When I woke up, Mom was sitting in the recliner, a book open on her chest. The TV was on a music station. Something classical was playing. She was snoring softly. She looked wiped.
I thought about changing the channel, but I didn't want to wake her up. There was a manila envelope lying on my tray. The return address was the Chainlink Chronicle. It wasn't sealed, so it was easy to slide the magazine out.
On the cover was a picture of a man wearing a Santa hat handing a brown bag to a man in a wheelchair. Behind him you could see a bunch of bunks lined up and guys sitting on them or standing by them. The caption said, "Merry Christmas from the Wardens."
I opened the magazine. The lead story was about the wardens, evidently there were several of them, taking goodie bags to the offenders. There were several pictures with the article. There were more pictures announcing the winners of a door decoration contest. An article showed a lady giving Hershey kisses and certificates to some offenders. Evidently it was a Christmas shindig for inmate tutors who helped in the education department. A whole two-page spread covered the Angel Tree party. Smiling Dads and grinning kids were featured. There was even sports news. Evidently there was a thriving sports culture where inmate teams were formed to play against one another. Near the back was a section called Art and Poetry. My cartoon was prominently featured. There was an editor's note stating: "This cartoon was drawn by CW Braisford, Paul Braisford's son. He sent it to his Dad who shared it with us. Thanks CW. And to all you other readers, we'd like to encourage the submission of cartoons. That's something this publication has been missing."
Mom stretched and sat up.
"Have a good nap?" I asked.
"Yeah, I did."
"You?"
"I guess." I pointed to a tray sitting on the floor by the door. "It appears I slept through lunch."
"I put your stuff in the fridge at the nurse's station. You've got mashed potatoes, yogurt, and ice cream. And juice, of course." She stood up and picked up the tray. "I'll just go get everything."
When she came back in with the tray, I handed her the magazine.
"This is from Popz prison," I said. "It doesn't look anything like I thought. The wardens are taking Christmas bags to the inmates, the doors are decorated, the tutors are having a party. There's even sports."
"Oh, that's nice." Talk about sounding insincere.
"You don't have to read it," I said. "But my Jonah cartoon is in there. I thought you might want to see it."
"What Jonah cartoon?" she asked.
"I drew one in church when Uncle Clarence came. The preacher talked about Jonah. I was going to throw it away, but Unk thought Dad might want it. I mailed it to him. He asked if he could submit it to the paper. They liked it. It's in there."
I started eating. She opened the magazine. I kind of watched her over the edge of my spoon. Just as I hoped, she didn't start at the back. She was sort of flipping from the front. Mostly looking at the pictures. When she got to the pages with the Angel Tree pictures, she stopped. She read the whole article and studied the pictures.
"This is the party you missed out on," she said.
"Yeah, I guess so."
"I'm sorry, CW. I should have let you go."
"Why?"
"Maybe you wouldn't be in a bed hooked up to an IV and pain meds."
"This isn't your fault, Mom. I'm the one who made the bad choices that got me here."
"Yeah, but I'm the one who pushed all the wrong buttons."
"Get real, Mom. Sure I got mad at you, but you were just doing your Mom protector thing. You didn't hotwire the bike or anything. And you sure tried to warn me about Jake and Marlow. So just cool your jets. Get rid of that bogus guilt you like to carry around."
"I'll try, but..."she trailed off, shaking her head. She looked back down at the magazine while I ate. It didn't take long. As I took the last swig of juice, she held the magazine up. "Your cartoon is really good. It shared Jonah in a way that today's culture can understand."
"I wasn't trying to." I grinned. "I was just trying to sit still, and the preacher was talking about Jonah. Popz said that God is using it in prison. He has the original taped inside his locker door, and guys who see it ask about it. He said that lets him tell them about Jonah making bad decisions and running from God."
Mom looked surprised. "I guess I hadn't thought about inmates talking about God." She laid the magazine down. "Are you up to talking to the cops? They're waiting outside for you to eat. And then I think they plan to barge in here no matter what I say."
"I think I'm ready, but call Grady. He said he wanted to be here when I talk to them."
She called and then went to the door with the empty tray. She exited and closed the door behind her. I heard her tell the cops that they could talk to me as soon as Grady arrived.
I closed my eyes and said out loud, "It's me, God, CW. I'm not asking for anything. Just checking in to let you know I'm trying to be straight with Mom and the cops, too." After that I just lay there, letting my mind drift. A close up of Marlow's bruised face the day they brought the I-pad to me filled my thoughts just as Grady came through the door, followed by Jasmine and Kiara. Kiara was carrying a video camera.
"Before we start, I need to talk to Grady - alone."
"Sure thing," Kiara said, setting the video camera down.
As they left, Mom appeared in the doorway.
"By alone did you mean no cops or just the two of us?" Grady asked.
"No cops," I said.
Mom came in and shut the door.
"You know that list of B&Es you showed me?"
"Yeah." Grady said.
"Was one of them on December 5?"
He took the list out and looked. "Yeah, why?"
"Is there a time for the break-in?"
"As a matter of fact, there is. The house has a silent alarm system. It sounded at 8pm. The owner went home when the alarm company called. When he opened the front door, someone ran out the back."
"That's where they screwed up." My voice was filled with excitement. "Jake and Marlow didn't show that day. BJ came over, and we played games until 9:30. He's my alibi. That shows I wasn't part of their crew."
"BJ's in a coma," Mom said. "He can't be anybody's alibi."
"But his Mom knows he was with me. He called her."
"I don't know if she'd be inclined to testify on your behalf," Grady said.
"But she doesn't have to. He sent her a text from F2. He told her he was going to stay and have leftovers. She even texted him back. All you need is BJ's phone. Can't you get a warrant or something?"
"Maybe," he said. "Let's see what the police say." He went to the door and invited the cops back in.
While Kiara set up the camera, Jasmine came over to the bed. "Since you would only talk to me, I'm part of the investigative team now. We have to have two of us in here this time, though - protocol."
"Are you going to read him his rights?" Grady asked. "Do you plan to arrest him? I know there's a warrant out for his arrest on some B&E charges."
"We'll read him his rights," Jasmine said. "After we hear what he has to say, the DA will decide whether we are to serve the warrant or whether it will be withdrawn."
She went through the same speech as last time, only this time it wasn't about the accident, it was about robberies. She had to list all of the robberies and the dates they were committed. It took awhile. Finally she finished the preliminaries and got down to brass tacks.
"Do you know where you were on the dates I just listed?" she asked. "Specifically between the hours of 8pm and 1am?"
"From 8 to 11, I was in my crib playing video games. After 11, I was in bed."
"Can anyone verify that?"
"Jacob Sullivan and Marlow Breland were playing video games with me from 8pm to 10:30 or so on all of those dates but one, December 5. BJ Kennedy played with me that day until 9:30pm." Jasmine and Kiara exchanged a surprised look, but they didn't interrupt. "My Mom got home on all of those days by 11 and came by my bedroom to check in. She knows I was in bed between 11pm and 1am."
"Would BJ Kennedy be the boy on the bike? The one who's here in ICU in a coma?" Jasmine asked.
"Yes."
"He can't provide you with an alibi. And we've already talked to Jacob and Marlow. They claim you usually snuck out your window after your Mom was asleep."
"But not on the fifth, right?" I said. "You know the exact time of that robbery don't you. And it was while I was playing video games with BJ."
"How do you know that?"
"My lawyer got copies of the arrest reports. They're public knowledge."
Grady was just watching me with a half smile on his face.
"You could have been with them and made it back home before your Mom arrived," Jasmine said. "An alibi from a kid in a coma seems awfully convenient."
"It would be if he hadn't texted his Mom from my crib," I said.
"He texted home? When?"
"About 6. Then he sent another text at 9:30 to tell her he was on his way home. His Mom makes him let her know when he leaves my house if it's after dark. She's a worrier. If you subpoena his phone, you'll see that I wasn't part of their crew."
"That only gives you an alibi for one of the robberies. And what about the stolen tablet we found in your crib?"
"It does only alibi me for one night, but it shows that the guys who claim I was with them aren't on the up and up." I looked Jasmine in the eye. "As for the tablet, Jake gave it to me. He told me it was a Christmas present. Marlow claimed it was a gift from his Mom. They gave it to me on the sixth. Marlow's face was all smashed. He said his Mom's boyfriend did a number on him because he wanted money instead of the I-pad."
This time Kiara raised her eyebrows. "I have a question," she said. "Did you see Jacob and Marlow on the weekend before the 5th?"
"I met them for burgers at McDonalds after school on the Friday before," I said. "I didn't see them again until the sixth. They were supposed to come on the fifth but Jake texted me at school and bowed out."
"What did Marlow's face look like on Friday?"
"He was his usual ugly self."
"Are you willing to testify to all of this in court?"
"Yes, I am."
"And you are willing to testify about the night of the accident and everything you told us about that?"
"Yes, I am."
Jasmine turned off the camera.
"We won't be issuing that warrant yet." She turned to Grady and Mom. "There's a lot that needs to be processed and investigated based on CW's statement. If everything holds up, I imagine the DA will withdraw the warrants for breaking and entering and theft."
"So what does that leave?" Grady asked. "Unauthorized use of a motor vehicle?"
"I think so," Jasmine said.
Just then an alarm went off. "Code Blue, room 1216," the intercom said. Several of the nurses hurried away from the station and around the corner, leaving one person behind to man the desk. Jasmine ran from the room and followed the nurses while Kiara packed up the camera and took possession of the DVD.
"Oh God, not BJ." I said. "He's over there somewhere, but I didn't look at the number on his door."
"I'll check," Mom said.
In a minute Mom and Jasmine returned together. "It wasn't BJ," Mom said. "It was an old man who was admitted for a stroke."
"Is he okay?" I asked.
"That depends on what he believes," she said. "He died so he's either with God or he's not."
"Oh. Is someone with his family?"
"The Chaplain is there."
Jasmine touched Grady on the arm. "We're going. Someone will be in touch."
After they left, I said, "It's good, right, that there's only one charge left?"
"If the DA agrees, it means you only face the charge of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, but it's still a felony and can carry hefty fines and plenty of jail time," Grady said.
"Can you plead it down?"
"I don't know. I think I can get them to agree that you intended to return the bike. Intent is important. If you were intending to return the bike, you can be charged with a misdemeanor as opposed to a felony. That could still mean up to a year's jail time and a hefty fine. We'll have to wait and see how this all shakes out."
"Can't he still be charged with possession of and intent to distribute schedule II narcotics?" Mom asked.
"Technically. Anyone in a vehicle where narcotics are present can be charged, but the DA already agreed to wave that charge if he testifies," Grady said.
I was starting to feel quite a bit of pain. As usual Mom cottoned to what I was feeling. "I think that's enough talk for now," she said. "Go ahead and push the button, CW. You probably should have gotten pain relief an hour ago."
I looked at Mom and tried to smile, but it probably came out as a grimace. "I know. I wanted to be clear headed for this discussion, though." I reached over and pushed the button.
Mom turned to Grady, "I'll walk you out."
"That's code for I want to say something I don't want CW to hear," I thought, but I was okay with that. I no longer thought she was conspiring against me. I knew she was trying really hard to do right by me and raise me to be a law-abiding, God-fearing man.
"Okay, God," I thought. "She thinks keeping me away from Popz is a good thing. You're going to have to convince her otherwise."
Overcome with a sense of peace, I drifted into sleep. I imagine Jake and Marlow would say it was just the drugs kicking in, but I knew the sleep that drugs bring. It sort of overpowers your fears and anxieties, covering them with a fog. This was no foggy, I'm waiting here for you, temporary peace. This was a kind of peace that made worry seem pointless.
The police presence continued outside my door, but I no longer felt unease when I saw them there. I knew that I could still end up doing time, but I no longer thought of all cops as enemies. I was pretty sure Jasmine was in my corner. At least I knew she wanted justice and was not trying to put one over on me. She had been straight with me, and I trusted her. I wasn't so sure about Kiara and Joseph, but I didn't fear them either.
Three days passed. I mostly just slept, ate the mush they continued to bring, and went to the bathroom, sort of like a baby. On the fourth day, Dr. Patel told me he was ready to let me out of bed. "You can go into the bathroom," he said. "No more of those embarrassing bed pans." He'd taken the catheter out two days ago. "You can sit up in the recliner, but only for a half-an-hour twice a day. We'll gradually increase your sitting time and then we'll see about maybe letting you walk a bit. Once you can walk up and down the hall, we'll graduate you to a regular room."
"Will I be able to walk by Valentine's Day?" I asked, glancing over at Mom.
"Why, you got a hot date?" Doc smiled.
"My Mom," It felt sort of strange not to pluralize the word, but it also felt kinda good. I knew she hated being called Momz, and now the word reminded me of my not-so-loyal homies. Suddenly I knew what she preferred was way more important than trying to impress anyone with cool slang. I cleared my throat. "My Mom is supposed to get married that day."
"I told you that's off," Mom said.
"But it doesn't have to be. Does it Dr. Patel?"
"Medically, it's hard to say," he said. "And I'm not about to get in the middle of a family controversy. You two work that out and let me know if I need tell the rehab therapist to shoot for the 14th as W-day." He winked. "That's sort of like D-day only W stands for walk out of here. Either way it's an important milestone, eh?"
I searched my history knowledge to come up with the meaning of D-day. "Wasn't that when the good guys took a beach somewhere in France and turned the tide of WWII?" I asked.
"You got it. If they hadn't taken that beach, we might be speaking German."
"Well, if I'm not walking good, I may still have to put up with a single Mom," I said.
"And has that been so bad?" Mom asked. "We've made do for the last seven years."
"We have," I said, "and most of the time I sorta like it being just the two of us. But you need more than me to make you happy. And besides, I'm outa here in, like, a little more than three years."
Dr. Patel laughed. "And the battle rages. I'll see you two tomorrow."