Our Boys

The Birdman Pt. 7

They arrived at the hospital and parked. Entering the emergency room doors, they looked around for Deji. Callux spotted him and pointed the way.

Josh and Deji sat together near the front on the room. Josh looked wound tight as he sat forward in the chair, his hands wrapped around the front edge of the chair as if preparing to spring out. In the chair next to the young boy, Deji looked the picture of relaxation, with his arms draped across the backs of the surrounding chairs. He was slouched down, legs stretched out in front of him, ankles crossed. With his eyes closed, he looked as if he were about to slide right out of the chair. But as they drew near, they were not surprised as he spoke without opening his eyes. He only looked relaxed.

"Yo, boys. Did you get Bergman taken care of?"

Simon smiled slightly and nodded his head. Deji never ceased to surprise him. The man was always aware of the things going on around him, even when he seemed focused on something else.

Josh's head jerked around at Deji's question and he flung himself against his dad's legs, clutching him tight.

Cal joined Deji by the chairs, as Simon squatted and hugged the boy. Josh trembled slightly and leaned into the embrace.

Cal turned away from the scene and answered the question. "Yeah, ex-sergeant Bergman has been locked away by the local police department. He made a quick stop at a hospital and was then put in custody. I called my buddy on the way over and he said there's little hope of the bastard getting bail."

Cal took a seat by Deji as he sat up straight. They watched as Simon stood up with the boy in his arms. Josh wrapped his legs around the man and laid his head on his dad's shoulder. Simon turned and took a seat with the rest of the team.

"Are they still back there?" Simon asked Deji.

"Yeah. They took them back about an hour ago. So far we haven't heard a word. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. But at least JJ hasn't been escorted out."

Each man nodded, knowing that JJ would get loud and verbal if he was not satisfied with the treatment the boy was receiving. The fact that he was still in the room meant one of two things-he was comfortable with what was happening or he was the only one that could keep the boy calm. Only time would give them an answer.

Thirty minutes later, they looked up as JJ walked in carrying Ethan. The bruise had darkened and spread downward. It was an angry dark color, but the bump had gone down a bit. The boy had a soft cast on his arm in a light shade of red. As they approached, he smiled and waved the limb, calmly as if this sort of thing happened daily. JJ, on the other hand, looked as if he had been in a boxing match. He sat the boy down on his feet and flopped down in a chair next to the others. Ethan ran over to Josh, who had climbed down from Simon's lap. The four men watched as the two boys hugged. They climbed into one chair and began a quiet conversation.

Simon looked over at JJ. "You okay, babe?"

JJ ran his hands over his face as he slouched down in the chair. "I think I'd rather swim with sharks than have to do that again. Kid was hurting, I was yelling; it's a wonder I didn't get thrown out on my arse. I finally got him to calm down. I asked him about Bergman to distract him. Maybe I should have waited but I couldn't think of anything to talk about. He was a little nervous at first, but then he opened up."

"Could he tell you much?" Simon asked.

The men moved closer after JJ glanced at the boys and then lowered his voice. "Seems his mum told him she'd seen something bad and that she needed to get away for while and was going to get him out of the group home too, and Bergman was going help them. He'd be able to meet up with them occasionally. It was okay for a while but then something changed. Whenever he showed up, they got into an argument about something. Sometimes Bergman would grab her and she would slap him back. Sometimes the man came to the group home on his own and would threaten Ethan about not saying a word. That's why he had the nightmares and that's why he was both scared to leave his mum and go and see her. I'm guessing Bergman didn't expect Josh to arrive on the scene and go and search the woman out. I think he just thought Ethan would stay at the group home and never know who had killed his mum. I don't think he was ever going to hurt him, at least not back then." JJ paused for a moment.