Throw Away Teen (40 page)

“
B.J.,” someone whispered.

I turned and spotted Gabe hunched in a corner, flanked by two stone walls. In front of him was a coal black dog with a white chest and brown legs. Relief washed through me. Gabe was alive.

He leaned back, his elbow pressed tight into his side. His face was pale, nearly white, and his jaw tight. Under his open black leather jacket, reddish-brown stains covered his gray T-shirt. Was that...blood?

As I approached, the dog growled at me, and I stopped. “What are you doing here, Gabe? Who’s your friend?”

“
It’s a Catahoula Leopard Dog,” Ringo said behind me. “They’re known to be
independent, protective, and territorial. Loving with people they know well but they can be reserved with strangers and we’re definitely strange,
” he said. “Pull out some of that beef jerky, B.J. And let Gabe convince him we’re safe.”

“
She’s a wuss,” Gabe said through clenched teeth. The look in his eye dared me.

“
Yeah, right.” I unzipped my back-pack and took out the jerky. “Where did you get her?”

“
She left with me.” Gabe put his free hand on the dog’s broad head and she pressed against him. “It’s okay, Nokomis.”

“
No-what?” Ringo asked.

I smiled at Gabe and recited the poem he had taught me so many years ago: “‘By the shores of Gitche Gumee, By the Shining Big-Sea-Water, Stood the Wigwam of Nokomis, Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis.’”

“‘
Dark behind it rose the forest, Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees,’” Gabe went on. He paused and looked at Ringo. “It’s from the
Song of Hiawatha
by Longfellow. My dad used to recite the whole thing to me when I was little.”

“
Well, if you can remember something like that, Barrett would love you,” Ringo said. “He made us memorize all these soliloquys from
MacBeth
this year. B.J. missed out on the Shakespeare unit for her class.”

“
Considering what the dude does with Dickens, I may have to run off to avoid that,” I said.

Opening the package of jerky, I approached the dog and held out a piece. I crooned part of the poem again, repeating the part with her name.

She wagged her tail and waited for Gabe to feed her the first chunk of jerky. While he fed the dog, I found the roast beef sandwich from the deli. “Here. Eat this. Do you want water or coffee?”

CHAPTER 28

While Gabe nibbled at the sandwich, I peeled off his motorcycle jacket. He’d wrapped paper towels around his right arm. I gently lifted away as much of the paper as I could. That was when I saw the first cut, a long, deep one that ran most of the way down his arm. “Gabe, you need a doctor.”

He shook his head. “No. I’ll be fine.”

“Sure you will.” Ringo opened his back-pack. “Got you covered, man.”

I didn’t know much about first-aid so I just did what Ringo told me to and provided what he called, system support. He cleaned the wound with antiseptic wipes from the kit then bandaged the cut with two of the diapers. Wearing plastic gloves, I threw the used wipes into a bag. I opened rolls of gauze, then medical tape and helped Ringo finish securing the diapers in place.

“What about the other guy, Gabe?”

“I got jumped by four dirtbags, B.J. If Nokomis hadn’t gone after the biggest one, they’d have killed me.” Gabe handed me half of the sandwich and struggled with the bottom of his shirt. “Got sliced across my ribs.”

“Let me do it.” Ringo caught the hem of the T-shirt and eased it over Gabe’s head.

When we got the wad of paper off his ribs, I saw a six inch gash. It was deeper than the one on his arm. There were other cuts on his chest but they were scratches compared to the nasty ones. And I couldn’t begin to count the bruises.

Ringo held out his hand for a wipe and I opened one. While he cleaned around the injury, I got out two more diapers. I could taste the chips I’d eaten in the truck rise into my throat, but refused to let myself puke. The guys were counting on me and I wasn’t about to wimp out now.

“So, why did they jump you?” I asked to keep my mind off the nausea.

“Because the oldest one didn’t want any more foster kids hanging around. That and Nokomis liked me better than she did him.” Gabe scratched the dog’s head and she licked his fingers. “Guess me feeding her and protecting her when he hit and kicked her made me her fave.”

“Catahoulas are like that,” Ringo said. “They don’t take crap, and they bond tight to the ones they love.” He glanced over his shoulder at me. “B.J., find your flashlight. I need to be able to see what I’m doing here.”

“Okay.” I hadn’t realized that it was starting to get dark down here. It must be almost closing time and they were dimming the overhead lights so people would get a clue. “If we don’t finish up fast, we’ll get locked in overnight.”

“I’m doing the best I can.” Ringo unfolded the first diaper.

“And you haven’t gotten to the dog yet,” Gabe said.

I turned on my light and aimed it at the wound. “What’s wrong with her?”

“Got kicked in the guts. Hit in the head and she was limping. I’m not sure if her leg’s broken or just sore.”

“She put any weight on it or did she just hold it in the air?” Ringo asked.

“Held it up.” Gabe caught his breath as Ringo bandaged the cut on his ribs. “All the way here.”

“Then, we’ll deal with her next,” Ringo said. “Save some jerky for that.”

When he finished with the bandage, Ringo handed me the first aid kit. “I’m going to work on the dog now. While I do that, you clean the small cuts and bandage them. Then, look in my bag. I was taking home my P.E. shirt. It needs to be washed, Gabe, but at least it’s not all bloody.”

“Sounds better than what I was wearing.” Gabe shifted so he could hold the dog. “I’m not giving her back to that bastard, B.J. As far as anybody’s concerned, she’s mine.”

“Hey, she was yours the minute she saved you.” I tore open the foil on the next wipe. “And since you’ll have Annie on your side, I don’t think you have a thing to worry about.”

“Yeah, but I don’t want to hear what Carol has to say,” Gabe muttered. “’Even her brain is candy-coated.”

I squeezed antibiotic ointment on a big square bandage and slid it on the first scratch on his chest.
I had the easy job compared to what Ringo had to deal with
, I thought. I had humongous
Band-Aids
so this was going to be a fast fix-up. “Considering that woman spent all night looking for you and was at my school crying over you this morning, I think you better suck it up, buttercup.”

“No way,” Gabe said, feeding Nokomis tiny pieces of jerky so she wouldn’t bite Ringo. “Carol has her own agenda, and I didn’t think I was anywhere on it.”

“You’re on it. She’s down here harassing the cops, and that was after she spent last night checking hospitals and clinics.” I covered the cut on the left side of his ribs with another giant Band-Aid.

Ringo cut off a long piece of gauze from the roll and passed it to Gabe. “Wrap it around your dog’s mouth like a muzzle so she doesn’t bite me. I’m going to have to straighten her leg and it will hurt like hell.”

Gabe nodded and followed orders. He pulled Nokomis to him and cuddled her tight, reciting the lines of the poem that were all about her name. “‘By the shores of Gitche Gumee, By the Shining Big-Sea-Water, Stood the Wigwam of Nokomis, Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis...’”

I glanced at Ringo. He straightened out the dog’s front leg and was wrapping it with strips of gauze. When he was ready, I handed him the tape to hold the bandage in place.

“How many of the guys had knives?” I asked Gabe.

“Two of them. I’d have handled it if the other two hadn’t been holding me down.”

“You’ve got to take karate,” I said. “Sensei’s been teaching me to kick butt.”

“Yeah, but I’m a black belt and with two guys holding me, I don’t know that I could’ve done as well as Gabe,” Ringo said, jerking his hand away quick before Nokomis could nip him. “Sometimes, it’s best to exit stage left, B.J. Got any more of that jerky, Gabe?”

“She’s finished it.” Gabe fed the dog the last of his sandwich.

Using my flashlight, I looked him over. I’d gotten all of the smaller injuries on his back and chest. “Any cuts on your legs?”

“No,” Gabe said. “I’m not taking my pants off for you, babe. Don’t even ask.”

I found Ringo’s T-shirt in his back-pack and helped Gabe put it on. I saw dried blood in his hair and knew he must’ve gotten konked on the head, but it didn’t seem that bad. I drew Gabe’s jacket back up over his shoulders. “What’s next?”

“We need to figure that one out.” Ringo put the unused supplies away in his back-pack. “We can call and get you to a hospital in Seattle, Gabe.”

“They’ll never let me have Nokomis there and I don’t know if she’ll go with you or not,” Gabe said. “I want to go home with B.J.” He smiled weakly. “Liz likes me.”

“Yes, she does. That’s cool with me.” I stood and went to catch Ringo’s hand with mine. “But he’ll never make it to the truck.”

Ringo nodded. “I’ll have to go bring it closer.” He fished in his pocket and dug out his cell phone. “Here. If he passes out, you call 9-1-1 while I’m gone.”

“Okay. Let’s get them up to the first level,” I said. “Otherwise, we’ll be locked in when they secure the entrances.”

“All right.” Ringo bent and kissed me super quick. “You’re doing great, shorty.”

“I’d never call a girl, shorty,” Gabe commented. “You have to work on your romancing there, farm-boy.”

“Yeah, like I’d take advice from a city punk.” Ringo released me and went over to help Gabe stand. “Come on, dude. We’re taking you upstairs so I can go get my rig.”

“I’ll lean on B.J.,” Gabe said. “Will you carry my dog?”

“
Only if we keep the gauze on her mouth so she can’t bite me,” Ringo said.

After ten minutes, I finally had Gabe settled into the back corner of a produce stall with Nokomis lying next to him. In the daylight, the dog was about twice the size of Guard, and I could see she had the same kind of black and tan patterns that my puppy did. Ringo said she was about six or seven months old and wouldn’t be mature until she turned two. He knew a lot about dogs and when I asked why, he told me he learned it all from Liz.

Ringo kissed me again and hurried off to bring back the truck.

The old man who ran the fruits and veggies stall looked at me. I eyeballed him back. He’d shaved his head, but he had bushy black eyebrows and a wicked goatee. Maybe he wasn’t as old as I originally thought. He wore a muscle T-shirt and had bulging arms. His jeans were tucked into laced up boots. His eyes were a deep chocolate brown and they smiled when he did. He handed me a blanket that he’d scrounged up for Gabe and I covered up both of them.

Gabe blinked drowsily at me.

“You can nap while we wait,” I said. “But just remember what Ringo said. If you pass out, you’re going to the hospital.”

“Man, you’ve gotten tough, Bertha Juniper.”

“Stuff it, Gabriel Alexander.”

Gabe chuckled and rested a hand on Nokomis who wagged her tail a little.

I sighed. They were both going to be okay. I turned back to the stall owner and stuck out my hand. “I’m B.J.”

“Jack Morrison.” He shook my hand and smiled. “Your friend said you’d help me close up while he’s gone.”

I’d wondered what strings Ringo pulled to get us a safe place. Now I knew. Gawd, my guy was smart. “Sure, no worries. What do you want me to do?”

“Watch for customers and don’t let anyone walk off with anything while I put away the fruit in the walk-in.” He gestured to a door at the back of the stall. “Okay?”

“Sure.”

When he pushed a cart over, I opened the door and saw a giant fridge. No wonder he called it a ‘walk-in.’ He literally could walk inside.

A half hour later, most of the fruit and veggies were put away. I bagged up the ones Jack said wouldn’t last. He’d drop them off at a nearby homeless-veterans shelter on his way to Ballard where he lived.

“Can I buy some of those organic carrots from you?” I asked, when he started putting the boxes on the cart.

“Why? Does your mom use them for stews?”

“No, they’re for my horse, Windsong,” I said. “She loves them. Whenever we get them at the store, she lets the greens hang out like spaghetti.”

Jack laughed and put three bunches in a plastic bag. “Here you go.”

“How much do I owe you?”

“Nothing. They won’t last. I’d just have to throw them away if you didn’t take them to the barn.”

Yeah, like I was supposed to believe that. I tucked the bag into my backpack and thanked him again.

When I went to check on Gabe, I heard the ring-tone on the cell phone. I fished it out of my blazer pocket. I missed the call, but the screen said it was from Dallas. I looked at my watch. It was almost seven. I should phone home before Carol had the cops looking for both of us.

Some guy answered after the second ring, but I didn’t recognize his voice. “Who is this? Zach?”

“No,” the stranger said. “Is this B.J.? Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. What are you? A cop?”

“No, but Chief Rivers has his officers out looking for you and Ringo.”

“Oh my Gawd. I freaking called after school and said I’d be home when we found Gabe. What is it with you people? You so need to get a life.”

The guy laughed. “Well, did you find him? I’m Ike Abbot, Gabe’s dad. How is he?”

I touched Gabe’s shoulder to wake him and then held out the phone. “Hey, man. It’s your dad. He’s, like, out of the nut-house. What do you want me to tell him?”

Gabe stirred. “That I don’t blame him, ‘’
cuz he run and hid
...’”

“What the...” I asked. I heard Ike say something so I put the phone back to my ear.

“But the meanest thing I ever did was before I left, I went and named him, Sue.
” Then Ike laughed like a crazy guy. And so did Gabe.

“Okay, so now I know you’re both nuts,” I told the two of them. They both cracked up again, like the freaking hyenas on Animal Planet, Gabe in front of me and his dad on the phone. “Let me talk to Liz or Ted.”