s. Behind them all, stood Thomas and behind him, stood Victoria. The parents wept, except for Stephen’s father, Ted Bailey, and Thomas and Victoria. Ted looked rather bored, while Brett’s parents looked and acted bewildered.
After about fifteen minutes, which felt like fifteen days, Dr. Flasch came in and asked everyone to leave with the exception of Johnny’s mother. She lifted her head, nodded at Tim and Brett and tried to smile, but the smile dissolved into a grimace and more tears. The boys went to the other side of the bed and embraced her, first Tim, then Brett. After they were done, Mike and Stephen did the same.
Brett turned back to Johnny, brushed his bangs off his forehead and then bent down and kissed his cheek, murmuring something no one heard. That was okay because whatever was said was meant for Johnny. After Brett, Tim did the same.
That completed, the adults filed out into the hallway, while Brett and Tim lingered in the doorway.
Without taking his eyes off of Johnny, Brett whispered, “Maybe Johnny had the right idea.”
Tim shook his head, slipped his arm around Brett’s shoulder, kissed his head and said, “He never had a chance.” He kissed Brett’s head again and said, “He was too sick.”
“It doesn’t seem fair,” Brett said tiredly.
Tim didn’t say anything, but gave Brett’s shoulder a squeeze, turned and walked out of the room leaving Brett alone with Johnny, his mother and Dr. Flasch.
And it was then that Brett wept silently and alone. Not just for Johnny and his mom, but for himself and Tim, for Stephen and Mike, and for Patrick and the rest of the boys.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Chicago, Illinois
Kelliher’s cell beeped.
He pulled it out of his sport coat pocket and glanced at it. The sender was Deputy Director Tom Dandridge, and it simply read, Urgent! Get your team to a secure location for a conference call!
Kelliher phoned Cochrane to meet him in the conference room and then told Skip and Jeremy to follow him, leading the way back to the first floor and the other end of the hospital. Kelliher didn’t volunteer any information on the way down and neither Jeremy nor Skip asked for any.
They entered the room and sat down facing each other with Kelliher and Jeremy on one side and Skip and Cochrane on the other. Using the phone in the center of the table, Pete dialed up Dandridge and put him on speaker. The four of them tensed, listening to the phone on the other end ring.
“Hold on a minute . . . I’m having MB Wilkey join us from Indianapolis,” Dandridge
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