Hope For Garbage (13 page)

CHAPTER 29

“You almost ready Bea?”  Lorene shouted up the stairs.

Four days had passed since that awful day when they visited the cemetery.  They were going to try to visit Trevor in the hospital again.  Lorene was able to get some details on how he was doing, now that he was upgraded to fair condition.  Apparently he was awake and talking, but still healing from his head wound.  As a precaution, he wouldn’t be released for another day or two.

Lorene was truthfully a little worried about visiting the boy.  She wasn’t sure how he would react to seeing Bea, and she didn’t want to upset him in any way.

Not long after they left the cemetery, Lorene learned of Tom Tyminski’s passing from watching the evening news.  Lorene hadn’t known Tom very long, but the news was still crushing.  He seemed like such a lovely man, and was obviously important to Trevor.  The funeral would be held tomorrow and Lorene assumed Trevor wouldn’t be able to attend, which was heartbreaking as well.

  So many thoughts raced through her head as she waited for Bea.  She wondered where the boy would go.
   Tom Tyminski was all he had and Trevor would be turning eighteen soon.  Would he drop out of school or live on the streets?

Lorene decided she would just have to help Trevor in any way she could.  She could only hope that this loss wouldn’t be the final straw for him.  There was only so much a boy could take!

Bea came down the stairs slowly, “I’m ready.”

The girl seemed visibly upset about something, “You okay Bea?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” she said.

But Bea didn’t seem fine.  Lorene knew her too well, and something was definitely bothering her.  She had been crying. “Are you nervous about seeing Trevor?”

She sighed, “No, I guess I just realized something.”

“What’s that
hon?” Lorene asked.

Bea shook her head, “It’s nothing, really.  Let’s just go.”

The girl obviously wasn’t in the mood for talking about it, “Okay.”  Lorene grabbed her purse and they were out the door.

***

When Trevor woke up this time, his stomach lurched immediately as he remembered what the detective had told him earlier
.  Mr.Tyminski was dead because of him. 
Trevor put his head back down on the pillow and stared at the ceiling.  Tears streamed out of the corners of his eyes.

He just couldn’t take anymore.  He was done—done with everything.  His life had been nothing but shit.  Every time he thought things might start going his way, he was shoved back to square one.

He had always tried to do the right thing, even when he thought everything was lost.  When all he saw was darkness, he found his way out.  He had the idea for the Box, and then for the Haven House.  He felt good about what he was doing.  Now it was gone—all of it.

He also had
lost the only girl he ever really cared about.  Bea hated him—that was obvious.  She was the one friend he had, other than Mr.T…and now they were both gone.

W
hy?  Why him?  Was he cursed?  Was it just bad luck, or maybe Karma?  Or was this all some big test?   How much more could he handle before breaking?

No, he was already broken.  B
roken badly.

Just then Nurse Kym entered the room carrying a tray with some brown plastic bowls on it.  “Hello, sleepy head.  How are you feeling today?”

Trevor turned his head to the opposite side and stared out the window.  It was sunny today, nothing but blue skies.

Completely ignoring Trevor’s silent treatment, Kym continued, “Well the doctors have put you on a new diet.  You are allowed to have solids now.  Yay!”

Trevor looked back at Kym with his ridiculous smile.  He was actually wearing a smock with Tweety Birds all over it.  Was this guy for real?

“I’m not really hungry.”  He closed his eyes again.

Nurse Kym pulled the rolling table over to the bed.  He slid it over Trevor’s body until the tray of food was hovering directly over his chest.  An overwhelming stench of beef broth found its way up to his face, and he thought he might puke right there.

With every ounce of strength he had, Trevor pushed the
table away and pulled himself up as far as he could.  “I told you I’m not hungry!  And I’m also a vegetarian by the way.  Get that shit out of here—it’s making me sicker!”

Nurse Kym
actually frowned, “Okay, okay.  I’m taking it away!”  He held his hands up in surrender and grabbed the tray.  “I’ll go see what else they have. Geez!”

Trevor turned to
ward the window when he heard footsteps entering again.  “Back already?” he called over his shoulder.

“
Hi Trevor.”

His heart jumped; it was Bea.  He slowly turned
back to face her.  She was standing next to his bed with her hands clasped in front of her, and she was smiling.  Could she have had a change of heart?  Maybe they had a chance after all.

Her hair w
as different.  It was light brown now and longer than before.  “Hey, did you do something to your hair?” 
God, what a lame thing to say.

She tucked a strand of her hair behind one ear, “Yeah, I lightened it.  Time for a change I guess…”  Her words trailed off.

“Well, it looks really good.”  Trevor’s mind raced as he thought of what to say next.  He had nothing to lose at this point, and he might not get another chance.

He closed his eyes, because for some reason it was easier that way.
  “Bea I am so sorry about everything.  I mean, I’m not sure how all of this stuff got so messed up with your mom… and I just want you to know that what she said that happened between us—it wasn’t true.  I swear it never happened.”

“It’s okay Trevor,” she interrupted.  “You don’t have to explain.  My mom’s got major issues.  I’m just sorry she got you involved in her crap.”

He opened his eyes slowly.  Why was it so hard to look at her?

She sat down on the bed next to him.  She looked calm and relaxed and that put him a little more at ease.  She grabbed his hand, “I wanted to tell you I was so sorry to hear about
Mr.Tyminski.”

At the mention of his name, Trevor felt his heart sink again.  He felt the tears welling up and he
focused his eyes on the ceiling.   He didn’t want to break down in front of her.

“Trevor I also wanted to tell you—.”

Without thinking, he reached up and pulled her close, until they were staring into each other’s eyes, “Let’s just start over, okay?”  He leaned in and kissed her gently.  He missed her soft lips, her warm skin, and her comforting touch. 

“Stop,” she pulled away from him.  “Trevor, I came here to tell you that I care about you, and I’m so sorry about what’s happened
…and I’m so sorry about Mr.T.  But I still can’t be with you in that way.  I just can’t.”

He was confused. 
She was being really nice, and it was giving him mixed signals.

She went on, “You’ve been through a lot in your life and I want you to know I will always be there for you as a friend.  I
had to tell you that.”

Trevor was at a loss for words. 
Friends?

She wasn’t finished, “I’ll be going to college next year, and you’ll be doing something great, whatever that is.  I sincerely hope we can stay in touch.”

Bea squeezed his hand, but he had nothing to say.  Maybe it was the drugs they were giving him, but Trevor couldn’t speak.  He felt completely numb.  Everything in his life had pretty much turned to shit, and this just added to the pile.

CHAPTER 30

The coffee in the hospital cafeteria smelled better than it tasted.  But the cinnamon danish was pretty good.   It had been at least half an hour since Bea had gone in to visit Trevor.   Lorene decided it was probably safe to head up to his room now.

While walking in the hallway, she met a very bubbly nurse named Kym.  When she asked at the desk for Trevor’s room, he came running over and introduced himself.  He was very eager to inform Lorene all about Trevor’s condition and to assure her he was being well taken care of.  Oh Lord!  She could only imagine what Trevor thought of Nurse Kym.  He was a hoot!

“Knock, knock!”  She tapped lightly on the open door, but got no answer.  She walked in
to the room and found Trevor alone.  Bea was nowhere to be found.

“Hello Trevor.”
  As Lorene got closer, she stopped in her tracks.

My Lord, he looked horrible.  The side of his head was wrapped in gauze like he had just returned from the battlefield. 
And he looked so thin!  Trevor was already a skinny thing, but in that short time he had withered away to almost nothing.

Lorene tried to hide her surprise and attempted a meager smile.  “How are you feeling Trevor?” 
She asked cautiously.

“Good to see you Lorene
,” his voice was pitiful.

She looked around the room, “Uh, I thought
maybe Bea would be here.”

“She was, but I think she went looking for you.”  Trevor sighed, “In case you’re wondering, Bea told me she just wants to be friends.”

“I see.”  Even with all the drama, this was still a little bit of a surprise to Lorene.

“Lorene I wanted to thank you for trying to cover for me at the party.  Even though it didn’t quite work out…”

“Well I’m just sorry you had to deal with Mrs. Stewart.  I’ve worked for that woman for a long time and she has some issues she needs to work out.  She’s quite a troubled woman, and I’m sorry you had to get mixed up in everything.”

Lorene didn’t want to upset the boy further, but she had to offer her condolences, “Trevor, I was so sad to hear about
Mr.Tyminski.  I didn’t know him well, but I could tell he was a very good soul.  I’m so sorry.”

Lorene sat down in the vinyl chair beside his bed.  “I wanted to let you know that the funeral is tomorrow.”

Trevor’s eyes closed, “You know, it doesn’t seem real.  I almost don’t believe it, I mean, they just tell me Mr.T is…not here anymore…and expect me to just accept it.  Well I can’t.”

Lorene paused as tho
ughts swirled around in her head.  “I know you obviously can’t make the funeral, but I will definitely say a prayer for you.”

“Thanks.  I’ll say goodbye in my own way when I get out of here.”

Trevor would probably be discharged in a couple of days, and Lorene wanted to talk to him about where he would go when he was released.

She
studied the boy in front of her.  He was so fragile.  Should she even be making this offer right now?  Maybe this just wasn’t a good time.  Then again, maybe there never would be a good time.

“Trevor, I know you probably haven’t
given it much thought, but I wanted to throw it out there.  My husband Reggie and I would love it if you would come and stay with us.”

She
watched his face, but he showed no reaction, “Just until you can get back on your feet.  You’ll be turning eighteen soon and I know you can legally be on your own, but I thought maybe you could use the company.”  She was rambling, “My kids are grown and in college…”

The boy
simply stared ahead.  Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.

“And Reggie and I just thought…well maybe it could do all of us some good.”  She searched his face for something, anything.

Trevor suddenly reached over, grabbed her hand, and squeezed it tight.  Then to her surprise, he attempted a smile, “Sure, I’d like to come stay with you Lorene.  I’d like that a lot.”

CHAPTER 31

He was flying again—over the open fields and barren trees.  The man-in-black was below him, slashing his arms through the air, trying to catch him.  Trevor was falling lower and lower, closer to his grasp.  He couldn’t keep this up much longer!
  The man caught his leg and in one swift motion, pulled him down to the ground with a thud.  The man was on top of him, and Trevor could see his face clearly. 

“Trevor, can you hear me?” t
he man asked.

He opened his eyes, but the face was still there.  He blinked again—still there.  Trevor was awake, and the man hovering over his ho
spital bed was the man-in-black! 
No!

Panic set in
and he let out a frightened yell, “What the hell!?  Stay away from me!”  He sat up in bed and pulled the covers up, like somehow that was going to protect him.  “Get away from me.”

“Whoa, kid, calm down.
”  The man looked surprised.  “I think you were having a bad dream.   I’m not going to hurt you or anything.  I’m just here to ask you some questions.”

Trevor desperately scanned the rest of the room.  It was empty; they were all alone.  Suddenly, it felt like someone had turned up the thermostat to a hundred degrees.  He started sweating and was finding i
t hard to breathe.  The nurse call button!  He grabbed it and started pushing it rapidly.

The man-in-black stared at Trevor as though he were
crazy, like he had suffered some serious brain damage.  Maybe he had.  Maybe he was just seeing things.  Or, maybe he was still in his dream—one of those dreams inside a dream.

A
nurse he had never seen before entered the room.  She had to be pushing three hundred pounds and had some major hair-lip going on.

“Can I help you with something?” she sighed, like it wasn’t her job.  Nurse Kym was looking pretty good right now.

The words flew out of Trevor’s mouth in a frantic plea, “Please, can you make him leave?”  He pointed to the man-in-black.

Looking thoroughly bothered, Nurse Ratchet walked over to Trevor and handed him a little paper cup.  Inside were three pills that almost looked like candy.  One was yellow, one was pink, and one was blue.  He could swear the blue one had a smiley face on it.  “It’s time for you to take your pills.  Let’s calm down, okay.”

Her attitude was as ugly as her face.  Trevor felt rage rising up inside of him.  He couldn’t take this bed anymore, these nurses, or this frickin hospital for that matter.  “Don’t patronize me!  I don’t give a shit about the damn pills.  I want him out of here!” he shouted.  “Now!”

Nurse Ratchet’s eyes grew wide and she took a step back.

“Trevor!” The man-in-black yelled.  He looked pissed, “I don’t know what the deal is, but I am just here to ask you some questions.”  He paused and reached into his jacket. 
Jesus, was he pulling out a gun?

Relief flooded Trevor as he realized it was just a wallet. 
Get a grip Trevor!

The man took a step forward and flipped it open.  A shiny silver badge and some kind of ID were inside.   “My name is Brian O'Donnell.  I’m the chief arson investigator with the Cleveland Police Department.”

Trevor was more confused than ever.
The man-in-black was an arson investigator? 

“Yes, I’m an arson investigator.” The man said impatiently, as if reading Trevor’s mind.

None of this made any sense, “Okay… so what do you want to ask me?  I already talked to the detective.”

The investigator pulled up a chair next to his bed.  “Can I sit?”

Knowing the man wasn’t going to kill him or anything, Trevor relaxed a bit and nodded.

Investigator O’Donnell continued, “Its standard procedure when there is any type of fire, especially if foul-play is suspected.  We have to determine if the fire was
arson and if so, who’s responsible?  Again, this is just procedure for the investigation—to put it on record.”

Trevor shrugged his shoulders, “Fire away…no pun intended.”

O’Donnell didn’t appear amused.  “Can you tell me your account of what happened last Sunday afternoon at your residence?”

And so Trevor began retelling the story of that Sunday afternoon.  The short and not-so-sweet version which went something like: Uncle Gary went crazy, hit him over the head, burned down the box, and tried to kill him.  And no, he had no idea where the asshole was hiding.

O’Donnell seemed to be listening intently, but unlike detective Walker, he hadn’t written down a thing.  He just watched Trevor.  He was probably one of those experts on body language or something.  “Aren’t you going to write anything down?”  Trevor asked.

“No need.  We pretty much know how this went down.  I’m sure the detective told you, some of your neighbors saw the whole thing.  It all corroborates with your story.  Once we find your uncle he’ll be facing a slew of serious charges, arson being just one of them.”  O’Donnell stood up from his ch
air and turned to leave.  “If we need anything else, I’ll be in touch.”

“Wait!”  Trevor couldn’t let him just walk away.  The guy already thought he was a freak, so it couldn’t hurt to ask.  “Have we met somewhere before?  You seem very familiar to me.”

O’Donnell walked back to the chair and sat down.  “I guessed by your reaction when you woke up, that you must’ve remembered me.”

Remembered from where?!
Trevor’s mind was racing. This man was in his nightmares and had haunted him for years, but he honestly didn’t know why.  “No.  I don't remember you.”

The man-in-black leaned back in his chair and said simply.  “I was the investigator on your mother’s case.”