Chapter 14: Committment

Lenna had been transferred from the hardboard to a gurney and was sitting up with the baby in her arms. Helen was working between her legs again. She burst into tears when she saw her older daughter being held by Kathy.

Peter saw the first police officer on the scene questioning a passenger and stepped over to speak with him.

“You did a good thing,” the cop told him, noting the metal rods connecting his shins to his shoes.

“Thanks,” he replied, noting the man’s name tag, Carlton. “Um, Officer Carlton. The mom said something while trapped and in labor,” he added quietly. “Something about a guy named Reggie who threatened to kill her.”

The officer pulled him aside and nodded. “Our initial investigation suggests the bus lost control after the front right tire was shot a few miles back. Did you see anything?”

Peter shook his head and recounted the events leading to the crash. “Kathy was driving and noticed the oncoming bus drifting into our lane,” he said. “When it lost control, we were forced off the highway and preoccupied with trying not to wreck ourselves.”

Kathy rode in the ambulance with Lenna and her daughters while Peter followed in the Fleetwood with the young boy who introduced himself as Jonathon Delgado. Jonathon was traveling alone to Lake Havasu to live with his aunt. Peter let him call her on his cell to explain the situation. Before hanging up, Peter reassured her that he’d ensure Jonathon reached her, giving her his number, too. During the drive, Peter learned Jonathon had run away from his troubled home in Sedona, got caught shoplifting in Flagstaff, and was taken into custody. CPS discovered his mother was too drunk to notice he’d been gone for almost a week.

“Sorry to hear that, man,” Peter told the boy as they followed the ambulance. “I feel ya, though—my childhood wasn’t great either.”

The boy scoffed bitterly. “Yeah, right,” he muttered.

Peter moved his foot to the center console and knocked on the titanium post with his knuckles. “I was your age when I lost both my legs,” he said dryly. “My old man took off, and my mom died a year later.”

Jonathon kept his thoughts to himself afterward.

“Listen, buddy,” Peter said after a pause. “Here’s a little secret for you. Think of it as a little pearl of wisdom I learned: nobody cares. The sooner you get that, the sooner you’ll stop waiting for someone to give a shit about your problems. Self-pity gets you dick. If you play the poor little victim all your life, you’ll end up a bitter old man.” He tapped the boy’s temple. “Everything you need is right here. Get your priorities straight, grow your brain, and focus on your goals. The only one who can take care of you is you.”

He followed the ambulance off the freeway and into the medium-sized city. “I faced a similar situation. I could’ve run away,” he chuckled. “It would’ve been more challenging in a wheelchair, but I could’ve tried. But I didn’t. Instead, I kicked myself in the ass and decided that the only person who would take care of me was me. Once I unloaded all that emotional baggage, I prioritized myself as numero uno.” The ambulance continued northeast on Historic Route 66.

“Gee, thanks for the pep talk,” the boy quipped sarcastically. “I feel so much better.”

Peter laughed lightly. “Yeah, that’s how I would have responded at your age,” he grinned. “You have what it takes, kid. Despite what I just said, we—Kathy and I, will help you. You impressed me back there. You showed me something I didn’t have at your age.”

“What was that?”

“When everyone else was trampling each other to escape the wrecked bus, you stood there calm and fearless. You stayed and helped when everyone else was trying to save themselves, regardless of who they stepped on.” He gazed at the young man beside him. “Tell me what you were thinking,” he said. “What was going through your mind during the chaos?”

Jonathon considered the question. “I, um, I don’t know,” he shrugged. “I was sitting across from that pregnant lady and her little girl, ‘Jacky’—that’s what her mom called her.” He stared into space as he recalled. “She was freaked out about something and kept looking out the window like she was afraid. But the little girl kept staring at me and I made some funny faces back at her. She tried to copy me, and we made a game of it.” He smiled.

Peter watched his expression closely. “Jacali is a cute little girl,” he admitted.

The boy nodded quickly. “Yeah, I thought she looked like a little elf with rosy cheeks and big brown eyes. Hard to tell she’s Apache like her mom.”

Peter felt like an idiot recalling speaking to her in Spanish. “Did you notice anything else about them? You mentioned she was freaked out and scared. Could you tell why?”

His passenger shook his head. “Nah, I remember her getting on the bus here in Flagstaff. She looked really anxious and rushed as she barely got there in time, even though we sat there for another half hour.” He chewed his lip as he thought. “She seemed to hunch down like she was hiding behind the seat and held the little girl close until we started moving.”

The Flagstaff Medical Center appeared ahead, and Peter turned into the visitor parking lot, searching for a space big enough for the Fleetwood. “Keep thinking and try to remember everything,” he told the boy. “Even the simplest detail might be useful to the police.”

“Is she in trouble?” Jonathon asked.

“I’m not sure, but she was running from a guy named Reggie, and the cops think that someone took a shot at the front tire, causing the wreck.” After parking, he returned to the cabin and grabbed a new shirt. “Let’s go figure out where they are taking her.”

After checking in at the main lobby, they were directed to the Emergency Room Waiting Area, where they wandered through the halls, following signs.

“I imagine it will take time to check Lenna and her baby before moving her to a room,” Peter said, turning to the young man. “I promised your Aunt I’d get you home, and I will keep my word.” He studied the boy’s calm face. “I’m not here to babysit you or watch your every move. I think you can take care of yourself. If you want to run away again, I can’t stop you. But if you trust me, I promise I won’t let you down. Cool?”

“Yeah,” he replied quickly. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Cool,” Peter said, pulling out his wallet and giving the kid a $20 bill. Waiting here is boring, so why don’t you go back to that cafeteria we passed and get something to eat? If I learn anything, I’ll find you. When you’re done, come back here. The police are going to want to ask you a bunch of questions, so try to remember everything that you can. Are you good with that?”

As with all 15-year-olds, food was always appreciated. He nodded agreeably and retraced their steps.

At the Emergency desk, he asked the clerk to inform Kathy that he was there before taking a seat. He learned there was only one reported fatality from the wreck: the elderly driver who suffered a heart attack and died hanging in his seatbelt.

After waiting an hour, Kathy appeared carrying the doe-eyed girl. She smiled at Jonathon and placed the tyke on his lap when she reached her tiny hands for the boy. “Seems like you got yourself a stalker, handsome,” she teased as he accepted the child and made googly eyes at her.

Peter stood and followed her when she beckoned him with a nod.

“A police investigator is speaking with Lenna right now,” she said. “The guy she was running from isn’t the most stable person. She shacked up with him after being thrown out by her old man for some bullshit family insult. She gazed back at the 15-year-old and the toddler in his lap. “That is the most precious little girl...” she muttered. “How could anyone think of her as an insult?” she growled. “Anyway, Lenna was on the streets with her baby when she took up with Reggie Morris. He has been in and out of the slammer all his life and worked as a day laborer for the last few months because he couldn’t hold a steady job.

“When he was run off the reservation, he took her and the baby with him, and they lived rough, traveling from Phoenix to Tucson, Los Cruces, Albuquerque, and back to Flagstaff. They traveled for nearly a year, and in Gallup, he got arrested for assault and jailed for six months. “While he was locked up, she relied on shelters and goodwill until she contacted an uncle who agreed to take her in at some place called Whiteriver. But she couldn’t drive and was pregnant with Reggie’s baby. She worked at a hotel in Gallup and saved enough money to take a bus to Holbrook, where the lunatic caught up with her and beat her for leaving him. He threatened to kill her and Jacali if she ever ran from him again.”

Peter could feel his pulse in his ears as he listened to the woman’s plight.

“After he struck that little girl, she waited for a chance and ran away, stealing his money and begging for a ride from a trucker who brought her to Flagstaff,” Kathy continued. “That was yesterday, and somehow Reggie caught up with her again. She spotted him driving around looking for her, so she fled to the bus depot and climbed into the first open coach. She threw all her money at the driver and begged him to take her as far as possible.” Peter could feel her quivering with rage in his arms. “She had no idea the bus was going further from the reservation. She just wanted to get away from that deranged asshole!”