Blue Bloods of Bois D’Arc Read online

  “Thanks. How’s Mom? Are Jessica and Mark okay?” Rod fired in rapid succession.

  “She’s doing fine, but will be in the hospital for a while longer. Seeing you will be the best medicine for her. Jessica and Mark are just fine. I have a housekeeper coming every day to keep the house clean, fix their meals, and do the laundry. You have nothing to worry about. Everything is taken care of.”

  “Thanks, Jack. How can I ever repay you for all you’ve done?”

  “Don’t worry about it. The important thing is she’s in good hands here at Parkland. As soon as we pick up your luggage, we’ll be on our way there.”

  “This small flight bag is all I have. I’m ready to go,” Rod said.

  “I’ve reserved a room for you at a motel down the street from the hospital so you can stay close by. I’ll bring Jessica and Mark over tomorrow and you can visit with them, too. It’s going to be crazy in Dallas tomorrow. The President is coming in for some big political event. Harry will be in town, too. Maybe we can squeeze in a short visit when he meets the President for lunch. How would you like that?”

  “Can he do that?”

  “Harry’s an old Army Air Corps man and the President is a Navy man. You bet he’ll take a few minutes to greet a sharp-looking, young Air Force man in uniform. Besides, we’re old friends after out last meeting in the Whitehouse.” Jack chuckled.

  “Sounds great. At least it won’t be as embarrassing as the White House showers,” Rod said, catching Jack’s humor.

  “Yeah, Harry smoothed that over. And the President will have his wife with him on this trip.” Jack winked at Rod. “Okay, let’s get you to Parkland and see your mom. She’s really anxious to see you.”

  “Thanks for arranging my leave, Jack, I really appreciate it.”

  “Glad to do it, son. That’s what friends are for.”

  Parkland Hospital

  As the elevator slowly lifted them to the eighth-floor stroke care unit, Jack turned to Rod. “Your mom is having trouble with her speech and can’t talk very well. She doesn’t have the use of her right side. Another result of the stroke is that she weeps a lot. The doctor says that’s a normal side effect that will go away in a short time, but she will be frustrated and embarrassed about it. It will be a matter of time and therapy before she regains any use of her arm and leg.” Jack paused. “In fact, she may never regain their use. It just depends on how well she responds to therapy. The doctor said every patient is different. I just want you to be prepared when you first see her. Okay, here we are. She’s in Room 815. Are you ready?”

  Rod took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.”

  When they entered her room, Rod found himself shocked at his mother’s appearance, even after Jack’s warning. She looked years older. Her face was ashen gray. The right side of her face drooped with saliva drooling from the corner of her mouth. Her hair was disheveled and almost white. She began crying as soon as Rod entered her room. Fighting back his own tears, he managed a smile.

  “Hi, Mom.” Rod breathed deeply. “It’s good to see you. I came as soon as I could. How are you feeling?”

  She tried to respond, but she couldn’t control her weeping. Their attempt at conversation was a struggle and it frustrated her. Rod could see his visit was upsetting her. He wasn’t faring much better. He had never seen his mother cry except at his dad’s funeral. It was sad to see her this way.

  “That’s okay,” Rod said and bent down to give her a kiss on her forehead. “It’s late and I know you’re tired. We’ll let you get some rest. I’m staying in a motel down the street and will come back in the morning. Jack will bring Jessica and Mark tomorrow when he comes.” After another kiss, on the cheek this time, with a whispered “I love you”, they left the room.

  Rod didn’t sleep well and woke up early, accustomed to the five a.m. wakeup call in the barracks. It was still dark as he sat on the side of his bed, wondering how he would have managed this without Jack. He had always been supportive, no matter what the circumstances. Rod knew there was no way he could possibly repay him for all his help. He believed Jack when he said he didn’t want anything in return. He really looked on Rod as the son he never had. That thought left him with a relaxed feeling. He knew Jack would take good care of his mother until he got out of the Air Force.

  Fresh out of the shower, Rod dressed in his uniform again in case they actually had lunch with Harry and the President. He had learned never to doubt Jack’s word. His mind was spinning with concern for his mother’s health as he dug into a Western omelet and a side of grits at a nearby pancake house. This was a treat away from Air Force chow. He smiled to himself when he realized there wasn’t much that can go wrong with grits and a Western omelet packed with jalapenos.

  Rod stopped by the hospital flower shop after breakfast and bought a bouquet of his mom’s favorite roses to brighten her room. He wanted to get to her room in time to feed her breakfast. When he arrived, her eyes brightened when she saw Rod. The doctor and attending nurse were at her bedside.

  “Good morning. I’m Dr. Albreck and this is Nurse Sweeney. You must be Rod. I heard you were coming from California to see her. The Red Cross really does a great job helping our servicemen in situations like this.”

  “Yes, sir, they sure do. Pleased to meet you, doctor. How’s she doing?”

  “She has some paralysis on her right side and difficulty speaking. We have a good therapy department that will help her get better, and when she gets home, there are good therapists there who can continue to work with her. You should see some results in the next three to six months. I’ll leave you two to visit, but try not to make your visits too long. She needs plenty of rest,” Dr. Albreck said and left to finish his rounds.

  “The flowers are beautiful,” she said in her slurred, weepy voice. “Thank you.”

  Rod tried to carry on a conversation by doing most of the talking. It was difficult to watch her struggle to speak. The TV was playing too loud in the background, so he turned the volume down as the nurse came in with breakfast. He tried to get her to eat some of her soft diet of grits, runny scrambled eggs, Jell-O, and coffee. She wasn’t hungry, but he finally was able to get a few bites in her and she drank her orange juice before Jack arrived with Jessica and Mark.

  “Boy, am I glad to see y’all,” Rod said as he hugged his little sister and brother.

  Jessie and Mark gave their mom hugs and kisses and chatted, sitting on the side of her bed. Meanwhile Rod and Jack were huddled over in the corner of the room.

  “Doc says this could take months of therapy, even after she gets home.” Rod’s voice was strained.

  “Look, don’t you worry about that. I’ll take care of your mother. I’ll have a nurse with her all day, every day. I’m right there and can look in on her and let you know how she’s doing. You just concentrate on your studies and leave the rest to me.”

  “You have no idea what a relief that is to me. I really owe you big time.”

  Jack looked a little annoyed. “You worry too much for a young man. Trust me when I say I’ll take care of her. Okay?” With that, Jack put his arm around Rod’s shoulders and gave him a squeeze. “It’s going to be okay. Now, I need to see if I can get a hold of Harry and find out if our luncheon with the President is still on. They should be finished at the political event and on their way to the hotel shortly. I’ll leave a note at the hotel desk for him to call me at this room number. I’ll use the phone at the nurses’ station. Be right back.”

  While Jack was making his phone call, an ambulance with a police escort came screaming into the emergency entrance eight floors below. Even though the volume was low, there was a lot of commotion on the TV screen. Rod froze when he heard what all the excitement was about. On the way from the political rally, the President had been shot while riding in his open car and waving to the crowds lining the
street. They were bringing him to Parkland. Jack returned from his phone call.

  “Jack! Look at this, the President’s been shot and he’s downstairs!” Rod whispered, trying not to upset his mother.

  The room phone rang.

  “Hello, this is Rod,” he answered softly.

  “Rod, this is Harry, is Jack with you?”

  “Yes, he just tried to reach you at your hotel.”

  “Let me talk to him. I’m sorry. Forgive me. How is your mother? Jack said she had a stroke.”

  “She did and is doing as well as can be expected at this stage. Thanks for asking. Here’s Jack.” Rod turned and handed the phone to Jack.

  “Jack, I’m downstairs in the waiting room outside the emergency room. There’s a whole team of doctors working on the President. It doesn’t look good. His wife, the Vice President, and their whole entourage along with a couple dozen Secret Service people and local police are down here. It’s a madhouse. Nobody knows what’s going on or what happened. They are setting up a command post here and have managed to keep the news media out, but that won’t last long. They will have to make a statement to the press soon. Sorry, buddy, it looks like our lunch plans are canceled. I’ll keep you advised about the President’s condition. Gotta go.”

  Rod looked at Jack as he put down the phone. “How could this happen?”

  Everyone’s eyes suddenly turned toward the TV as an emotional news anchor prepared to make an announcement. His voice cracked as he said, “We have just learned that the President of the United States is dead.” He wiped at the tears streaming down his face. Regaining control, he continued, “The President was pronounced dead at 12:30 p.m. We have no further information at this time.” Somber music came up after the announcement.

  Rod turned off the TV. No one seemed to know what to say. When the nurse came in with his mom’s food tray and medicine, it broke the silence, and the family’s concern was back on their mother. Jack left to see if he could find Harry and get an update on what happened.

  The next two days were calmer with the TV off and the family gathered around their mother’s bed. She had better control of her emotions and could make herself understood if she talked slowly. The family made small talk as Rod tried to get his mother to eat her lunch. It had been a short visit for Rod, and it was nearly over.

  “You did better with your supper tonight, Momma, just keep it up,” Rod said cheerfully as he put her half-eaten food tray on the bedside table. He turned back to her and said soberly, “I have to leave tomorrow. I’m afraid this visit is going to have to be Thanksgiving and Christmas for this year. I’ll only get a few days leave at the end of my training, then I’ll be sent to my next assignment.” With a big smile and open arms, Rod bent over to hug his mother one last time. She wrapped her left arm around him tightly for several minutes before letting him go. He wiped her tears with a tissue, kissed her on the cheek, and left the room before she could see his tears.

  Chapter 21

  Vandenberg AFB

  Back in his barracks, Rod gave Guy all the details of his trip to Texas.

  “Wow, first your mom has a stroke, then the President is assassinated and brought to the same hospital. Hope that didn’t mess up your visit with your mom.”

  “Nah, we had a great visit. My friend Jack has been amazing the way he has taken over the care of my mom and my family.”

  “How did you get to be such good friends?”

  “I caddied for him every summer at the country club, and after my dad died he sort of adopted me. He never married or had a son, so I was the next best thing. He had my future all mapped out for me to get a football scholarship to Texas A&M. After my injury, he never blinked when I turned down an academic scholarship. He wants me to come to work for him when I get out of the Air Force. His company is a growing government contractor for aircraft inspection and repair operations to patch up aircraft and return them back to action in Vietnam. He plans to expand into modifying and equipping intelligence-gathering aircraft as soon as he is better established as a high-tech contractor. He’s an old Army Air Force veteran. The first thing he taught me was, ‘Never call it an airplane.’ That’s why I really need to buckle down and learn everything I can and get some practical experience, even if it means going to Vietnam.”

  Rod and Guy were granted their first leave after their wing graduated from tech school just before Christmas. When they returned to Vandenberg from their leave, their next duty station orders would be waiting for them.

  Junior had sent Rod tickets for the Rose Bowl game for his Southern Cal Trojans against the Wisconsin Badgers. It was a big game. The fact that it matched the traditional winners of Pac 8 and Big 10 teams that were ranked number one and two in the nation just added to the excitement. It was the first time the Rose Bowl had hosted a game to decide who the national champion would be.

  “Man, that last week was a killer with all those tests. I’m so brain dead it’s going to take me my whole leave just to wind down,” Rod said as he and Guy packed their small flight bags for Pasadena. “I can’t wait to see my old high school teammate. He was my go-to guy when we needed a first down or touchdown. He’s made quite a name for himself as a receiver at Southern Cal. There’s even talk he may make All-American. Man, I can’t believe it. This time last year we were playing for the Texas High School State Championship.”

  “I’m anxious to meet your friend, but I’m really psyched to see the halftime band show. They always cut them out on TV. Band was my thing in high school. The Rose Bowl is the granddaddy of them all, they say, including the halftime show. It will be great to see their huge band perform in person.”

  “We’d better hustle. I told Zac we’d meet him in about ten minutes in front of the barracks. If we miss him, we’re stuck here.”

  “I’m ready,” Guy said. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Chapter 22

  Pasadena

  Rod and Guy checked into a hotel several blocks from the Rose Bowl stadium and immediately changed into civilian clothes. Next they checked with the desk clerk about restaurants. He suggested several good ones nearby. The first one they came to filled the bill.

  “The Pasadena Steak House looks pretty good. I haven’t had a good steak since I left Texas. What do you say?”

  “Sounds good to me. We eat steak in North Carolina, too.”

  The two airmen, both small-town boys, devoured their steaks along with baked potatoes, green beans, and hot buttered rolls that melted in their mouths. They washed it all down with several glasses of iced tea. Much better than the mess-hall food at the base, they agreed.

  “I’m glad the stadium is several blocks away so we can walk off that lunch,” Rod said.

  “No kidding. I feel like I’m going to pop.”

  They needn’t have worried. While their seats were on the fifty-yard line, they were at least thirty rows up. Climbing those steps was just the exercise they needed to work off some of their lunch and enjoy the game.

  “Whew, that’s a workout,” Rod said as they took their seats. Looking at the players already on the field warming up, Rod spied Junior.

  “There he is,” Rod said with a smile. “That’s him, number eighty-four. He had to ride to the stadium on the team bus, but he’ll meet up with us after the game. Junior said there were lots of pretty girls on campus and promised us a good time at the big party he’s giving after the game, win or lose.”

  Southern Cal scored first on a trick play good for a fifty-seven-yard touchdown. Junior caught two touchdown passes as the Trojans rolled up a 42-14 score. But Wisconsin came charging back in the fourth quarter and made a game of it before running out of time at 42-37. Southern Cal was awarded the national champion trophy in an elaborate post-game ceremony.

  Rod and Guy waited outside the entrance to the Trojan’s locker room. Even Rod w
as surprised at how big the players were at street level after watching them as tiny figures from thirty rows up.

  “Hey man, good to see you,” Junior said as he and Rod did their traditional handshake.

  “You’ve put on a few pounds since high school,” Rod said.

  “Yeah, man, they feed us good and work our butts off in the weight room. It pays off though. We didn’t lose a single game. Wisconsin scared the shit out of us today, but we did it. We’re number one.” Junior waved his index finger in the air and yelled, “We’re number one, man, how about that?”

  Several teammates passed by and picked up on Junior’s chant. They had an impromptu pep rally, dancing around and waving the number one sign over their heads.

  “Sorry about that, man,” he said to Rod. “Just now sinking in that we’re the national champions.”

  “Congratulations. You deserve it. Hey, I want you to meet Guy, we’re in school together up at Vandenberg.”

  “Glad to meet you, Guy.” Junior extended his hand and gave Guy a crushing handshake. “Y’all ready to party? You wouldn’t believe all the good-looking chicks around here. From day one when they were recruiting me, the prompters who help us with our grades and stuff always have party chicks for the players after home games. We have a suite of rooms a couple blocks from here at the Hilton waiting for us. All the booze and girls you want, man. You won’t believe it. Where are you staying?”

  “We’re a little farther away in the lower-rent district,” Rod said.

  “Not tonight, my friends, we’ll be partying all night. Come on, the party should be gettin’ good about now.”

  “Thanks, but I think I’ll take a rain check,” Guy said. “Nice meeting you, though. You really played a great game.” He turned to leave.